With all of the hype surrounding Apple's iPad tablet computer, which is set to be released this April, analysts are predicting that the biggest squeeze may be felt by digital reading devices like Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Nobel's Nook.

The reason for this prediction is that the iPad will likely include the free Kindle application, meaning it will allow users to purchase and read ebooks, epapers, and etexts without having to buy the pricey Kindle hardware (which can perform only a fraction of the functions of the iPad).

Surprisingly, with preliminary units of the iPad being tested by the press, several expected features seem to be absent from the hardware. Among these, 3G Support for Verizon, lack of Flash support, and no integrated camera/ web cam (a popular feature among netbooks).