The iPad is taking over, survey says

Apple does things differently. Other companies find out what people want and then give it to them. Apple's Steve Jobs imagines what he thinks people will like — and need — once they see it, and then Apple creates it. So out comes the iPad, a gizmo that was largely sui generis. And now Resolve Market Research has conducted a survey to find out what people like about it and are using it for. The results are fascinating. According to their article on Mashable, manufacturers of gaming devices and ebook readers ought to be worried. In both cases the iPad is trending toward making a big impact on these markets. It reports that many people who bought iPads for another purpose have ended up liking its gaming capability — and now say that instead of buying another gaming device, they'll likely stick with their iPad. In regard to ebook readers, the article says that the recent price cuts on the Kindle and Nook reflect the reality that iPad users are increasingly seeing it as a capable ebook reader and have no need to buy a dedicated ebook reader. The article also discusses how the iPad is Apple's next "gateway device." Just as iPod enthusiasts ended up buying additional Apple products, so will iPad users who weren't already Apple customers eventually also start buying other Apple products.