几年来第一次，购买平板电脑不一定是一个简单的决定。流行的观点一直是“买一台iPad就行了”，但现在已经不是这样了。谷歌、亚马逊和Barnes&Noble都在推广自己的平板电脑和电子阅读器，它们都是快速改进的好产品。然后是整个“平板电脑”与“阅读平板电脑”与“电子书阅读器”的困境，在这种困境中，公司甚至无法弄清楚自己的设备是做什么用的。另外，即使你真的想要一台iPad，你买的是大的还是小的？便宜的大的还是贵的大的？

这里有一个方便的指南，以确保你不会去百思买，并最终走出错误的东西。

You want a tablet? Buy an iPad

It may not have such a big lead anymore over the competition, but there’s still no besting the 9.7-inch iPad’s processing power, giant ecosystem of apps and accessories, and most of all its stunning Retina display. The most recent model has a Lightning port and an even faster processor, and is as great a gaming machine as it is a reading device. It's incredibly versatile, too — from your kid to your Grandma, the iPad legitimately works for everyone.

You want a more portable tablet? Buy an iPad mini

The numbers vary, but most studies and stories agree that most people’s iPads rarely leave their home. The iPad mini, on the other hand, is perfectly portable – it weighs just over half a pound, and will slide into your purse or backpack unnoticed. You don’t get the Retina screen or the cutting-edge processor, but you do get a tablet that’s easier to use in line, on the subway, or while holding a cup of coffee in your other hand.

You want a cheap tablet? Buy a Nexus 7

Google's 7-inch tablet can't compete with Apple's app ecosystem, but the $199 Nexus 7 is still a great tablet in its own right. It's fast, has a great screen, is well-integrated with Google's services, and is even more portable than the iPad mini. You can even get a data-enabled Nexus 7 for less than the price of an iPad mini, and for the ultra-mobile person in your life that might be the perfect deal.

You only want content? Buy a Kindle Fire HD

Amazon has more content than any other ecosystem, and the Kindle Fire HD (in 7- or 8.9-inch models) is a great way to access that huge universe of music, movies, apps, and books. It's not a device for power users, but it's a great tablet for a parent or friend who just wants something to watch or read.

You want an e-reader? Buy a Kindle Paperwhite

If you want to sit and read for hours at a time, undistracted by Twitter and Angry Birds Star Wars, an E-Ink e-reader is the way to go. Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite is the best of the bunch: it has a sharper, crisper screen than its compe*****s, and adds a subtle light to the front that makes it readable in the dark. It's the best in-bed companion you'll find, and it plugs into Amazon's gigantic ecosystem of books and periodicals. We'd recommend getting the $179 3G-enabled version, which lets you buy and download books from basically anywhere, but the $119 Wi-Fi version is good too.