The launch of the iPad in Japan on May 28 was a highly anticipated event, greeted by extensive media attention and long lines of customers eager to buy Apple's latest digital gadget. While Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Reader have both been lauded as next-generation reading devices, the iPad does that and more, by allowing users to also browse the Web, send e-mail, and view and store multimedia content.

In the United States, iPad sales soared to more than 2 million units only two months after the product hit the market. Well before its arrival, businesses specializing in creating content — from games and videos to magazines and e-books — were excited not only about tapping into the device's technological capabilities but also about making use of iPad's profitable link to Apple's successful online store.

Major tech players, however, aren't going to let Apple dominate the market so easily. On June 1, it was announced that Sony Corp., Toppan Printing Co., Ltd., KDDI Corp. and Asahi Shimbun would collaborate on a distribution system for digital content. Similarly, hardware makers, such as NEC, will be releasing computer tabletlike devices this year aimed at breaking iPad's market foothold.