Apple’s iconic iPad was launched 15 years ago today – and I was lucky enough be at the historic event on January 28, 2010, at the Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts in San Francisco.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs was on stage to introduce the iPad – it had a 9.7-inch multi-touch display, 30-pin dock connector and introduced a whole new and easier way to view websites, your emails and apps.
The venue was packed and filled not only with media and analysts but Apple executives including then vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller, board member at the time – former US Vice President Al Gore and actor comedian and author Stephen Fry.
This event was held at a time when the iPhone was still a relatively new device and the idea of mobile computing was the introduction of mini laptops called netbooks.
During his introduction for the iPad, Jobs poured cold water on the netbook.
“The question has arisen lately – is there room for third category of device – something that’s between a laptop and a smartphone and, of course, we’ve pondered this question for years as well,” Jobs said at the launch.
“In order to really create a new category of devices those devices are going to have to be far better at doing some key tasks like browsing the web, email, enjoying and sharing photographs, watching videos, enjoying your music collection, playing games and reading e-books.
“Now some people have thought that’s a netbook.
“The problem is netbooks aren’t better at anything. They have low quality displays and they run clunky PC software so they’re not better than a laptop at anything.
“They’re just cheaper, they’re just cheap laptops and we don’t think they are a third category device.
“But we think we’ve got something that is we’d like to show it to you today for the first time – and we call it the iPad.”
After the event, I made it to the hands-on area to become one of the first people in the world to get my hands on the iPad.
For the time, it was a sleek device that was relatively thin and light.
It was a remarkable product to hold in your hand and navigate via the multi-touch display.
One of the first things I did was navigate to the news.com.au site (I was still working for The Daily Telegraph and News Limited at the time) so I could read my report about the launch of the iPad, on the iPad.
I can also remember standing in a circle with other well known US tech journalists like Walt Mossberg (Wall St Journal), Ed Baig (USA Today) and David Pogue (NY Times) talking about the iPad and its potential when Steve Jobs himself joined our group and started talking about how the iPad would change the world.
He was right.
It was a career highlight to be in Jobs’ presence and hear his enthusiasm for Apple’s brand new product and vision for its potential right in front of me.
When the iPad went on sale in the US in April 2010 (it didn’t get to Australia till late May) it sold 300,000 units on the first day and more than a million in the first month.
By the end of 2010, Apple sold more than 15 million iPads.
It would go on to become one of Apple’s most successful products and create an entire new category.
Today the iPad is available in a few models – the iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro – and offers remarkable power which for many customers has become their laptop replacement.
It has also spurred companion products and accessories like the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard.
And iPad also created an entire industry for third party cases, keyboards and stands as well as millions of apps created for the iPad.
