Seven Years Ago Today: Steve Jobs Introduces the iPad

[V.K.]

I want to like the iPad. It's a good looking piece of hardware and could be quite a useful piece of kit. The problem for me is Apple's vision of computers and tablets as divergent technologies. iOS is way too limited for a device of that size. It's a good content consumption device but isn't very good as a creation device. Sometimes it would be nice to take just one device for both work and play.

I hate saying it but Microsoft got their strategy right. The surface makes a far better job of being a tablet and a computer.

agreed. I love my iPad pro 12.9 with Apple Pencil. I can now use it for work related things (note taking and long distance virtual blackboard sharing) that I could never do before. But it can not possibly replace my laptop, not by a long, long shot. As a result on work related trips I lug both by iPad and my MBA in my backpack. That sucks. I'd much rather carry just one device. so as much as I'd hate leaving the Apple ecosystem I am seriously considering surface pro as my next purchase. I am not crazy about Microsoft's solution btw. I think an ideal solution would be to have a unified OS but two different modes for every app: a desktop mode and a tablet mode. they should have different UI (mouse and touch oriented respectively) and automatically switch when you switch modes without having to launch a different version of any app. Apple could do this if they really wanted to but it would require major design changes in iOS/MacOS and Apple made clear this is not where they are going.

 

[Icaras]

Why is seven years important? Shouldn't we be celebrating this is in increments of 5, 10, 20, etc years?

 

[Sam_S]

Why is seven years important? Shouldn't we be celebrating this is in increments of 5, 10, 20, etc years?

Still an important anniversary regards of what year. It changed the tablet market forever!

 

[cicalinarrot]

"A bigger iPhone, a thing that doesn't make phone calls, another way to make money. A bigger iPhone, a thing that doesn't make phone calls… are you getting it? These are not three separate devices, this is one device, and we are calling it Bigger-iPhone-that-doesn't-make-phone-calls."

 

[Since1987]

"Tablets are only good for checking your email in the bathroom" - Steve Jobs

95% of my iPad usage?.... checking email while in the bathroom. Sorry Steve.

 

[kdarling]

The iPad introduction event was the first Apple event I watched. I recall guessing that the yet-to-be-introduced device would be called iSlate.

Close possibility. I once searched the Chinese Trademark office for Apple clues. Here are some of the names that Apple had registered there, possibly to throw people off before the iPad came out.

IPOD PAD
IPOD SLATE
IPOD TAB
IPOD TABLET

APPLE PAD
APPLE SLATE
APPLE TAB

Still waiting for the iPad to become something more from a software perspective. Really lacking there.

Some of it apparently stemmed from legal reasons. During the Apple-Samsung trial, I read that the reason Apple had defaulted to showing only four dock icons on the iPad, was so their lawyers would have a stronger overall trade dress case. You see, a major design patent they won against Samsung on was this one, and they wanted to keep the iPad / iPhone combo look similar:

 

[kaneda]

Scott Forstall.. Actually he wasn't bad at all at the time. With all the buggies Apple products now.

 

[thespacekid]

I remember after the iphone and ipod touch were announced, wanting a larger tablet. Yea!

 

[arpiggies]

Too bad it didn't evolve to what it should be today. I find it rather useless (besides being a drawing table). Its OS could be soooooo much better.

You didn't complain when disco didn't evolve, you like it just like it was in the 70's.
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I suspect consumers are going to start to replace phones 3-4 years (the article is crazy in suggesting most people replace 1 or 2 years, i highly doubt most are every year). With the death of contracts, phone subsidies, cameras are good, and phone CPUs are plenty powerful enough -- the replacement drivers are just not there anymore. My iphone 6 Plus is completely fine and I saw no compelling reason to upgrade after using the iphone 7.

You need to get outdoors more. That 6 Plus screen can't be seen in broad daylight.
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Yet more evidence that Apple has lost it - when sites devoted to its products continually refer back to product launches that qualify as prehistoric in tech.

Says the dude with 110 camera shot of his dog as his profile pick. Is that an 8 bit photo?

 

[PortoMavericks]

1 - Seeing those old keynote videos makes me remember how I miss iOS 4/5/6 design

2 - I guess Apple compromised the future of the iPad when Tim said that thing about toasters. Now it seems they're living up to that mantra and kind off scared to move forward with the software and make it a viable notebook replacement. I'm not sure if mouse input is a right thing to do, but I'm certain that using that big screen to one app at time (yes, I know there's split mode) it's just bad for productivity. If they're too afraid to build a more macOS like experience, iPad will fall in irrelevance.

 

[Timothy Leo Crowley]

Debatable, a lot more bugs and faults then there used to be...

In my experience their have always been bugs and faults. I just bought a new Ipad Air 2. It's a totally amazing and high quality device. One of my musician friends just bought the new MacBook Pro he's amazed with the speed and the quality. The biggest difference I notice is that people complain more and updates are less frequent.

 

[TMRJIJ]

Debatable, a lot more bugs and faults then there used to be...

Not True. Just people complain more than they used to.
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Back when Apple built quality products...

