What Google Must Do to Beat Apple's iPad

No question that tablet computers are the hottest devices around these days, as Apple's new iPad boasted strong initial sales and as Google's CEO reportedly dropped hints about his company's own Android based tablet computer. But to win in the tablet wars won't be an easy task for Google. Here's what the company needs to do.

Although Google has yet to confirm that it's working on a tablet computer that would compete with the iPad, it's becoming increasingly likely that the search giant will try to supplant Apple as the leader in that market. The move underscores Google's willingness to take on Apple anywhere it believes it can turn a profit.

Thanks to its reliance on advertising, Google is able to turn that profit in ways that, so far, Apple has not. That has helped it look beyond search and find other areas, specifically the mobile market, in which to expand.