In October 2001, the first ever iPod was released.

In January 2007, the iPhone was released, and in September 2007, the Wi-Fi enabled iPod touch was released.

It wasn’t long before Apple dreamed up the iPad and released the Wi-Fi version in April 2010.

Much like the iPod Touch, the iPad can only get Internet from Wi-Fi sources.  The iPad’s 9.7 inch, high resolution display takes Internet browsing, picture viewing, video watching, and game playing to a whole new level.

Bookworms who purchase the iPad can also read books on the iPad.  The app “iBooks” can be downloaded from the app store for free.  Within the “iBooks” app, there is an “iBookstore” where many books can be downloaded for free and read on the iPad.

There are already a lot of apps available for the iPad, and many of the iPhone apps work for the iPad.  Unfortunately, the iPad cannot run multiple apps at one time, and some of the newer apps crash.  Another disadvantage of the iPad is that because it does not have flash player some the multimedia on websites cannot be viewed.

The iPad is very similar to the Amazon Kindle, except even better. Since the screen of the iPad is backlit, as opposed to the screen of the Kindle, it is easier to read in the dark or dim light.  There is also a Kindle App which allows you to read Kindle books as well.  The only bad thing about the iPad’s backlit screen is that it isn’t antiglare, so it is easier to read a Kindle in the sunlight since the Kindle’s screen is antiglare.

After the release of the  iPad with Wi-Fi , the iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G was released.  The iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G allows you to surf the web and use apps that require the use of the Internet in places even when you don’t have Wi-Fi.  The 3G service is available through AT&T, and no contract is required.

The iPad is just a bigger version of the iPhone without the ability to make calls and send text messages.

While its size makes it less portable than an iPod, it is definitely more portable than a laptop.  It is slightly smaller than a magazine, weighing 1.5 pounds and 0.5 inch thin.

I definitely think that the $500 iPad is well worth the money.  The iPad is a good supplement for students who already have laptops because they can use the iPad’s internet anywhere and use their computers for Microsoft One Note and Word.

Elizabeth Tauber can be reached for comment at [email protected]