In two years, the iPad has become a household name. Now it may be turning into a generic term for all tablet products, says a report by the AP's Mae Anderson.
The "genericization" of brand names happens over and over again, but it only affects a small fraction of all brands (estimated at less than 5% in the US). Band-Aid, Thermos, Kleenex, Yo-Yo and aspirin all started out as brand names that have (to a greater or lesser degree) become generic terms for the products they identify. For most consumers, "iPad" describes all tablets the same way "Xerox" refers to any photocopier or "Googling" covers off on all Internet search.
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