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The iPad is a brand of
tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being computers ...
s developed and marketed by
Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
that run the company's mobile operating systems
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
and later
iPadOS iPadOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple for its iPad line of tablet computers. It was given a name distinct from iOS, the operating system used by Apple's iPhones to reflect the diverging features of the two product lines, suc ...
. The first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. Since then, the iPad product line has been expanded to include the smaller
iPad Mini The iPad Mini (branded and marketed as iPad mini) is a line of small tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a sub-series of the iPad line of tablets, with screen sizes of 7.9 inches and 8.3 inches. The first-generation ...
, the lighter and thinner
iPad Air The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. Since then, the iPad product lin ...
, and the flagship
iPad Pro The iPad Pro is a series of tablet computers, positioned as the premium line of Apple Inc., Apple's iPad brand. It runs iPadOS, a tablet-optimized Fork (software development), fork of the iOS operating system. Early models were distinguished f ...
models. As of 2022, over 670 million iPads have been sold, making Apple the largest vendor of tablet computers. Due to its popularity, the term "iPad" is sometimes used as a generic name for tablet computers. The
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
's iOS
operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...
(OS) was initially used for the iPad, but in September 2019, its OS was switched to a
fork In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from 'pitchfork') is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tines with which one can spear foods either to h ...
of iOS called iPadOS that has better support for the device's hardware and a
user interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine fro ...
tailored to the tablets' larger screens. Since then, major versions of iPadOS have been released annually. The iPad's
App Store An app store, also called an app marketplace or app catalog, is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not i ...
is subject to application and content approval. Many older devices are susceptible to jailbreaking, which circumvents these restrictions. The original iPad was well-received for its software and was recognized as one of the most-influential inventions of 2010. As of the third quarter of 2021, the iPad had a
market share Market share is the percentage of the total revenue or sales in a Market (economics), market that a company's business makes up. For example, if there are 50,000 units sold per year in a given industry, a company whose sales were 5,000 of those ...
of 34.6% among tablets. Beside personal use, the iPad is used in the business, education, healthcare, and technology sectors. There are two connectivity variants of iPad; one has only
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...
, and one has additional support for
cellular network A cellular network or mobile network is a telecommunications network where the link to and from end nodes is wireless network, wireless and the network is distributed over land areas called ''cells'', each served by at least one fixed-locatio ...
s. Accessories for the iPad include the
Apple Pencil Apple Pencil is a line of wireless stylus pen accessories designed and developed by Apple Inc. for use with supported iPad tablets. The first-generation Apple Pencil was announced alongside the first iPad Pro on September 9, 2015. It communi ...
, Smart Case,
Smart Keyboard Apple Inc. has designed and developed many external keyboard models for use with families of Apple computers, such as the Apple II, Mac (computer), Mac, and iPad. The Magic Keyboard and Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad designed to be used v ...
,
Smart Keyboard Folio Apple Inc. has designed and developed many external keyboard models for use with families of Apple computers, such as the Apple II, Mac (computer), Mac, and iPad. The Magic Keyboard and Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad designed to be used vi ...
, Magic Keyboard, and several adapters.


History


Background

Apple co-founder and CEO
Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American businessman, inventor, and investor best known for co-founding the technology company Apple Inc. Jobs was also the founder of NeXT and chairman and majority shareholder o ...
said in a 1983 speech:
What we want to do is we want to put an incredibly great computer in a book that you can carry around with you and learn how to use in 20 minutes... and we really want to do it with a radio link in it so you don't have to hook up to anything and you're in communication with all of these larger databases and other computers.
In 1993, Apple worked on the Newton MessagePad, a tablet-like
personal digital assistant A personal digital assistant (PDA) is a multi-purpose mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. Following a boom in the 1990s and 2000s, PDAs were mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of more highly capable smar ...
(PDA). John Sculley, Apple's chief executive officer, led the development. The MessagePad was poorly received for its indecipherable
handwriting recognition Handwriting recognition (HWR), also known as handwritten text recognition (HTR), is the ability of a computer to receive and interpret intelligible handwriting, handwritten input from sources such as paper documents, photographs, touch-screens ...
feature and was discontinued at the direction of Jobs, who returned to Apple in 1998 after an internal power struggle. Apple also prototyped a
PowerBook Duo The PowerBook Duo is a line of subnotebooks manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from 1992 until 1997 as a more compact companion to the PowerBook line. Improving upon the PowerBook 100's portability (its immediate predecessor and Apple's t ...
–based tablet computer but decided not to release it to avoid hurting MessagePad sales. In May 2004, Apple filed a design trademark patent in Europe for a handheld computer, hypothetically referencing the iPad, beginning a new round of speculation that led to a 2003 report of Apple-affiliated manufacturer Quanta leaking Apple's orders for wireless displays. In May 2005, Apple filed US Design Patent No. D504,889 that included an illustration depicting a man touching and using a tablet device. In August 2008, Apple filed a 50-page patent application that includes an illustration of hands touching and gesturing on a tablet computer. In September 2009, ''Taiwan Economic News'', citing "industry sources", reported the tablet computer Apple was working on would be announced in February 2010, although the announcement was made in that year's January. The iPad's concept predates that of the iPhone, although the iPhone was developed and released before the iPad. In 1991, Apple's chief design officer
Jonathan Ive Sir Jonathan Paul Ive (born 27 February 1967) is a British-American designer. He is best known for his work at Apple Inc., where he was senior vice president of industrial design and chief design officer. Ive is the founder of LoveFrom, a crea ...
devised an industrial design of a stylus-based tablet, the Macintosh Folio, which led to the development of a larger tablet prototype project codenamed K48 that Apple began in 2004. Ive sought to develop the tablet first but came to an agreement with Jobs the iPhone was more important and should be prioritized.


