Steve Jobs presented the iPad to the world on January 27, 2010. Since that presentation many have been wondering what the major differences are between the new iPad and the old reliable iPod Touch. When compared side by side the iPad does appear to be a blown up version of the iPhone Touch due to its similar layout and button placement. However, upon closer inspection the iPad reveals itself to be the more flexible device. In this article we will examine three ways in which the iPad separates itself from its smaller counterpart.
1)     Battery life – The latest version of the iPhone Touch can play music continuously for 30 hours until it needs to be recharged. The iPad is estimated to be able to provide 140 hours of audio playback until it must be recharged. A similar advantage is also expected to be seen for general operation. With over four times the estimated battery life, the iPad clearly comes out ahead.
2)     Practicality – Both the iPad and iPod Touch offer the ability to watch movies and read e-books. However, trying to do either activity on the iPod can be a bit of a chore due to its small screen. The ipad’s large screen allows for a richer multimedia experience and expands upon the iPod’s feature set. Full-screen newspaper and book reading, spreadsheet editing and game playing all promise to be more enjoyable on the iPad due to its bigger, brighter and higher definition screen.
3)     Faster CPU – The iPad’s processor runs at 1 GHz while the fastest version of the iPod tops out at only 600 MHz. That significant speed difference will be realized with higher definition movies, more graphically demanding games and smoother operation overall. While the iPad will not have the ability to run multiple applications upon release, this could change at any time through an OS update.
While the iPad does not make any significant leaps over the iPod Touch as far as features are concerned, it does come out firmly ahead in terms of usability and technical prowess.