Will Android be the Cialis of tablets?

You don't hear many Cialis jokes, do you? Late night TV remains peppered with Viagra jokes, though, and they're a staple of physical comedy in B-movies, even 12 years after its introduction. Viagra just happened to be first to market and has dominated the ED market even though Cialis (and Levitra, for that matter) may have significant benefits over Viagra depending on the users, er, umm, needs.

So now the iPad is out, it's been generally well-received (even Perlow likes it!), and it, like Viagra, is the first to market. A flood of tablets will be hitting the market soon, many of which will run Android, and there are credible reports that Google will be releasing a tablet of its own sooner than later. Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, can't emphasize the future of mobile devices enough and Android works on both Atom and ARM processors, positioning it to function on a variety of devices.

And yet, with the iPad not only first to market but largely unavailable due to high demand (so great, in fact, that international sales have been delayed), one has to wonder what it will take for Android to catch up. It's a powerful brand among the technorati, but Apple's is strongest among the elite consumers who can pony up for a device like this. Chrome OS is coming later this year and may actually dillute the brand a bit, while Intel/Nokia are vying for the role of Levitra with their MeeGo OS.

To overcome the Apple juggernaut, Google will need to leverage the sheer number of devices that can run Android and be extremely careful of its branding with Chrome OS. It's taken a while, but it's slowly beginning to work in the smartphone market. However, the tablet market is completely new. It isn't clear how others operating systems and manufacturers will play against Apple, nor is it clear how Google's open Web/open OS message will play with pro-sumers.

Then again, the average tablet buyer is not a 65-year old man. Maybe the Cialis-effect won't apply here. However, as Android tablets begin to emerge, some compelling content partners and solid hardware at competitive prices will be essential to provide real competition for the iPad.