The iPad is the belle of the ball these days and many prognosticators say it will completely displace the PC, eventually. But the factors that make the iPad so popular may make the PC a better vehicle for innovation, suggests Bob Lewis in a post at InfoWorld.

The main factors behind the iPad's popularity are its Instant On feature, travelability, flashy look and novelty, lack of a file system, inexpensive apps and native apps, Lewis writes. He had made the argument in the past that iPads could be used to spark end user innovation because they are new and trigger imaginative thinking, the apps are less expensive than PC software, and you aren't encumbered by a "lock-it-down 'best practice' thinking."

This time around, he is suggesting that the PC may make a better choice, for three reasons.

To begin, you've already got PCs and the means of supporting them, so in effect they are the cheaper alternative. Next, the PC offers greater capabilities. Finally, users know their way around the PC already. Although there are those who maintain that the iPad is easier to use, Lewis insists it isn't, except for the fact that "Microsoft gives end-users much more credit than Apple does." With a PC, you have to choose among menus and buttons, but that is because there are so many more capabilities at hand.

For more:
- see Bob Lewis's post at InfoWorld

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