iPad

The first generation of iPad was announced on January 27, 2010, and pre-ordering began on March 12. Initial reaction to the product name, which struck some women as a menstrual pun "indicative of a male-helmed team oblivious" to the connotations, was negative. A Wi-Fi-capable version was released in the United States on April 3 and a 3G-capable version was released on April 30. Apple released iPad models internationally on May 28, July 23, and September 17. The first iPad has a 1
GHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or Cycle per second, cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in ter ...
Apple A4
CPU A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor, or just processor, is the primary processor in a given computer. Its electronic circuitry executes instructions of a computer program, such as arithmetic, log ...
with 256 MB of
RAM Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...
and a PowerVR SGX535
GPU A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed for digital image processing and to accelerate computer graphics, being present either as a discrete video card or embedded on motherboards, mobile phones, personal ...
. It has four buttons; a home button that directs the user to its
homepage A home page (or homepage) is the main web page of a website. Usually, the home page is located at the Root directory, root of the website's Domain name, domain or subdomain. For example, if the domain is example.com, the home page is likely l ...
, a wake-and-sleep button, and two volume-control buttons. Its
multi-touch In computing, multi-touch is technology that enables a surface (a touchpad or touchscreen) to recognize the presence of more than one somatosensory system, point of contact with the surface at the same time. The origins of multitouch began at CE ...
-based display has a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels. The second generation of iPad was announced on March 2, 2011, and released on March 11. It is 33% thinner and 15% lighter than its predecessor, and uses a
dual-core A multi-core processor (MCP) is a microprocessor on a single integrated circuit (IC) with two or more separate central processing units (CPUs), called ''cores'' to emphasize their multiplicity (for example, ''dual-core'' or ''quad-core''). Ea ...
Apple A5 The Apple A5 is a 32-bit system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, and manufactured by Samsung. The first product Apple featured an A5 in was the iPad 2. Apple claimed during their media event on March 2, 2 ...
chip consisting of a twice-as-fast CPU and a nine-times-faster GPU. It has one camera each on the front and the back, both of which support Apple's video-telephony service,
FaceTime FaceTime is a proprietary videotelephony product developed by Apple. FaceTime is available on supported iOS mobile devices running iOS 4 and later and Mac computers that run and later. FaceTime supports any iOS device with a forward-facin ...
. Apple slimmed the iPad by eliminating the display's stamped-sheet-metal frame, using thinner glass for the screen overlay, and eliminating some space between the display and battery. The third generation of iPad was announced on March 7, 2012, and released on March 16. It uses a dual-core
Apple A5X The Apple A5X is a 32-bit system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, and manufactured by Samsung. It was introduced with and only used in the third-generation iPad, on March 7, 2012. The A5X is a high-perform ...
chip embedded with quad-core graphics. Its
Retina Display Retina display is a branded series of LCDs and OLED displays by Apple Inc. that have a higher pixel density than their traditional displays. Apple has registered the term "Retina" as a trademark with regard to computers and mobile devices with t ...
is 2,048 by 1,536 pixels and its pixels are 50% denser than those of standard displays. Unlike the
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
and
iPod Touch The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and formerly marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a po ...
's built-in applications, which work in portrait, landscape-left and landscape-right
orientations ''Orientations'' is a bimonthly print magazine published in Hong Kong and distributed worldwide since 1969. History ''Orientations'' was launched in 1969 by Adrian Zecha (who was later the founder of Aman Resorts) to showcase Asian art and cu ...
, the iPad's built-in applications support the upside-down orientation of the device. Consequently, the device has no "native" orientation; only the relative position of the home button changes. The fourth generation of iPad was announced on October 23, 2012, and released on November 2. It has an
Apple A6 The Apple A6 is a 32-bit package on package (PoP) system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series. It was introduced on September 12, 2012, at the launch of the iPhone 5. Apple states that it is up to twice as fast ...
X chip, improved
LTE LTE may refer to: Science and technology * LTE (telecommunication) (Long-Term Evolution), a mobile telephony standard ** LTE Advanced, an enhancement ** LTE Advanced Pro, a further enhancement * Compaq LTE, a line of laptop computers * Leukotrie ...
and WiFi connectivity, a five-megapixel, rear-facing camera that is capable of recording 1080p videos, and a 720p front-facing FaceTime HD camera. Its display has a resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels. The fifth generation of iPad was announced on March 21, 2017, and released on March 24. It uses an
