A recent survey showed that people are actually more excited about the iPad than the iPhone. Why might that be? Let's explore...

1. A shared experience

As a type this, a father and his teenage daughter sat opposite me on the train are playing a simple multiplayer game on an iPad, previously they were collaborating on a fun drawing. Where the iPhone is very much a personal computing and communication device, the iPad is often about a group experience and shared computing.

2. Ten digits, trump five

Having enough screen real estate to support eight fingers and two thumbs makes the iPad that much more capable as a creative device. The iPhone version of GarageBand, for example, may have all the capabilities of the iPad version, but the overall experience is somewhat diminished. This is true of many creative apps.

3. Cutting edge mobile computing power

Most, but not all, of Apple latest and greatest computing hardware makes it to the iPad first, then many months later, arrives on the iPhone. The A5 and A5X, with their industry leading graphics coprocessors, debuted on the iPad. It's seems likely that this trend will continue into 2013 and beyond.

4. Total cost of ownership

The 16GB iPad third generation iPad cost 25% less than a 16GB iPhone 4S without a contract. For some, an iPad and a cheaper phone, perhaps one with a significantly better camera than the iPhone 4S (Basically, that means the Nokia 808), would prove to be a better mobile computing solution.

5. Consuming media

Watching a feature length movie on the iPad, even with two people viewing, is perfectly possible, not so on the iPhone.