Both the iPhone and iPad have a touchscreen, come with email and web-browsing applications and are capable of running third-party apps that you can get from Apple’s App Store. But the iPad isn’t simply a bigger iPhone, The iPhone is first and foremost a phone, and like all mobile phones, unless you buy it on Pay as You Go (which makes the device itself much more expensive) you’re going to be tied into a phone contract.

If you want all the features of the iPhone but without the phone part, then consider getting an iPod touch instead.

If you’re looking for a phone then you’ll find the iPhone is designed to cover all your data needs while you’re on the go, and fits in your pocket.

Apple’s mobile devices are designed to sync perfectly with your Mac

In contrast, the iPad is a device that sits somewhere between an iPhone and a Mac. It also comes with a 3G data contract option, but that doesn’t include phone calls. The only phone calls you can make with it will be digitally, using VoIP apps, such as Skype. While a lot of people find the ‘Phone perfectly acceptable for home use, if you just need to check your email or do a quick bit of web surfing, the iPad is positively designed to be used from your sofa. It has built-in Wi-Fi, which means you can check emails and browse the web on your wireless network at home. Here it would fulfil most functions of a laptop, hut don’t tall into the trap of thinking of the iPad as a replacement for a home computer.

It’s fundamentally designed to be an accessory. You’re meant to keep your data on your Mac and sync your iPad with it, not the other way around it does have some big advantages over a Mac laptop, though. For a start, because it uses solid-state memory its pretty-much instant on. There’s no waiting around for it to boot up, It’s also lightweight, extremely portable and the perfect size to be used as an ebook reader.

The iPhone currently comes in three versions, the 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The iPhone 4 and the new iPhone 4S feature a stunning 960×640 high-resolution display, making it much easier to read on-screen text. The iPhone 4S beasts a dual-core A5 processor, giving it up to twice as much power and up to seven times faster graphics. Its eight­-megapixel camera is much improved, and its new Siri feature lets you operate your iPhone by speaking.

The iPad 2 comes in black and white, each in three capacities,16GB, 32GB and 64GB, available in Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + 3G versions. Each 3G version costs £100 more than a Wi-Fi-only model with a similar memory capacity. Prices start at £399 for the 1666 Wi-Fi version, and go up to £659 for the top-range 64GB + 3G iPad.

The iPad uses solid-state memory, so it’s pretty-much instant on. There’s no waiting around for it to boot up. It’s also lightweight