Now that the Apple iPad has made the scene it’s easy to see what all the hype was about.  The iPad has some really cool features that you won’t find in most other eBook readers (if any at all).  Here are my favorites:

The Size

At only 1.5 pounds and about 1/2-inch thick, the iPad is the size of over six iPhones while weighing less than 5 of them.  In other words, it’s light for its size.  Plus, its narrow frame makes most laptops look like boat anchors.  If you’re looking to use the iPad for more than just an eBook reader then its size is a huge benefit.  If you just want to read books, wait for the new Skiff due out later this year.

Books, Books & More Books

Designed to compete directly with the Amazon Kindle, the iPad’s library now boasts tens of thousands of books available for download from the iBookstore.  Of course, that’s a drop in the bucket compared to Kindle’s library of over 500,000, but we expect the iPad to eventually catch up.  Plus the iPad supports the ePub format, which will probably prove to be far superior than the Kindle’s proprietary system.

Power!

The smart folks at Apple knew that the iPad would require more power and they delivered.  With a 1GHz A4 processor, the iPad is able to easily navigate the apps and other features it provides.  Plus, with its abundance of power it will probably be able to handle even more power-hungry application further down the road.

Battery Life

Although the iPad can’t compete with the Kindle’s e-ink technology – which paints the page and then powers down, effectively extending it’s battery life to a month or more – the iPad does offer a ten-hour battery which stands proud against the meager capacity of the iPhone.  This will be a big plus to weary airport veterans who have had to choose between using their iPhone in the terminal or on the plane.

The App Store

One of the iPad’s best features is it’s App Store compatibility.  Being able to access 150,000 or so apps is a huge plus over the mono-app Kindle and the severe limitations of the other eBook readers.  Although the touch-optimized applications for the iPad will come at a significantly higher price than those for the iPhone, iPad users will probably get on board and cough up the money.