My iPad Air 2 is a quality product. So is my iPhone 6. And my MacBook Pro. These devices seem to perform much better than my old iPhone 4. And iPad 2. And iMac G4. And iBook G4. And MacBook early 2008. And...

 

[WRChris]

You didn't complain when disco didn't evolve, you like it just like it was in the 70's.
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You need to get outdoors more. That 6 Plus screen can't be seen in broad daylight.
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Says the dude with 110 camera shot of his dog as his profile pick. Is that an 8 bit photo?

That persons response was plenty to jump on, you don't need to complain about people's dogs. Oh and you spelled pic wrong

Stop acting like you know what people need to do. Every response you gave was negative

 

[DeepIn2U]

Why is this even a milestone at 7yrs to be marked as something to note in history?! it's 7 years not 10, not 25, not 50yrs. Also Apple only EVER marked a big statement of an "anniversary" for a product at 25TH anniversary of the Macintosh - which was to honor Steve Jobs return (Gill Amelio headed that Apple Keynote) and Steve Wozniak's creation of Apple. Hence the "TAM". Which Job's never liked.

So again why is this a milestone to note? I'm missing something here.

 

[Altis]

Scott Forstall.. Actually he wasn't bad at all at the time. With all the buggies Apple products now.

Scott Forstall did a great job.

My original iPad with iOS 5 runs better than an Air on 8/9/10 when it comes to input blocking due to animations. Navigating the OS feels faster as a result.

 

[KALLT]

Scott Forstall.. Actually he wasn't bad at all at the time. With all the buggies Apple products now.

I have not read anything about him that makes me think that he was bad in the first place. iOS 6 was in good shape, even though it wasn’t the most exciting update from the user’s perspective (for developers it had more to offer). The Maps debacle was not his sole responsibility, but publicly and internally it was pinned to him. It seems to me that Forstall was simply forced out of the company for his disagreements with Apple’s other managers, all because Cook either did not care or was not experienced enough to resolve the conflicts. Now you have a complacent, self-congratulatory team of managers.

 

[Lankyman]

I had the iPad2 for about four years. Decided at that point enough was enough so sold it on. Never regretted my decision and haven't bought another. I purchased an Android tablet a couple of years ago which I still use daily.

The iPad was a device of it's time but I simply couldn't face having to use iOS again.

 

[arpiggies]

That persons response was plenty to jump on, you don't need to complain about people's dogs. Oh and you spelled pic wrong

Stop acting like you know what people need to do. Every response you gave was negative

Negative was for the negatives, nothing more. Congrats though on your 480p pup!
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They will post Steve Jobs articles for any reason whatsoever. Without him the world has upended.

yes, 7 is odd - dog years I suppose.

 

[Swazaloo]

What's groundbreaking about all products you listed? They made them thinner, that's it. Even the AirPods are a me-too product.

Mostly just form factor, but I think "made then thinner" is an over simplification. Were in an age of refinement until the next technological wave comes along. And while the AirPods were not the first wireless ear buds, they are packing some pretty great tech. They did some amazing stuff with the W1 chip and the whole experience of pairing and switching devices. That's never been done before. AirPods were the first "holy ****" moment I've had since the iPhone.

What kind of products are you expecting them to release?

 

[arpiggies]

"A bigger iPhone, a thing that doesn't make phone calls, another way to make money. A bigger iPhone, a thing that doesn't make phone calls… are you getting it? These are not three separate devices, this is one device, and we are calling it Bigger-iPhone-that-doesn't-make-phone-calls."

Feel the Bern!

 

[oliversl]

Nice promo video, didn't realize how long Scott Forstall talked in that video. He does an amazing job talking about iOS.

 

[AppleScruff1]

The iPad is a good product. I use my Air daily and am looking forward to the next generation or upgrades to the current versions.

 

[BSben]

The iPads biggest selling point, but also problem is the quality. Mine is over 4 years old, and I really want a new one, but the old one is still doing such a good job.

 

[Mac 128]

I still own the 1. Gen iPad and my kids using it daily. Battery still working fine. What a great device!

Yup me too. I use mine as a backup. Still surfs all the websites I use perfectly. iBooks works great too. The fact that it doesn't have a camera allows me to use it in some sensitive situations, when I would otherwise be prevented from carrying a mobile device. However, I was always frustrated that a third party never offered a 30-pin dock camera that could be added on the the original iPad.

The iPad is a good product. I use my Air daily and am looking forward to the next generation or upgrades to the current versions.

I too use my iPad 3 daily. Have never had a problem with it. That said, I would "kill" for arrow keys on the keyboard. When I need to do real, intensive work, I always prefer to pull out my MBP. While I'm able to more or less handle anything I need to do on both, the MBP is much faster at doing it. I frankly don't ever see that changing, until voice commands eliminate the need to manually manipulate data by hand, and do it precisely and accurately every time.

 

[JCCL]

To be honest never have owned one myself, I'm still one of those if it is just a big iPhone camp. The Surface Pro line was the first tablet line that really caught my attention. Using a full OS in a Tablet is what I always wanted, and since the beginning that's what I hoped the iPad would have. Right now between my Surface Pro 4 and my iPhone 7 Plus, really don't have a need for anything in between.