On this day, 16 years ago, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad to the world. After all these years, no one has managed to catch up to it.
16 Years Later, the iPad has Completely Changed the Way We Look at Computing and Consuming Content
The first iPad announcement felt underwhelming. Just Steve Jobs sitting on a couch to a mostly silent audience, showing off page-turning animations, larger iOS apps, etc.
Quite frankly, no one knew at the time what they were going to do with iPad. For everyone, it’s just a large iPhone. Little did everyone know that the iPad would pave the way to an all-new category of computing for generations to come rather than just a big screen, touch-first device.
Though Apple did try to push iPad as a laptop replacement, the essence of the original model still remains. You experience that feeling on any newer model when you pick it up and use it without a case or accessory.
It’s technology that is meant to be felt in your bare hands in order to truly appreciate it.
With devices like M5 iPad Pro, M3 iPad Air, iPad mini with A17 Pro, and iPad with A16 carrying the original iPad’s flag further, I’m glad this category has managed to stick around after all these bumpy years.
Just imagine a time-line where you are still watching your movies or favorite content on a boring-looking laptop or a TV, rather than a beautiful Retina display in the palm of your hands. We really owe it to iPad for giving personal entertainment a whole new meaning in our current time-line.
That being said, let’s go back 16 years and watch Steve Jobs announce the original iPad. Make sure you grab a large cup of coffee before you hit that play button.
