The iPad Versus 3D: Which Will Take the Hype Cake?

The iPad is scheduled to launch April 3 in the U.S., and by the end of that month in Canada. Several manufacturers have confirmed that they will be bringing 3D products to market in Canada and the U.S. by the Spring/Summer. So which category will garner more hype?

To date, both the iPad and 3D technology have been creating major buzz, for very different reasons. One technology is attempting to bring a new form of big-screen entertainment into the home, and the other is focusing on small-screen entertainment on-the-go. Both provide images with depth and vibrant colours. And both could represent the future of entertainment consumption. In 10 years, we might not only see movies and games in 3D, but also regular TV shows, news programs, even commercials in full, three-dimensionality. Likewise, a decade from now, magazines, newspapers, and books could be predominantly viewed in digital format on tablet devices like the iPad.

The iPod and iPhone created buzz like no other when each respective device launched, and each format has lived up to its name, outselling all others and ushering in a new category of products and technologies. It's likely that the iPad will do the same. In the TV sector, the launch of both the flat panel LCD and plasma formats, as well as 1080p high-definition content, created major waves in the industry. There have been ripples since with innovations with faster refresh rates, slimmer designs, LED backlighting, and gorgeous new cosmetics. But 3D might just be, as they say, the "next big thing" that brings the tide in once again.

With the launch of 3D TV and the iPad in 2010, this year could be a landmark one for the industry. A year that marks a major shift in the way media is consumed. A year like 2001 when the iPod hit the market, or like the early-to-mid 2000s when LCDs, plasmas, and HD were finally breaking through into the mainstream.

It's strange to even question whether one product, the iPad, can have as much an influence on consumer technology as entire category of products, which will include 3D TVs, monitors, Blu-ray players, receivers, discs, and the like. But it's quite possible that the iPad could have just as powerful an impact. After all, many still require convincing that 3D is the "way of the future." Some can't imagine enjoying it in their living rooms, nor donning those cheesy glasses every time they want to catch a movie. Contrarily, most have clearly shown their support for the Apple brand, and excitement over the iPad, what it can do, and what they can, and plan to, do with it.

It'll be an interesting Spring for the consumer electronics industry, that's for sure. iPads will be undoubtedly flying off shelves, while 3D products will occupy much space on them. Although how that will translate to actual sales remains to be seen.

Now if only we could demo compelling 3D content on the iPad, colliding the two hottest technologies to hit the market this year. Tech geeks everywhere are undoubtedly rubbing their hands together in eager anticipation. Stay tuned.