Apple A9 The Apple A9 is a 64-bit ARM-based system-on-chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series. Manufactured for Apple by both TSMC and Samsung, it first appeared in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus which were introduced on September ...
chip with an accompanying M9 motion coprocessor, and its cameras can capture low-light and HD-quality shots. Despite using the same Apple A9 and M9 processors as the 2015 iPhone 6S, it lacks support of the always-on " Hey Siri" voice recognition, a feature advertised as being made possible by low-power processing in those chips. The sixth generation of iPad was announced and released on March 27, 2018. It uses a dual-core
Apple A10 The Apple A10 Fusion is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, and manufactured by TSMC Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC or Taiwan Semiconductor) is a ...
Fusion chip and feature a 1080p and 30fps rear mounted 8-megapixel iSight camera, and a 720p Facetime HD camera. It was the first non-Pro iPad to support the
Apple Pencil Apple Pencil is a line of wireless stylus pen accessories designed and developed by Apple Inc. for use with supported iPad tablets. The first-generation Apple Pencil was announced alongside the first iPad Pro on September 9, 2015. It communi ...
. It also had faster FaceTime HD, LTE connectivity, Touch ID, and multitask functionalities. The seventh generation of iPad was announced on September 10, 2019, and released on September 25. It uses a 64-bit
Apple A10 The Apple A10 Fusion is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, and manufactured by TSMC Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC or Taiwan Semiconductor) is a ...
Fusion chip, with a 4-core CPU and 6-core GPU. Its slightly larger 10.2" Retina Display has a resolution of 2,160 × 1,620 (3.5 million pixels). It added support for the
Smart Keyboard Apple Inc. has designed and developed many external keyboard models for use with families of Apple computers, such as the Apple II, Mac (computer), Mac, and iPad. The Magic Keyboard and Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad designed to be used v ...
accessory. The eighth generation of iPad was announced on September 15, 2020, and released on September 18. It uses an
Apple A12 The Apple A12 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, It first appeared in the iPhone XS and XS Max, iPhone XR, iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Mini (5th generation), iPad ...
Bionic chip, which has a 40 percent faster 6-core CPU and a 2-times faster 4-core GPU than its predecessor. The Apple A12 also included an embedded Neural Engine, and is capable of processing 5 trillion operations per second. The ninth generation of iPad was announced and released on September 14, 2021. It uses an Apple A13 Bionic chip, which has a 20% faster CPU and GPU and an embedded, artificial intelligence–immersed Neural Engine. Its 12-megapixel ultra wide front camera adds support for Apple's "Center Stage Mode" technology, which locates people in the frame and tracks the camera view to keep them centered. Its Retina Display added support for the True Tone technology, which automatically adjusts the screen
color temperature Color temperature is a parameter describing the color of a visible light source by comparing it to the color of light emitted by an idealized opaque, non-reflective body. The temperature of the ideal emitter that matches the color most clos ...
according to the ambient lighting. The 10th-generation iPad was announced on October 18, 2022, with pre-orders starting immediately and availability set for October 26. It uses the
Apple A14 The Apple A14 Bionic is a 64-bit computing, 64-bit ARMv8.4-A system on a chip, system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series. It appears in the iPad Air (4th generation) and iPad (10th generation), as well as iP ...
Bionic chip, has a larger 10.9-inch screen, and replaces the
Lightning connector Lightning is a proprietary computer bus and power connector, created and designed by Apple Inc. It was introduced on September 12, 2012, in conjunction with the iPhone 5, to replace its predecessor, the 30-pin dock connector. The Lightning c ...
with
USB-C USB-C, or USB Type-C, is a 24-pin reversible Electrical connector, connector (not a Communication protocol, protocol) that supersedes previous USB hardware#Connectors, USB connectors (also supersedes Mini DisplayPort and Lightning (connector) ...
. Unlike all previous models in the iPad range, as well as the sixth-generation iPad Pro announced the same day, this model's front-facing camera is placed along the device's long edge, making it more suitable for video calling applications. Despite having a USB-C connector, it is not compatible with the second-generation
Apple Pencil Apple Pencil is a line of wireless stylus pen accessories designed and developed by Apple Inc. for use with supported iPad tablets. The first-generation Apple Pencil was announced alongside the first iPad Pro on September 9, 2015. It communi ...
that can be used with all other USB-C iPads, instead using the first-generation Pencil with a USB-C-to-Lightning adapter, which will be included with new Pencil purchases. While lacking the Smart Connector of the Pro and Air lines, it is compatible with a new Magic Keyboard Folio announced alongside the device. This model did not immediately replace the 9th-generation iPad; Apple continued to sell the older model at the same price, while the price for the newer 10th-generation model was increased. The 11th-generation iPad was announced on March 4, 2025, with the general availability set for March 12, 2025. It uses the A16 Bionic chip and starts with the 128GB storage capacity option and added the new 512GB storage capacity option.


