Since earlier this year, with the iPad now raging through the gadget arena, Apple might well have unleashed a whole new era in the field of portable computing.

But Apple’s sales are still rolling with the iPhone, the iPad’s ancestral success formula. With its 3G and SGS models also widespread by now, the 3 generations of the iPhone reign on.

The questions are: will the new baby isolate the old one? Will the iPad’s release pose a possible threat to the iPhone’s existence? It’s the battle of the slate PC against the slate Smartphone.

How the iPad measures up against the iPhone…

Pricing: The iPad was released within a range of $499 (for the Wi-Fi version) to $829 (for the Wi-Fi + 3G version), while the iPhone currently costs $99-299 for the 3G model and $299-499 for the SGS variant.

Processor: The iPad runs on a 1GHz Apple SoC A4 processor ensuring swifter booting and performance. The iPhone 3G utilizes a 620 MHz processor while the 3GS version uses an 833 MHz chip, both being provide by Samsung.

Camera: Although the iPad comes with no in-built camera, photography can still be carried out using an external camera kit. The iPhones on the other hand come with 2.0 MP (in 3G) and 3.0 MP (in 3GS) in-built cameras with geo-tagging.

Connectivity: Both the iPhone and the iPad utilize features such as 3G connectivity across the US, Wi-Fi and connectivity to external devices via a USB dock. But the feature that gives the iPhone a slight boost over the iPad is its Bluetooth supplement.

Display: With a 9.7 inch display and a 1024 x 768 pixel resolution, the iPad guarantees all the luxuries of a large, glittering, crystal clear screen. The iPhone supports 320 x 480 pixels on a 3.5 inch display, with a 2:3 aspect ratio.

Dimensions: The iPad measures 9.7 x 7.47 x o.5 in., owing mostly to its large screen size. But the only disadvantage it has here is that it won’t fit into a pocket, in which case, the iPhone glides ahead with measures of 4.55 x 2.44 x 0.48 in.

Storage: The iPad 3G + Wi-Fi can store up to 64 GB of data, while the high-end iPhone 3GS variant can only store as much as 32 GB of music, videos, pictures and miscellaneous data.

Weight: The iPad weighs in at a range of 680-730 gm, while the iPhone is much lighter and sleeker at a mere range of 133-135 gm.

Therefore, the iPhone and the iPad may be brothers from the same mother, but they differ in multiple internal & external aspects. The iPhone has earned its own bit of respect under the sun. It is left to see whether the much hyped iPad can follow suit or not.