Today Marks the 10th Anniversary of Steve Jobs Unveiling the iPad

[MacRumors]

Today marks the 10th anniversary of Steve Jobs unveiling the iPad at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. It was one of the last major products that he unveiled before his death in 2011.

Jobs argued that there was room for a new device category between the smartphone and the laptop, but only if that device was superior at some tasks. He then introduced the iPad as exactly that, referring to it as a "magical and revolutionary device" for browsing the web, reading and sending email, viewing photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading ebooks, and more.

"iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price," said Jobs. "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 original iPad featured a 9.7-inch display, a single-core Apple A4 processor, up to 64GB of storage, 256MB of RAM, an advertised 10 hours of battery life, Bluetooth 2.1, a 30-pin dock connector, and a headphone jack. Wi-Fi-only models started at $499 in the United States, while models with both Wi-Fi and 3G cellular connectivity started at $629. Notably, the original iPad lacked cameras.

At only 0.5 inches thick and weighing just 1.5 pounds, Apple said the iPad was thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook at the time.

Apple released the iPad on April 3, 2010 and, one day later, the company announced that it had already sold over 300,000 iPads. When unveiling the iPad 2 in March 2011, Jobs gave an update on this figure, revealing that Apple sold nearly 15 million iPads during its first nine months of availability.

Over the last decade, a new generation of the iPad has been released every year, with several new features and design changes along the way. We've recapped some of the bigger milestones in the device's history below:

• March 2011 -- iPad 2: 33% thinner, up to 15% lighter, dual-core Apple A5 processor, front and rear cameras, and new white color option
• March 2012 -- Third-generation iPad: Retina display, 4G LTE, Apple A5X processor, and 1080p video recording
• October 2012 -- Fourth-generation iPad: Lightning connector and Apple A6X processor
• October 2012 -- iPad mini: 7.9-inch display
• October 2013 -- iPad Air: 64-bit Apple A7 processor, 20% thinner and 28% lighter than the fourth-generation iPad, and slimmer bezels
• October 2014 -- iPad Air 2: Touch ID, fully-laminated Retina display, and Apple A8X processor
• September 2015 -- iPad Pro: 12.9-inch Retina display, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard support, Apple A9X processor, and four speakers
• March 2017 -- Fifth-generation iPad: $329 starting price with 9.7-inch Retina display and Apple A9 processor
• June 2017 -- Second-generation iPad Pro: ProMotion refresh rate of up to 120Hz, Apple A10X Fusion chip, and slimmer bezels
• March 2018 -- Sixth-generation iPad: $329 starting price with Apple Pencil support and Apple A10 processor
• October 2018 -- Third-generation iPad Pro: Major redesign with slimmer bezels, Face ID, USB-C connector, Apple A12X Bionic processor, up to 1TB of storage, and second-generation Apple Pencil support
• September 2019 -- Seventh-generation iPad: 10.2-inch Retina display and full-sized Smart Keyboard support

Looking ahead, rumors suggest that Apple will refresh its iPad Pro lineup as early as March. A key new feature is expected to be a triple-lens rear camera system with advanced 3D sensing for augmented reality.

Article Link: Today Marks the 10th Anniversary of Steve Jobs Unveiling the iPad

 

[Justin Cymbal]

Can't believe it's already been 10 years!

I waited in line at the Apple Store in Boston to get that iPad

Even back then the apps were incredible! They have improved immensely since..

 

[Reason077]

Hard to believe this was only 10 years ago. I still have a classic iPad 2 running iOS 6 - still a brilliant device even if it can’t run most modern apps, or websites.

If Apple release an iPad OS with support for multiple users, I’d buy a new one.

 

[calstanford]

Still my favourite Apple device so far. Thank you Steve!!

 

[Seanm87]

Waiting for the snobby “it’s just a toy” posts

 

[Wiesenlooser]

Maybe it is just me but the development for the iPad is not as fast as I would have liked it to be. They really dropped the ball on software progress somewhere around the iPad Air / iPad Air 2 time.

Glad to see that it is getting better since the iPad Pro era, but so far they have fallen short on the future of computing promise.

 

[DinkThifferent]

I remember that everybody made fun of the name, saw memes of attachable magnifying glasses for your iPhone to turn it into an iPad and the general feeling of “why would you buy this, this is just a large iPhone you can’t even call with”.

And as always, Apple proved us all wrong and i love my iPad for exactly the reasons Steve Jobs had told us we would love it for.

That’s vision!

 

[rushmere]

I still have that first generation iPad, now safely stored away in its box.

The iPad remains my most used daily device.

 

[japanime]

I remember watching this keynote and feeling so sad at how frail Steve Jobs looked. But when he sat on that couch and demonstrated his latest brainchild, he seemed so content, calm, and full of life.

No doubt about it: Steve changed the world. 👏

 

[MacFather]

Deleted.

 

[Sodium Chloride]

Doing math exercises is a lot more fun with the iPad. I can fine tune everything. I can make it as nice as I want with all the colors and visual cues as a guide to quickly bring the main points. If I don’t like it, I can always change it anytime in the future. This is not possible with traditional pen and paper. Unless I want to redo everything all over again from scratch.