iPad Mini

The first generation of the flagship, smaller iPad Mini was announced on October 23, 2012, and released on November 2. The 7.9-inch display has a resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels. The tablet uses a dual-core
Apple A5 The Apple A5 is a 32-bit system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, and manufactured by Samsung. The first product Apple featured an A5 in was the iPad 2. Apple claimed during their media event on March 2, 2 ...
chip, and has hardware resembling that of the second generation of iPad. It has a FaceTime HD camera, a 5-megapixel iSight camera, an ultrafast wireless LTE range, and a 802.11a/b/g/n standard Wifi connectivity. It targets the emerging sector of mini tablets, such as
Kindle Fire The Amazon Fire, formerly called the Kindle Fire, is a line of tablet computers developed by Amazon. Built with Quanta Computer, the Kindle Fire was first released in November 2011, featuring a color 7-inch multi-touch display with IPS tech ...
and Nexus 7. The second generation of iPad Mini was announced on October 22, 2013, and released on November 12. Its hardware resembles that of the first generation of iPad Air. The third generation of iPad Mini was announced on October 16, 2014, and released on October 22. It uses an Apple A7 chip with an embedded M7 motion coprocessor, and its 7.9-inch Retina screen display has a resolution of 2048 by 1536 pixels. It includes a 1080p HD camera, a FaceTime HD camera, and a 5-megapixel iSight camera. The fourth generation of iPad Mini was announced and released on September 9, 2015. It uses a dual-core Apple A8 chip with an embedded Apple M8 motion coprocessor. Its headphone jack was re-positioned with the removal of a mute switch. The fifth generation of iPad Mini was announced and released on March 18, 2019. It uses an
Apple A12 The Apple A12 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, It first appeared in the iPhone XS and XS Max, iPhone XR, iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Mini (5th generation), iPad ...
Bionic chip, with a 3-times faster CPU and a 9-times faster GPU than its predecessor. It features a Truetone-based Retina screen display with 25% wider Color and higher pixel density. The sixth generation of iPad Mini was announced and released on September 24, 2021. The display size was increased to 8.3 inches. It uses an Apple A15 Bionic chip, with a 40% faster 6-core CPU and 80% faster 5-core GPU. Its 16-core Neural Engine and AI accelerators within the CPU delivers a 2× boost of AI performance. Its 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera featured Apple's "Center Stage Mode" technology, while its 12-megapixel back camera had larger apertures, True Tone flash, and Smart HDR automatic shadow and highlight recovery. It includes a
USB-C USB-C, or USB Type-C, is a 24-pin reversible Electrical connector, connector (not a Communication protocol, protocol) that supersedes previous USB hardware#Connectors, USB connectors (also supersedes Mini DisplayPort and Lightning (connector) ...
port, capable of transferring up to 5 gigabits per second of data; improved landscape stereo speakers; and a brighter Liquid Retina Display. The seventh generation of iPad Mini was announced on October 15, 2024. It is powered by an Apple A17 Pro chip, which Apple says has 30 percent faster CPU, 25 percent faster GPU and a neural engine twice as fast as the previous generation. This model is marketed by Apple as built for
Apple Intelligence Apple Intelligence is an artificial intelligence system developed by Apple Inc. Relying on a combination of on-device and server processing, it was announced on June 10, 2024, at Worldwide Developers Conference#2024, WWDC 2024, as a built-in fe ...
, its upcoming artificial intelligence features. The storage on the lowest priced variant has increased from 64GB of previous generation to 128GB. The new Wi-Fi 6E chip is faster, the USB-C port is faster compared to previous generations. Like the iPad Pro (7th generation) and the
iPad Air (6th generation) The iPad Air (6th generation) is a tablet computer developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It was announced by Apple on May 7, 2024, with pre-orders starting the same day, and was released on May 15, 2024. It succeeds the iPad Air (5th generation ...
, it is only compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro alongside the lower-entry
Apple Pencil Apple Pencil is a line of wireless stylus pen accessories designed and developed by Apple Inc. for use with supported iPad tablets. The first-generation Apple Pencil was announced alongside the first iPad Pro on September 9, 2015. It communi ...
with USB-C port, making it incompatible with the Apple Pencil (2nd generation). It is not compatible with the
Magic Keyboard for iPad Apple Inc. has designed and developed many external keyboard models for use with families of Apple computers, such as the Apple II, Mac (computer), Mac, and iPad. The Magic Keyboard and Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad designed to be used vi ...
and
Smart Keyboard Folio Apple Inc. has designed and developed many external keyboard models for use with families of Apple computers, such as the Apple II, Mac (computer), Mac, and iPad. The Magic Keyboard and Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad designed to be used vi ...
due to its smaller form factor.


iPad Air

The first generation of iPad Air was announced on October 22, 2013, and released on November 1. It used an Apple A7 chip with an embedded Apple M7 Motion coprocessor; the chip included over a billion transistors and comprised a 2× faster CPU and GPU. It debuted the 802.11n-based MINO technology used in its Wi-Fi connectivity, and it had an extended range of LTE telecommunication. It also came with a Retina Display. The second generation of iPad Air was announced on October 16, 2014, and released on October 22. It used an Apple A8X chip with a 2.5× faster CPU. Its 8MP iSight Camera had 1.12-micron pixels and a f/2.4 aperture, while its FaceTime Camera had f/2.2 aperture and 81% light capacity. Its display had a revised 56% lower reflective rate. It also had an extended range of LTE telecommunication service. The third generation of iPad Air was announced on March 18, 2019, and released on March 25. It used an Apple A12 Bionic with an embedded Neural Engine, 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU. Its 866 Mbit/s WiFi connectivity are LTE-based, and it is equipped with a 1080p HD video camera. The fourth generation of iPad Air was announced on September 15, 2020, and released on October 23. It used an
Apple A14 Bionic The Apple A14 Bionic is a 64-bit ARMv8.4-A system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series. It appears in the iPad Air (4th generation) and iPad (10th generation), as well as iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhon ...
chip, which comprised 11.9 billion transistors, a 40% faster 6-core CPU, a 30% faster 4-core GPU, and an embedded Neural Engine that can process 11 trillion operations per second. Its 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Screen display has a resolution of 2360 by 1640 pixels (3.8 million pixels). Its front 7-megapixel Facetime Camera is of 1080p and 60 fps, while its 12-megapixel webcam featured 8 aperture, 4K, 60fps, and video stabilization. The fourth generation iPad Air replaces the
Lightning connector Lightning is a proprietary computer bus and power connector, created and designed by Apple Inc. It was introduced on September 12, 2012, in conjunction with the iPhone 5, to replace its predecessor, the 30-pin dock connector. The Lightning c ...
with
USB-C USB-C, or USB Type-C, is a 24-pin reversible Electrical connector, connector (not a Communication protocol, protocol) that supersedes previous USB hardware#Connectors, USB connectors (also supersedes Mini DisplayPort and Lightning (connector) ...
. The fifth generation of iPad Air was announced on March 8, 2022, and released on March 18. It used an
Apple M1 Apple M1 is a series of ARM-based system-on-a-chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., launched 2020 to 2022. It is part of the Apple silicon series, as a central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) for its Mac desktops and no ...
chip. The sixth generation of iPad Air was announced on May 7, 2024, with the general availability on May 15. It used an
Apple M2 Apple M2 is a series of ARM architecture family, ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., launched 2022 to 2023. It is part of the Apple silicon series, as a central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) for ...
chip. It is the first iPad Air to have the available two display size options including 11-inch and 13-inch. It features the Apple Pencil hover which is previously featured on the iPad Pro (6th generation) and the landscape oriented front-facing camera which is previously used on the tenth-generation iPad. Like the iPad Pro (7th generation), it is only compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro alongside the lower-entry
Apple Pencil Apple Pencil is a line of wireless stylus pen accessories designed and developed by Apple Inc. for use with supported iPad tablets. The first-generation Apple Pencil was announced alongside the first iPad Pro on September 9, 2015. It communi ...
with USB-C port, making it incompatible with the Apple Pencil (2nd generation). Unlike the iPad Pro (7th generation), it is only compatible with the Magic Keyboard that was designed for the iPad Pro 3rd,
4th Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...
, 5th and 6th generations. The seventh generation of iPad Air was announced on March 4, 2025, and was released on March 12. It uses the Apple M3 chip.


