While Apple's IOS operating system has a long history starting with the iPhone and now provides enhanced features to take advantage of the larger screen and higher resolution on the iPad. But the use of the Android OS on hand-held tablets by multiple manufacturers is a factor to be reckoned with. The Android OS such as that used by the best Nook Color apps may be dwarfed in terms of Apple Apps available, but all the major Apps to have a great tablet computing experience are there, and program developers are actively writing for both platforms.
The new Amazon Kindle Fire specs are nothing to sneeze at, offering comparable multi-touch functionality and a color computing platform for less than half to a third of what the Apple iPad costs. And the marketing power of Amazon itself almost instantly assures that millions of the Amazon Fire tablet will be in consumers hands by 2012 after the holiday shopping season. Leveraging the existing Android OS assures immediate availability of a wide range of Apps the day of its launch.
It's too soon to say where the market for tablet computing will lead. We've come a long, long way since the days of the Palm Pilot and Apple Newton. And in spite of Apple's phenomenal success with the iPad and iPhone juggernaut, it's not the only game in town and 'Good Enough' may be good enough to entrench Android OS based tablets as the defacto winner.