Reading pdf document with the iPad is also a lot more fun than with a laptop since you can place the screen in portrait mode and bring it closer to you without the keyboard getting in the way.

The iPad has pretty much replaced my computer except for Microsoft Office and gaming.

Thanks to Apple for selling us such a great invention.

 

[Spudlicious]

Best iPad ever made that is still supported to this day, with no known issues and at the same price points as the original iPad.

I feel compelled to agree with you.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

I gave my first generation iPad to my dad (after getting the third generation... oops) and it still works pretty well to this day. I'd forgotten it didn't have any cameras!

Got my current iPad Air 2 in 2014, and it still keeps up with everything I need it to. It works so well, means I can't justify getting a shiny new iPad Pro. 😢

(Edit: The third generation iPad was the worst Apple device I've ever owned, it was woefully underpowered for the job it had to do - and I think Apple admitted this when they brought out the fourth generation one six months later.)

 

[recoil80]

I decided to become an iOS developer after they announced the iPad and it has been a good decision in hindsight.
I remember the iPad 2 was way better in terms of SoC and design, but nevertheless iPad 1 was a breakthrough

 

[Nimrad]

I recently bought an iPad Pro, and even though there still are some limitations compared to a computer I absolutely love it. For 95% of the work it's better or equal to working on a mac. I can live with opening my GF's Mac for the remaining 5%. And compared to other Apple products(it's cheaper than the iPhone 11 Pro!) I think the price is a steal for what you're getting.

Now if Apple can bring me a micro LED version with backlit smart keyboard case I will literally scream of joy.

 

[Sandstorm]

Waiting for the snobby “it’s just a toy” posts

Compared to a proper Mac, ir definitely STILL is just a toy (for me and my workflow). But my favorite toy!

 

[olduser007]

10 years later and still no pro application what so ever from Apple.

I rather have repairable laptops back any day of the week!

The best products by Apple were sold 10 years ago. Now we get obsolete junk at premium prices.

 

[Michael Scrip]

It's funny to think about all those supposed "iPad Killers" over the years.

JooJoo tablet, HP TouchPad, BlackBerry PlayBook... it was an interesting few years in the beginning.

Then it ended up mirroring the smartphone market with only two surviving platforms... iOS and Android.

BTW... I've been watching old reviews of those "other" tablets and it's crazy that "has Flash" was one of their biggest selling points back then.

How times have changed!

 

[fokmik]

And still just 10 h battery life...at least the iphone now, become from the codas to forehead

 

[Gsmaniac]

My first iPad was iPad 3 replaced by an iPad Air which I gave to my dad when I replaced it with my current iPad Pro 9.7. Hard to believe it’s nearly 4 years old. Still going strong. The pricing on the new pros are insane compared to the original pro line.

 

[otternonsense]

I love the iPad. Still rocking the 10.5" Pro (even though the Smart Keyboard died on me a few days ago) and the iPadOS has been a welcome overdue move. That being said, I am at odds with fragmenting the lineup into an awesome Pro tier, and a hodgepodge of parts-bin budget iPads that have been indistinguishable year on year, not to mention the whole connector and pencil disparity. I'm also not too happy with the iPhone X-like swipe gestures they've changed into after iOS 11 just for the sake of parity, even on the TouchID iPads where it makes no sense. I wish they'd sanity check their products a bit more.

 

[Wanted797]

And everyone laughed cause it didn’t have flash, couldn’t accept USB drives and basically wasn’t a pathetic Netbook...

 

[Puppuccino]

I remember that everybody made fun of the name, saw memes of attachable magnifying glasses for your iPhone to turn it into an iPad and the general feeling of “why would you buy this, this is just a large iPhone you can’t even call with”.

And as always, Apple proved us all wrong [...]

It’s because people get jealous of stuff they don’t have. Due to Apple’s high price points, it puts sour tastes in people’s mouths so people love to trash talk them.

The reality is, Apple products are far superior conspired to their competitors. Apple ‘gets it’ whereas the likes of Samsung and Google don’t.

See Apple Explained’s video about how the iPad has remained unchallenged since it’s inception. Very interesting.

 

[Abazigal]

I remember getting my first iPad (the iPad 3) back in 2012. It has its flaws, but I soon saw its potential for teaching in the classroom. Toss in an Apple TV and I was mirroring my iPad to the projector screen. Then went iPad mini, 9.7” iPad Pro and now 11” iPad Pro. In the meanwhile, the Apple TV gained peer-to-peer AirPlay (negating the need for a wireless network), the iPad gained the Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil, while iOS got split-screen and PIP.

Meanwhile, I would discover this awesome blog about a writer and his never-ending quest to get as much work done on his iPad as possible, and it has been a treasure trove of information on how to get more functionality out of your iPad.

And throughout all this, the iPad has never lost sight of what I liked about it - a giant touchscreen. It remains the ideal package of portability, ease of use and battery life.

It’s been one heck of a journey.

 

[unibility]

Waiting for the snobby “it’s just a toy” posts

“it’s just a toy”