iPad Pro

The first generation of the high-end and professional flagship iPad Pro was announced on September 9, 2015, and released on November 11, (12.9-inch version) and March 31 (9.7-inch). It used an
Apple A9X The Apple A9X is a 64-bit ARM architecture-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series. It first appeared in the iPad Pro, which was announced on September 9, 2015 and was released on November 11, 2015. ...
chip, with a 2× higher memory bandwidth and a 1.8× faster CPU than its predecessor. Its audio system consisted of 4 audio ports and its volume were more 3× more efficient than the second generation of iPad Air, and its 12-inch screen display had a resolution of 2732 by 2043 pixels. The second generation of iPad Pro was announced on June 5, 2017, and was released on June 13. It used an
Apple A10X The Apple A10X Fusion is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, and manufactured by TSMC. It first appeared in the 10.5" iPad Pro and the second-generation 12.9" iPad Pro which were b ...
chip, with a 6-core CPU and 12-core GPU. It can process 120 Hz HDR quality medias, 2× higher quality than its predecessor. Its ultra-low reflective Retina Display featured a 50% optimized True Tone technology (which automatically adjust the screen accordingly to its ambient color and brightness rates), Wide Color Integration, and up to 500 nit brightness rates. It also had a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 7-megapixel front-facing camera. The third generation of iPad Pro was announced on October 30, 2018, and released on November 7, and it is the first iPad to support 1TB of storage. It used a 7 nm Apple A12X Bionic chip, which comprised 11 billion transistors, an 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU and an embedded Neural Engine capable of processing 5 trillion operations per second. Apple replaced the Touch ID fingerprint recognition biometric authentication with its facial counterpart, Face ID. The fourth generation of iPad Pro was announced and released on March 18, 2020. It used an Apple A12Z chip, with an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU. Its Gbit-class Wi-Fi connectivity is 60% faster than that of its predecessor. It introduced a 10-megapixel ultra-wide camera, alongside its 12-megapixel wide camera, capable of capturing 4k video. These cameras allow it to capture medias with wider visibility, and its audio system automatically detects and attracts any orientation nearby. The fifth generation of iPad Pro was announced on April 20, 2021, and released on May 21. It used an innovative desktop-class
Apple M1 Apple M1 is a series of ARM-based system-on-a-chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., launched 2020 to 2022. It is part of the Apple silicon series, as a central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) for its Mac desktops and no ...
chip, which comprised a 40% faster 8-core CPU, a 4× faster 8-core GPU, and a 4× higher bandwidth. It featured a ƒ/1.8 aperture 12-megapixel wide-angle pro camera (captures high quality shots) and a ƒ/2.4 aperture 10-megapixel ultrawide camera (captures enhanced Augmented Reality interactive experience). It debuted Apple's "Center Stage mode" technology, which pinpoints the positions of the users and automatically tracks the camera view accordingly to perspectivally centralize them. The 12.9-inch version had a mini LED-based Liquid Retina XDR display, compared to the 11-inch model's lesser IPS LCD-based Liquid Retina display. The sixth generation of iPad Pro was announced on October 18, 2022, and released on October 26. It used an
Apple M2 Apple M2 is a series of ARM architecture family, ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., launched 2022 to 2023. It is part of the Apple silicon series, as a central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) for ...
chip, with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU. The seventh generation of iPad Pro was announced on May 7, 2024, a release on May 15, 2024. It uses an
Apple M4 Apple M4 is a series of ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, including a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), and a digital signal pr ...
, making it the first Apple device to use this chip. It is the first iPad Pro to use
OLED An organic light-emitting diode (OLED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is an organic compound film that emits light in respon ...
display, called Ultra XDR
Retina Display Retina display is a branded series of LCDs and OLED displays by Apple Inc. that have a higher pixel density than their traditional displays. Apple has registered the term "Retina" as a trademark with regard to computers and mobile devices with t ...
. The chassis design is about 5.3mm thin on the 11-inch model and 5.1mm thin on the 13-inch model, thinner than previous models. It features a Tandem OLED display, an updated Pro Cameras (which lacks the ultra-wide camera lens), and a landscape oriented front-facing camera, previously used in the
iPad (10th generation) The iPad (10th generation) (also referred to as the iPad 10.9-inch) is a tablet computer developed and marketed by Apple Inc. as the successor to the ninth-generation iPad. It was announced on October 18, 2022, and was released on October 26, ...
. It is only compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro, the lower-entry
Apple Pencil Apple Pencil is a line of wireless stylus pen accessories designed and developed by Apple Inc. for use with supported iPad tablets. The first-generation Apple Pencil was announced alongside the first iPad Pro on September 9, 2015. It communi ...
with USB-C port and the new, thinner Magic Keyboard, making it incompatible with the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and the Magic Keyboard that was designed for the 3rd through 6th generations.


