Apple's iPad Turns 16 Today

[MacRumors]

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPad 16 years ago today, marking over one and a half decades of the company's "revolutionary" tablet.

Jobs unveiled the first-generation iPad at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on January 27, 2010. Designed to fill the gap between smartphones and laptops, the original iPad featured a 9.7-inch LED-backlit multitouch display, Apple's first custom designed chip, a 30-pin dock connector, and up to 64GB storage. With a starting price of $499, it offered users a new way to browse the web, read eBooks, watch videos, and interact with Apple's growing app ecosystem. Jobs described it as "a magical and revolutionary device."

iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price. iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.

The iPad used a version of iOS tailored for its larger display, bringing a big-screen experience to familiar mobile apps like Safari, Mail, and Photos. It introduced the iBooks app and iBookstore as part of an effort to compete in the e-reading space dominated by Amazon's Kindle. Its design was characterized by thick black bezels, a physical home button, and a convex aluminum back. It weighed 1.5 pounds and offered 10 hours of battery life.

The initial reception to the iPad was mixed. While many praised its lightweight computing and media consumption experience, others questioned its necessity and potential to replace laptops.

Nevertheless, the iPad sold over 300,000 units on its launch day in April 2010 and one million within its first month. It catalyzed the creation of a new product category, sparking competition from rivals such as Samsung, Microsoft, and Amazon. By the end of 2010, Apple had sold over 15 million iPads, generating $9.5 billion in revenue and solidifying the device as a key pillar of the company's product lineup.

The iPad has since become a tentpole device for Apple, expanding into product lines including the iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro and accessories such as the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard. Subsequent models introduced cameras, multitasking, different display size options, USB-C connectivity, and more. See Apple's original press release from 2010 for more information.

Article Link: Apple's iPad Turns 16 Today

 

[MacUserFella]

It’s my birthday too! If anyone cares… 😳😓

 

[AusMness]

The iPad can now legally drive

 

[Mactech20]

Incredible device for its time, but what was really incredible was the leap from the iPad to the iPad 2. The iPad 2 was on sale forever and for good reasons. Awesome tablet for 2011. Way more functional than the OG iPad.

 

[CarAnalogy]

The initial reception to the iPad was mixed. While many praised its lightweight computing and media consumption experience, others questioned its necessity and potential to replace laptops.

Sixteen years later not a thing has changed.

 

[Danilamak]

Last generation of a device with 2D interface that can fully replace PC lost in the woods.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Incredible device for its time, but what was really incredible was the leap from the iPad to the iPad 2. The iPad 2 was on sale forever and for good reasons. Awesome tablet for 2011. Way more functional than the OG iPad.

And then they released the "iPad" (don't call it 3) with retina display and not enough GPU to drive it and replaced it 7 months later with iPad 4 which they sold for two and a half years. Fun times...

 

[Mactech20]

And then they released the "iPad" (don't call it 3) with retina display and not enough GPU to drive it and replaced it 7 months later with iPad 4 which they sold for two and a half years. Fun times...

I like to pretend that iPad you are mentioning doesn't exist.

 

[routine_analyst]

Yep. I have one. I think the battery has been dead since my last airline trip. It's been sitting in my travel bag ever since. Probably used a few times a year for limited reasons. Conned into buying one and suddenly questioned it's usefulness.

 

[Astuces iOS]

It’s my birthday too! If anyone cares… 😳😓

It was my birthday too 7 days ago ! If anyone cares… 😳😓

 

[code-m]

Sixteen years later not a thing has changed.

Sweet Sixteen, Apple is waiting for two more years when it turns 18yo to put on some big boy/girl pants. 😝

 

[Unity451]

Seems like only yesterday people were mocking it as essentially just a big iPhone and insisting it would flop. I guess they were wrong.

 

[ScanTheNavian]

The iPad 3 nearly soured me forever on the iPad lineup. I returned my day-one iPad Mini 6 because of its jelly scroll, as I feared Apple would replace it with iPad MIni 7 half a year later.

iPad Pro M1 has smoothed out my trauma. I just hope that we get MacOS Lite on it some day, when hooked to a keyboard/mouse/display. Until then I'll keep enjoying the amazing hardware and how luxurious it still feels now, 4 years later.

 

[I7guy]

I have two. I’d rather watch the newer iPad than on a big screen tv with a decent surround sound system.

That said I’m getting an Apple Pencil pro an am going to experiment to see how I can integrate the new iPad into my daily workflow.

 

[macjaffa]

I bought one immedietly. I paid £599 or 699 for the wifi and celluar version . Used the absolute heck out of it and so did the kids. had a couple of ipads since that barely get used.

 

[I7guy]

The iPad 3 nearly soured me forever on the iPad lineup. I returned my day-one iPad Mini 6 because of its jelly scroll, as I feared Apple would replace it with iPad MIni 7 half a year later.

iPad Pro M1 has smoothed out my trauma. I just hope that we get MacOS Lite on it some day, when hooked to a keyboard/display. Until then I'll leep enjoying the amazing hardware and how luxurious it still feels now, 4 years later.

My OH has the iPad Pro m1 11 inch with Magic Keyboard. A few years later this is still kicking strong and running iOS 26 with Apple Intelligence.

 

[Nyx1]

Time flies

 

[AlexESP]

Happy birthday! Easily my favourite Apple device. I think calling it a big iPhone is a compliment. In fact, for many people, an iPhone is their only computer. It was always cringey when Apple used words like “magical”, but using an iPad truly feels special compared to a traditional computer. I just hope they keep that and don’t turn it into a touch Mac.

 

[rp100]

I believe the key to the iPad’s success was the price.

Analysts were expecting the price to be between $800 and $1000; during the keynote, Steve Jobs even flashed $999 on the screen, hitting the price rumors head on. Everyone was collectively stunned when $499 was revealed as the true entry-level price.

Edit: video of keynote

The question remains: are we going to have an iPad-price moment with Apple’s foldable?

 

[Black_Mage]

I owned several iPads including the very first one. The first one was too heavy, but Apple finally got it right by the 3rd version with Retina display. I had iPad in my life in the hopes it would encourage me to read books. It didn’t happen and it ended up being a product category that’s not for me. I think iPads are amazing. They’re just not for me.

 

[Justin Cymbal]

Now it’s only $349 ($329 with EDU price)
But is often available at Costco & Amazon for $249

 

[beautyहमempty]

Then… when the best iPad cost 499€ instead of 1449€ … good times

 

[one more]

Seems like only yesterday people were mocking it as essentially just a big iPhone and insisting it would flop. I guess they were wrong.

It is essentially a big iPhone with better multitasking and pencil support (and now with the proper Phone app too, just to prove the point!), yet I don’t see it as a disadvantage. 😉

 

[joeblow7777]

I remember when the iPad first launched and most people said it was just a big iPod Touch...
And to be fair, it basically was!

It took a time for it to carve out its own niche.

 

[I7guy]

Time flies

Absolutely:

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.