In this ever-permutable and ever-changing market, technology is the one thing that has kept itself up to the pace. One moment it becomes the talking point, the minute next it is counted as a fad and goes obsolete fast. But of all of this fantastic automation within the reach or in our hands, tablets i.e. palm computers are the one thing that hasn’t become archaic. It’s rather the one thing that has been able to keep the interests in both regular consumers and business users as well. There are many brands that are mass-producing tablets for this customer base. But only one product has not only kept its head above these rough waters but able to row it smoothly without any hiccups. And it is none other than Apple’s massively popular tablet: iPad. Here we will know the not so glorious backstory and the illustrious evolution of the iPad.
History of the iPad
iPad started as something very different: The Newton. It was launched back in 1993 with an ARM processor and a stylus, thicker than a pen. Apple was under its tumultuous era of terrible sales and failing products. Everyone in the higher-ups was optimistic that giving business users a small computer the size of a book would be revolutionary and eventually put them in the category or “power users” friendly devices. But it failed to take off, due to the device’s new learning curve which was counterintuitive for the users. An updated version of Newton was released, but it nearly bankrupted Apple. Hence it was discontinued immediately.
2010 was when Steve Jobs took the stage and explained to the audience that Newton mainly failed due to the presence of a stylus as well as targeting the business users. He argued that why to use one stylus when we have ten styluses already. So, he launched the revolutionary iPad which didn’t need any new learning technique. Since the inception of the iPhone, people were already used to the multi-touch functionalities of the device. And when it was released for the market, market analysts were surprised, due to Apple amassing millions of dollars in iPad’s sales, which even led to Apple’s stock prices rising at rocket speed. This changed the tablet PCs market completely, like a hurricane alternating a village’s semblance into something unrecognizable.
The iPad 2
The second iteration of the iPad was about one-third thinner, 75% lighter, and was faster as well. It had a back camera to record videos and front cameras to enable Facetime. It also got its own gyroscope and ambient light monitor.
The New iPad
Dropping the numbering convention, Apple launched the 2012 version of their tablet, calling it “the New iPad”. The highlight was heralded high-definition retina display with a resolution of 2048x 1536 pixels, or 264 pixels per inch. The camera was upgraded to 5 megapixels as well.
The iPad Mini
iPad mini was a scaled-down version of the iPad Tablet that was launched n October 2012. It was half the weight and volume of the main tablet, yet had two-third of its viewing area. It covered almost all the features of its cousin, and also had better portability and a solid, rugged design. In 2013, the iPad mini was updated with a retina display.
The iPad Air
The fifth-generation iteration of the iPad was named “The iPad Air” and was indeed much smaller and lighter. Its 64-bit processor opened new options for high octane productivity apps. Also, it was the first to feature dual- microphones working together for better voice quality during FaceTime and facilitate better sound.
The iPad Pro
Apple delivered a replacement for laptops with the big iPad Pro. It had the ability to run almost all serious workplace apps. However, what stood out was the powerful and innovative stylus or the “Apple Pencil”. The huge canvas area proved beneficial for graphics designers or simply who does a lot of drawing or drafting.
The iPad 6th Generation
Apple now was running three separate lines of iPads: the original, the Pro, and the Mini. The company hit a reset button with the 6th Generation 9.7 inch model iPad. While it retained the same hardware from the 2017 iPad, it included the faster A10 processor and supported the Apple Pencil.
Latest iPad
Apple announced the newest addition to its long-running iPad Air line of tablets on September 15, 2020 called "New iPad Air 2020". The company described it as the most powerful iPad Air ever, and trumpeted its larger screen, enhanced camera and Touch ID, A14 processor, and audio improvements, with no surprises there. As expected, the Air has inherited the design that the iPad Pro got in 2018-one with no home button and relatively narrow bezels around the edge. You get a bigger screen for the size of the unit, but it's by no means an all-screen design; then again, that might not be a bad thing given the way most of us carry our iPads and the fingerprints that would result if our fingers were not put on by the bezel. It also means there's space for the front-facing camera in the top bezel, and therefore no notch.