The Transformation Of The iPad From 2010 To 2021

Like many of Apple’s most popular technologies, the brand was not the first to the table but was certainly the most effective. Tablet computers existed prior to the iPad in various forms dating back to the late ’60s, (via Techradar). Microsoft beat Apple to the punch by a decade with the tablet PC and even the Kindle, which came out three years before the first iPad, is a tablet computer by some definitions.

In 2010, Apple put its cards on the table by releasing the first iPad. In essence, it was a blown-up iPhone with most of the same functionality. Making it larger did make some activities, like reading and watching video content, easier. The first version offered only Wi-Fi connectivity, making it practical for home use but not much else. A couple months later, beginning in April of 2010, Apple offered a version with integrated 3G capability, allowing you to take your connected iPhone anywhere with a cell connection.

That first model came in at roughly 9.5 by 7.5 inches and half an inch thick and weighed a pound and a half. Ports were pretty spartan, limited to a headphone jack, microphone port, and the 30-pin charging port. While typing was possible, lacking any peripherals made it more cumbersome than using your thumbs on a phone, making the iPad largely a media consumption device.