The spectacular rise of the iPad

It seems unbelievable that this week marks the 10-year anniversary of the iPad. Has it really been a decade since Apple founder Steve Jobs stood on stage – wearing terrible ‘‘Soccer Mom’’ jeans, black turtle-neck jumper, and beaten-up running shoes – to launch the world’s first tablet?

A quick Google search confirmed that it was. Although I still don’t quite believe it.

Which is odd. Because for me, the launch of the iPad was one of those moments, like when Princess Diana died or September 11, when you remember exactly where you were when you heard about it. That’s how much of a splash the iPad made.

Incidentally, I was in a pub on Goodge St in London when I got my first glimpse of the iPad as it flashed up on the old CRT TV in the corner. It was an oddly sobering (literally) moment. Here was a product, and even a category, the industry had never seen before.

Yes, previous Apple products such as the iPod and iPhone were also revolutionary. But they were just polished versions of technology that already existed.

The iPod was just a user-friendly and cool MP3 player. The same can be said about the original iPhone. Adding the ability to make phone calls and send texts, to what was essentially a glorified iPod Touch, was a logical and expected move from Apple.

And while we’re on the subject, the original iPhone wasn’t that great. It took Apple a further three years to really nail the iPhone when it launched the 3GS. But that’s another story.

In terms of pure innovation and shock value, the iPad topped them all. Annoyingly, the world had to wait a few more months before we could see one in the flesh.

My first glimpse of one was on the London Underground, as an early adopter was sitting down playing with his new iPad. I remember first watching him use his new toy and then watch all the people in the packed carriage watch him play with his new toy. Madness.

Then, almost overnight it seemed like everybody owned an iPad. In fact, Apple has now sold more than 400 million of them. So, 10 years later, it seems like a good time to reassess how the iPad is doing. Is it still a relevant product?

The answer is obviously yes. It’s still a product that brings in billions of dollars of revenue. However, when Jobs first launched the iPad in 2010, he made some bold statements. Do they still hold up today?

‘‘Everybody uses a laptop and/or a smartphone now,’’ he began. ‘‘And the question has arisen, lately: ‘is there room for a third category of device in the middle?’

‘‘In order to create a new category of devices, those devices are going to have to be far better at doing some key tasks.’’ I couldn’t agree more.

Jobs then went on to outline the things the iPad had to be ‘‘better’’ at in order for it to be a viable product. His list:

Web browsing

Emailing

Enjoying and sharing photographs Watching videos

Music

Games

Ebooks

I’d argue the iPad maybe met the mark in three of those categories. Maybe. Photos, videos and ebooks.

But now, the iPad is only ‘‘better’’ than the iPhone and MacBook for videos, ebooks and photos. And that’s only in specific scenarios. Maybe.

The truth is that the iPad has evolved more than any other Apple product over the past 10 years. It is now four different iPads – the iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad Mini – each designed for four different use cases.

Is the iPad Mini better than a laptop for ‘‘doing email’’? No. Of course not. But the goalposts have changed since 2010.

Lots of people weren’t using their iPads for email or enjoying music collections as Jobs predicted. Instead, they were using them to watch videos or read ebooks or give them to their kids to keep them quiet. Which is precisely why we now have the iPad Mini on one side of the category.

On the other side, we have the iPad Pro. This is a device that is unrecognisable from the iPad Jobs held in his hand 10 years ago. Its computing ability, screen quality, Apple Pencil support and portability have transformed the ‘‘device in the middle’’ into something spectacular.

The iPads are now devices that are capable of professional-quality work and the greatest babysitters the world has ever seen.

Not bad for a 10-year-old. If only it had supported a mouse.

When Jobs launched the iPad, he made some bold statements. Do they still hold up today?