The iPad eReader application is part of the company’s ongoing strategy to provide customers with any book, anytime, anywhere.

“Barnes & Noble strives to deliver consumers any book, anytime, anywhere, so we will continue to expand our eReader offering to help consumers enjoy their content across a multitude of devices,” said Carolyn J. Brown, director of corporate communications at Barnes & Noble, New York.

Designed specifically for the iPad, the new B&N eReader will give customers access to more than one million eBooks, magazines and newspapers in the Barnes & Noble eBookstore, as well as the existing content in their Barnes & Noble digital library.

That will also include eBooks and content customers have downloaded to their nook eReader.

To be released around the time of iPad’s expected availability, the new Barnes & Noble eReader will join the company’s growing list of free eReader software for most computing and mobile devices including PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod touch and BlackBerry, many of which will be updated shortly for an enhanced on-the-go reading experience.

Barnes & Noble first launched an iPhone application in July.

The application lets users snap a picture of a book and receive product information right to their phones.

Customers can use the application to find a store, see in-store inventory and even reserve products while on-the-go.

Some may think it is ironic that Barnes & Noble is launching the eReader for iPad application, since it directly competes with the company’s own nook eReader.

However, the company’s primary line of business is to sell books and so it is more focused on that than the sales of the eReader, which is understandable.

Barnes & Noble’s support for the iPad is further evidence of the fact that the iPad will be a game-changer and that Apple is a force to be reckoned with.

Apple started taking orders for the iPad on March 12, but the device will not be available in stores until April 3.

Mobile industry analysts and executives are split over the iPad.

Some believe that Apple’s marketing muscle will make the iPad a success, and thus an attractive platform for mobile marketers and merchants, while others believe that it will be hard for media tablets to replace smartphones, netbooks, laptops or eBook readers.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

“Clearly the iPhone has changed not only the landscape of mobile devices, but has also changed expectations about what can be done with the mobile device,” said Louis Gump, vice president of CNN Mobile, Atlanta. “IPad is an extension of that and consumers may have an iPad in addition to their mobile phone.

“The iPad will provide a nice canvas for media companies to deliver content and advertising in a rich way,” he said.