Hardware


Overview


Cellular connectivity

The iPad comes in two variants: Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi with cellular support. Unlike the iPhone, the cellular variant did not support voice calls and text messages, but only data connectivity; it also had an additional
micro-SIM A typical SIM card (mini-SIM with micro-SIM cutout)A SIM card or SIM (subscriber identity module) is an integrated circuit (IC) intended to securely store an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number and its related key, which are u ...
circuit slot attached on the side. The 3G-based iPad is compatible with any
GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a family of standards to describe the protocols for second-generation (2G) digital cellular networks, as used by mobile devices such as mobile phones and Mobile broadband modem, mobile broadba ...
carrier, unlike the iPhone which is usually sold 'locked' to specific carriers. For the first generation of iPad, cellular access from
T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand of telecommunications by Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Telekom AG (, ; often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a partially state-owned German telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn and the largest telec ...
was limited to slower
EDGE Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
cellular speeds because T-Mobile's network at the time used different frequencies. The second generation of iPad introduced a third tier of
CDMA Code-division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. CDMA is an example of multiple access, where several transmitters can send information simultaneously over a single communicatio ...
support from
Verizon Verizon Communications Inc. ( ), is an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City. It is the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the ...
, which is available separately from the
AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
-based version. The fifth generation of iPad used a
nano-SIM file:SIM-Karte von Telefónica O2 Europe - Standard und Micro.jpg, A typical SIM card (mini-SIM with micro-SIM cutout)A SIM card or SIM (subscriber identity module) is an integrated circuit (IC) intended to securely store an international mobile s ...
circuit slot, while its predecessors used micro-SIM. The iPads used two frequency bands; both support the same quad-band GSM and quad-band UMTS frequencies. One supports LTE bands 4 and 17 (principally intended for use on the U.S. AT&T network), and the other supports
LTE LTE may refer to: Science and technology * LTE (telecommunication) (Long-Term Evolution), a mobile telephony standard ** LTE Advanced, an enhancement ** LTE Advanced Pro, a further enhancement * Compaq LTE, a line of laptop computers * Leukotrie ...
bands 1, 3, 5, 13, 25 and CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B. Apple extended the range of cellular compatibilities worldwide with the release of the fifth generation of iPad and the second generation of iPad Mini, worldwide and all major carriers across North America. The iPad Air and iPad Mini come in two cellular sub-variants, all of which featured nano-SIMs, quad-band GSM, penta-band UMTS, and dual-band CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and B. One supports LTE bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25 and 26, and the other supports LTE bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20 and TD-LTE bands 38, 39 and 40.


Accessories

Apple offers many accessories for its iPad models, ranging from keyboards, styluses, cases, to adapters; a 10 W power adapter is bundled with the device. In addition to a camera connection kit which consists of two adapters for the iPad's dock connector, one of
USB Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical ...
Type A and one of SD card reader; these adapters can transfer photographs and videos and connect USB audio card and MIDI keyboard. Apple's list of accessories included the
Apple Pencil Apple Pencil is a line of wireless stylus pen accessories designed and developed by Apple Inc. for use with supported iPad tablets. The first-generation Apple Pencil was announced alongside the first iPad Pro on September 9, 2015. It communi ...
― a wireless stylus pen,
Smart Cover The iPad is an iPadOS-based (previously iOS) line of tablet computers designed and developed by Apple Inc.; it has a wide variety of accessories made by Apple available for it, including a screen cover specifically for the respective models of iP ...
― a magnetic screen protector that align to the face of an iPad with three folds that is convertible into a stand, Smart Case ― a fine case combining the functions of a Smart Cover and a back-protection case,
Smart Keyboard Folio Apple Inc. has designed and developed many external keyboard models for use with families of Apple computers, such as the Apple II, Mac (computer), Mac, and iPad. The Magic Keyboard and Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad designed to be used vi ...
― an externally-paired keyboard and a combination of a Smart Case and its predecessor, a
Smart Keyboard Apple Inc. has designed and developed many external keyboard models for use with families of Apple computers, such as the Apple II, Mac (computer), Mac, and iPad. The Magic Keyboard and Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad designed to be used v ...
, Magic Keyboard, ― an externally-paired keyboard similar to the formers but with integrated trackpads which the Smart Keyboard Folio and Smart Keyboard lack.


