China’s answer to the iPad, the iPed.

MAY 27, 2010 • The iPed is an iPad clone now on sale in China. Priced at the low, low equivalent of $105, the unit is slightly heavier than Apple’s tablet system, with remarkably similar features. The iPed uses an Intel processor and runs Google’s Android operating system. In related news, the iPad went on sale in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. Apple says it has sold 2 million iPads worldwide since its April 3 launch.

Impact: Enabling an iPad clone is probably not what Google intended for Android, yet the fact that an enterprising manufacturer has done that in China is a clear indicator of just how contentious the relationship between Apple and Google has become. Both are on a collision course in the mobile arena. Such competition is great for consumers. The key take-away for Apple is that while it can innovate successfully, and sell 2 million iPads in less than two months, there is no time to rest on that success. If Apple doesn’t already have an iPad successor far into development, someone else might.