Decades from now, people would ask: what were you doing when Apple launched the iPad? The date is significant because 2010 ushered in many technological advancements.
Samsung launched its Galaxy Tablets in the same year as well as the Windows 7 supported mobile. Also, the iPhone 4 became available in 2010.
Yet, the iPad stole all major tech highlights of the year. Apple had designed it to be more than a smartphone and called it a “mini-laptop”.
Using the iOS operating system, the iPad could play music, send and receive emails and also browse the web. Other functions, included the ability to play games and access references, GPS navigation software and social network services can be enabled by downloading apps.
Even better was the fact that it had a 9.7″ touchscreen display. Steve Jobs had said that Apple initially first started designing iPads before the iPhone but it chose to focus on the smartphone versions first.
The media reported that thousands of people queued on the first day of sale in a number of countries. Many claimed that “it was worth it.” The Wall Street Journal also published an article calling the price “modest” because of the device’s many capabilities. It also praised the ten-hour battery life.
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PC Advisor and the Sydney Morning Herald also commented on its affordable pricing as one of its strengths.
The quantity of applications the iPad could handle was also an advantage. BBC, however, criticized the iPad for being a closed system and mentioned that Android-based tablets would compete with it. This was however not a real competition back then as Yahoo News noted that the Android tablet OS, known as “Honeycomb”, was not open source and had fewer apps available for it than for the iPad.
To further show its impact, Time magazine mentioned Apple’s iPad as one of the 50 Best Inventions of the Year 2010. Popular Science also included it among the top gadgets of 2010.
10 years later, the iPad has certainly improved technology and made life easier. However, many argue that it is far from the “magical and revolutionary” device as Steve Jobs had touted. This is likely because it has not outdone the smartphones and laptops.
Yet it is worth reflecting on how far iPads have come. It was the major trend for a while. Using an iPad back then was almost synonymous to driving a Tesla Model 3 now.
Has the time of this powerful device passed? Will Apple ever launch another iPad that would thrill like its first ever one?
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