Software

Since its introduction in 2010, the iPad runs on the
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
's iOS
mobile operating system A mobile operating system is an operating system used for smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, smartglasses, or other non-laptop personal mobile computing devices. While computers such as laptops are "mobile", the operating systems used on the ...
, but it was later replaced with an optimized derivation, iPadOS, in September 2019. It shares the former's
development environment In software deployment, an environment or tier is a computer system or set of systems in which a computer program or software component is deployed and executed. In simple cases, such as developing and immediately executing a program on the same m ...
and many of its applications and features. The iPad is compatible with nearly every iPhone application through iOS, and developers can optimize these applications to take full advantage of the iPad's software. They used
iOS SDK The iOS SDK (iOS Software Development Kit), formerly the iPhone SDK, is a software development kit (SDK) developed by Apple Inc. The kit allows for the development of mobile apps on Apple's iOS and iPadOS operating systems. The iOS SDK is a ...
, a software development kit. The iOS user interface is based upon direct manipulation, using multi-touch gestures such as swipe, tap, pinch, and reverse pinch. Interface control elements include sliders, switches, and buttons. Internal accelerometers are used by some applications to respond to shaking the device (one common result is the undo command) or rotating it in three dimensions (one common result is switching between portrait and landscape mode). Various accessibility described in § Accessibility functions enable users with vision and hearing disabilities to properly use iOS. iOS devices boot to the homescreen, the primary navigation and information "hub" on iOS devices, analogous to the desktop found on personal computers. iOS homescreens are typically made up of app icons and widgets; app icons launch the associated app, whereas widgets display live, auto-updating content, such as a weather forecast, the user's email inbox, or a news ticker directly on the homescreen. Along the top of the screen is a status bar, showing information about the device and its connectivity. The status bar itself contains two elements, the Control Center and the Notification Center. iOS' Control Center can be "pulled" down from the top right of the notch, giving access to various toggles to manage the device more quickly without having to open the Settings. It is possible to manage brightness, volume, wireless connections, music player, etc. A homescreen may be made up of several pages, between which the user can swipe back and forth, one of the ways to do this is to hold down on the "dots" shown on each page and swipe left or right. To the right of the last page, the App Library lists and categorizes apps installed on the device. Apps within each category are arranged based on the frequency of their usage. In addition to a category for suggested apps, a "recent" category lists apps recently installed alongside App Clips recently accessed. Users can search for the app they want or browse them in alphabetical order. iOS' multitasking API included Background audio – application continues to run in the background as long as it is playing audio or video content, voice over IP – application is suspended when a phone call is not in progress, Push notification, Local notifications – application schedules local notifications to be delivered at a predetermined time, Task completion – application asks the system for extra time to complete a given task, Fast app switching – application does not execute any code and may be removed from memory at any time, Newsstand – applications can download content in the background to be ready for the uses, External Accessory – application communicates with an external accessory and shares data at regular intervals, Bluetooth Accessory – application communicates with a Bluetooth accessory and shares data at regular intervals, and Background application update. iPadOS features a multitasking system developed with more capabilities compared to iOS, with features like Slide Over and Split View that make it possible to use multiple different applications simultaneously. Double-clicking the Home Button or swiping up from the bottom of the screen and pausing will display all currently active spaces. Each space can feature a single app, or a Split View featuring two apps. The user can also swipe left or right on the Home Indicator to go between spaces at any time, or swipe left/right with four fingers. In iPadOS, while using an app, swiping up slightly from the bottom edge of the screen will summon the Dock, where apps stored within can be dragged to different areas of the current space to be opened in either Split View or Slide Over. Dragging an app to the left or right edge of the screen will create a Split View, which will allow both apps to be used side by side. The size of the two apps in Split View can be adjusted by dragging a pill-shaped icon in the center of the vertical divider and dragging the divider all the way to one side of the screen closes the respective app. If the user drags an app from the dock over the current app, it will create a floating window called Slide Over which can be dragged to either the left or right side of the screen. A Slide Over window can be hidden by swiping it off the right side of the screen, and swiping left from the right edge of the screen will restore it. Slide Over apps can also be cycled between by swiping left or right on the Home Indicator in the Slide Over window and pulling up on it will open an app switcher for Slide Over windows. A pill-shaped icon at the top of apps in Split View or Slide Over allows them to be switched in an out of Split View and Slide Over.


Restrictions


Digital rights management

The iPad does not employ
digital rights management Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures, such as access control technologies, can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. DRM ...
(DRM), but the OS prevents users from copying or transferring certain content outside of Apple's platform without authorization, such as TV shows, movies, and apps. Also, the iPad's development model requires anyone creating an app for the iPad to sign a
non-disclosure agreement A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement (SA), is a legal contract or part of a contract between at le ...
and pay for a developer subscription. Critics argue Apple's centralized app approval process and control of the platform itself could stifle software innovation. Of particular concern to
digital rights Digital rights are those human rights and Natural and legal rights, legal rights that allow individuals to access, use, create, and publish digital media or to access and use computers, other Consumer electronics, electronic devices, and teleco ...
advocates is Apple's ability to remotely disable or delete apps on any iPad at any time. Digital rights advocates, including the
Free Software Foundation The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985. The organisation supports the free software movement, with the organization's preference for software being distributed ...
,
Electronic Frontier Foundation The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is an American international non-profit digital rights group based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1990 to promote Internet civil liberties. It provides funds for legal defense in court, ...
, and computer engineer and activist
Brewster Kahle Brewster Lurton Kahle ( ; born October 21, 1960) is an American digital librarian, computer engineer, and Internet entrepreneur. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer s ...
, have criticized the iPad for its digital rights restrictions. In an article published by
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
in April 2010, Laura Sydell, concluded that "as more consumers have fears about security on the Internet, viruses, and malware, they may be happy to opt for Apple's gated community." In 2014, the Russian government switched from iPads to Android devices over security concerns.


Jailbreaking

Like other iOS devices, the iPad can be "jailbroken", depending on which version of
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
or
iPadOS iPadOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple for its iPad line of tablet computers. It was given a name distinct from iOS, the operating system used by Apple's iPhones to reflect the diverging features of the two product lines, suc ...
it is running, thus allowing applications and programs that are not authorized by Apple to run on the device. Once it is jailbroken, users are able to download many applications previously unavailable through the App Store via unofficial installers such as
Cydia Cydia is a graphical user interface of APT for iOS. It enables a user to find and install software unauthorized by Apple on jailbroken iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices. It also refers to the digital distribution platform for software on ...
, as well as illegally
pirated Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, ...
applications. Apple claims jailbreaking "can" void the factory warranty on the device in the United States even though jailbreaking is legal. The iPad, released in April 2010, was first jailbroken in May 2010 with the Spirit jailbreak for iOS version 3.1.2. The iPad can be jailbroken on iOS versions 4.3 through 4.3.3 with the web-based tool JailbreakMe 3.0 (released in July 2011), and on iOS versions including 5.0 and 5.0.1 using redsn0w. Absinthe 2.0 was released on May 25, 2012, as the first jailbreak method for all iOS 5.1.1 devices except the 32 nm version of the iPad 2.


