Tablets have been around for years, and while there was a lot of interest in what the platform could do, they never really caught on. It wasn’t until Apple released the iPad that tablets became a popular device.

[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]Apple didn’t invent the tablet, but they did perfect the way we use tablets in our modern lifestyle. The concept of the tablet is now Apple’s.

The proof is all around us. Look at Apple’s competition — everything being released today looks and acts exactly like an iPad.

Another point to consider is that nobody seems to want anything but an iPad. There are Android tablets, HP’s TouchPad, and RIM’s non-functional PlayBook — still consumers choose the iPad. Why bother with the imitators when you can have the real thing.

Some tablet makers and OS developers are trying to convince people that their products are better than the iPad. The fact is, all they are doing is adding features to Apple’s concept. Anyone can copy a concept and then add small things to it, but Apple still owns the original and consumers identify with that. Nobody is being fooled.

Until one of these companies stands up and makes a break from an Apple inspired design, Apple will continue to own the tablet — and phone — market. I honestly don’t expect that any of these companies will do it because they don’t want to roam too far away from Apple. That’s where the money is.

For Apple’s competitors, selling 1 million units a quarter is a windfall in revenue and market share. If Apple only sold 1 million iPads in a quarter, it would be devastating, and would be felt in the markets.

Some writers in recent days have said that Apple is going to face stiff competition in the tablet market because new Android tablets will be faster. They predict Apple will respond with a new, faster iPad 3. That’s just stupid.

Apple is not going to respond to anything its competitors put out at this point because it doesn’t have to. Speed, like most other things introduced these days, is a feature, not a fundamental shift in the way we interact with the device.

Apple has spent 10 years working on the iPhone, iPad and the integration with iTunes for app, music and video downloads. The competition would have us believe that in a few short years they too have perfected all of this.

Bullshit.