What Is the Difference Between an iPod & a Tablet?

Advances in technology have created a large variety of mobile devices. From the many different types of smart phones to the varieties of mp3 players, these choices can create confusion about the capabilities of and differences between each device. If you are deliberating between purchasing an iPod or a tablet there are some differences that you should consider.

If you buy an iPod then you are purchasing a specific model of product manufactured by a particular brand, however, a tablet is a generic term used to refer to one-piece mobile computer. An iPod is sold by Apple. Tablets are sold by several companies including Apple but also Google, Samsung and Sony.

The iPod runs iOS which is the mobile operating system developed and distributed by Apple. There have been several versions of the iOS but the current version used by iPods is iOS 6.1.3. With the exception of tablets produced by Apple, tablets use either the Android or Windows operating systems. Most currently use Android 4.0 and Windows 8 versions.

Adobe Flash is a multimedia and software platform that can be used to stream video, audio or other types of interactive media. However, Apple does not allow Flash to be installed on its mobile devices, including iPods. Several types of tablets are compatible with Flash.

Both iPod's and tablets can multitask but they accomplish the tasks in different ways. When you multitask on an iPod often the program you are using is paused while you use the next program. While some programs, such as iTunes will run in the background, other programs or apps will not. On a tablet the program you are using runs in the background while you use the next program.