With the recent release of Apple’s new iPad, many people are asking what the differences are between the iPod Touch versus the iPad. While there are a number of similarities between the two pieces of equipment but there are also a few key differences that make both valuable pieces of technology.

The iPod touch and the iPad have a lot in common because they are using the same base technology. Not only do they have the beautiful touch screen, but Apple is marketing their App Store towards the iPad, meaning that if you can get an App on the iPod Touch, you can get it on the iPad as well. The difference is that with the bigger screen (buy a nice iPad screen protector!) new and improved applications are soon to be available specifically for the iPad. Apple themselves have already revamped their own iWorks, consisted of Pages, Numbers and Key Note, to be used specifically on their new iPad.

The other new addition to iPad apps already announced is iBook, Apple’s new ebook reader and corresponding store designed to give readers access to thousand of titles in seconds. Like Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s new Nook, both of which are available on iPod touch, iBook will give readers the opportunity to download everything from the old classics to best sellers within minutes using built in Wi-Fi or 3G technology. It has not been revealed yet if iBooks will be available for the iPod touch as well.

The major difference between the iPod touch verses the iPad is the iPad’s 3G technology and ability to have unlimited data plans without a monthly contract. Thus far the iPod touch can only access the internet via Wi-Fi hot spots.

The iPod Touch verses the iPad is a conversation that will carry on as more information about the iPad is released and as new generations of the iPod Touch are developed.

The iPad is more than just a tablet PC. For many people it could well replace their laptop or desktop computer as their main way to stay connected. A lot of people have criticized tablet computer, which had a brief spell of popularity in the last decade, because of the lack of hardware to make it truly useful. For the people who think that they can’t survive with just a touch screen, there are a range of ipad peripherals which are guaranteed to make life easier.

If you want to type on a proper keyboard there is a dock to do that. In fact there are both official and unofficial ipad docks which make it very easy to interact with your device.

Let’s look at the official dock announced at the launch of the iPad. This comes in two flavors, both a pretty much the same it’s just that one has a keyboard and one doesn’t. The dock allows you to easily charge your device and sync it up to your computer. There is also sound outlet so that you can hook your ipad up to an amplifier to really rock the tunes. You can get a dock with all these features, which is the standard one, or you can get the same dock but with an attached keyboard. The keyboard dock is sure to be a big hit, and enables people to have a full sized keyboard to write emails, and do work on their iPad. This is something that Apple have done well to identify, as without the ability to add a keyboard there are sure to have been a lot of critics and people sitting on the fence when deciding whether to buy one.

The criticism of the official Apple docks is the fact that they aren’t collapsible to make them portable, but there will soon be lots of unofficial docks on the market for you to choose from if you require this feature.