Apple is more than just an industry leader. They don't just modify their technology, or their competitor's technology, so it's an upgraded version of what came before. Their devices are as multi-purposed as they are user friendly. They are sleek, stylish, and due to their "app" technology, they are becoming more and more useful each day. It's no surprise that this philosophy is embodied most in their latest creation, the Ipad. It is a combination of the device's physical aspects and its programming that make it the most sought after device on the market today.

The Ipad combines an Iphone's portability with the power and usability of a laptop. It's got the best of both worlds. It is light and thin, yet it's got a screen large enough to be user-friendly, something that Ipod and Iphone users sometimes complain about. Tying and reading is easier. As much as Apple laptops were, and still are, awfully portable, they are cumbersome compared to the Ipad. The Ipad doesn't fold out: it's called a pad for a reason. The keyboard and the screen are the same thing, so it's the most efficient use of space. It does for laptops what the touch screen Ipod did to the older wheel models.

The thing that separates Ipads most from laptops is its use of applications. Laptops don't use these at all, and the Ipad has more, and better, apps than the smaller Iphones. Their use grows everyday because people can program them on their own, but there are a staple group of applications that are especially well adapted for the Ipad. This is particularly true for reading applications.

For years, there's been a perceived tension between print media and digital media; books versus screens. The Ipad represents the resolution of this so called conflict. It is at once so light, the proportions are so small, and it's touch screen is so advanced that it gives the user the feel of curling up with it and reading. It's not a static screen that hurts your eyes. Right now, designers are working around the clock trying to make the Ipad feel less advanced to give nostalgic lovers of print that feeling they get from interacting with pages. Ironically, the Ipad's greatest advancement is its ability to feel like one of our oldest technologies-books.

But to be sure, there are countless apps that appear to belong more in a science fiction movie than in contemporary life. You can control the steering wheel of a race car by simply moving the device; you can check whether your flight is on time; you can find out all the events happening in your geographic location and plan your evening accordingly. With literally thousands of apps out there it's impossible to list them all, and most of them cannot be fully appreciated without actually interacting with it on your own. The most important things to note is how their function transcends any one demographic: whatever you require, or are simply interested in, there's an app for you. The list is growing, and they are becoming increasingly intuitive. It's the combination of size, user-friendliness, and endless functions that make the Ipad the most popular piece of technology on the market.