The iPad is Apple's new tablet computer. While this is exciting news because previous tablet computer devices have been horrible, one might want to hold off on their purchase for a bit. There are many Android based tablet devices that are soon to come out. These might offer some advantages.

Android hasn't yet made it's splash into the market place, but in a few years it will be practically the most popular smart phone operating system which will also be on netbooks and tablets. This means that you are working with a body of software that works together on multiple devices.

With an Android tablet, you will have access to all this software that anyone can create. One might argue that as of today the iPhone applications run on the iPad means there are hundreds of thousands of programs to run, but eventually with open development Android will overtake them. Currently one needs Apple's permission to offer an application. Google is not requiring permission to make applications for Android.

Android will have advantages like Flash capabilities. It's true that the web as a whole is moving away from Flash so it might not be a point in a few years. But the idea is that on an open platform it's possible to use or not use the plugins you want. Under Apple development you are told what you get and that's it.

Android tablets will be less restrictive about hardware and ports. Having a tablet with a USB port is a huge advantage since you already have flash drives, keyboards, and other forms of media that work with it. The iPad does not offer these standardized ports.

While it's all speculation at the moment, one should consider the longer term tablet market place and what it will look like later in the year to get the best deal possible.