Censorship

Apple's App Store, which provides iPhone and iPad applications, imposes censorship of content, which has become an issue for book publishers and magazines seeking to use the platform. The British newspaper ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' described the role of Apple as analogous to that of British magazine distributor
WH Smith WH Smith plc, trading as WHSmith (also written WH Smith and formerly as W. H. Smith & Son), is a British retailer, with headquarters in Swindon, England, which operates a chain of railway station, airport, port, hospital and motorway service st ...
, which for many years imposed content restrictions. Due to the exclusion of
pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
from the App Store, pornography companies changed their software to produce content designed specifically for the iPad. In an e-mail exchange with Ryan Tate from
Valleywag Valleywag was a Gawker Media blog with gossip and news about Silicon Valley personalities. It was initially launched under the direction of editor Nick Douglas in February 2006. After Douglas was fired,Adbustings in Berlin by artist Johannes P. Osterhoff and in San Francisco during WWDC10.


Original reception

Media reaction to the original iPad was mixed. The media noted the positive response from fans of the device, with thousands of people queued on the first day of sale in a number of these countries. The iPad was quickly successful and sold in large numbers after its 2010 launch. Analysts have noted that while Apple's previous
iPod The iPod is a series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices that were designed and marketed by Apple Inc. from 2001 to 2022. The iPod Classic#1st generation, first version was released on November 10, 2001, about mon ...
and
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
launches took some time till taking off, the iPad was commercially popular from the beginning and faced little market competition during its first year.


Reaction to the announcement

Media reaction to the announcement of the original iPad was mixed. Walter Mossberg wrote, "It's about the software, stupid", meaning hardware features and build are less important to the iPad's success than software and user interface, his first impressions of which were largely positive. Mossberg also called the price "modest" for a device of its capabilities, and praised the ten-hour battery life. Others, including ''
PC Advisor ''Tech Advisor'', previously known as ''PC Advisor'', is a consumer tech website and digital magazine published by Foundry,. Foundry was previously a subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG, Inc.), which was acquired by Blackstone in 2021, but i ...
'' and the ''Sydney Morning Herald'', wrote that the iPad would also compete with proliferating
netbook A netbook is a small-sized laptop computer; they were primarily sold from 2007 until around 2013, designed mostly as a means of accessing the Internet and being significantly less expensive than regular-sized laptops. At their inception in l ...
s, most of which use
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
. The base model's $499 price was lower than pre-release estimates by the tech press,
Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...
analysts, and Apple's competitors, all of whom were expecting a much higher entry price point. '' CNET'' also criticized the iPad for its apparent lack of wireless sync which other portable devices such as Microsoft's
Zune Zune was a brand of digital media products and services that was marketed by Microsoft from November 2006 until it was discontinued in June 2012. Zune consisted of a line of portable media players, a music subscription service known as Zune Music ...
have had for a number of years. The built-in iTunes app is able to download from the Internet as well.


Critical response

Reviews of the original iPad have been generally favorable.
Walt Mossberg Walter S. Mossberg (born March 27, 1947) is an American retired technology journalist and moderator. From 1991 through 2013, he was the principal technology columnist for ''The Wall Street Journal''. He also co-founded '' AllThingsD'', ''Re ...
, then of ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'', called it a "pretty close" laptop killer.
David Pogue David Welch Pogue (born March 9, 1963) is an American technology and science writer and TV presenter, and correspondent for ''CBS News Sunday Morning''. He has hosted 18 ''Nova'' specials on PBS, including '' Nova ScienceNow'', the ''Making Stu ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote a "dual" review, one part for technology-minded people, and the other part for non-technology-minded people. In the former section, he notes that a laptop offers more features for a cheaper price than the iPad. In his review for the latter audience, however, he claims that if his readers like the concept of the device and can understand what its intended uses are, then they will enjoy using the device. ''
PC Magazine ''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and continues . Overview ''PC Mag ...
s Tim Gideon wrote, "you have yourself a winner" that "will undoubtedly be a driving force in shaping the emerging tablet landscape." Michael Arrington of ''
TechCrunch TechCrunch is an American global online newspaper focusing on topics regarding high tech, high-tech and Startup company, startup companies. It was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare. I ...
'' said, "the iPad beats even my most optimistic expectations. This is a new category of device. But it also will replace laptops for many people." ''
PC World ''PC World'' (stylized as PCWorld) is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. Since 2013, it has been an online-only publication. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal tec ...
'' criticized the iPad's
file sharing File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digital media, such as computer programs, multimedia (audio, images and video), documents or electronic books. Common methods of storage, transmission and dispersion include ...
and printing abilities, and ''
Ars Technica ''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...
'' said sharing files with a computer is "one of our least favorite parts of the iPad experience." The media also praised the quantity of applications, as well as the bookstore and other media applications. In contrast they criticized the iPad for being a closed system and mentioned that the iPad faces competition from Android-based tablets, that outsold iPads in 2013, surpassing iPads in the second quarter of 2013, and have overtaken iPad's installed base, and has lost majority of web browsing to Android, by
StatCounter StatCounter is a web traffic analysis website started in 1999. Access to basic services is free to use and advanced services can cost between and US$119 a month. StatCounter is based in Dublin, Ireland. The statistics from StatCounter are used ...
estimates, in South America, Africa, most of Asiamany large countries there and in Eastern Europe. ''The Independent'' criticized the iPad for not being as readable in bright light as paper but praised it for being able to store large quantities of books. After its UK release, ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' said the iPad's lack of
Adobe Flash Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a mostly discontinuedAlthough it is discontinued by Adobe Inc., for the Chinese market it is developed by Zhongcheng and for the international enterprise market it is developed by Ha ...
support was "annoying."


Recognition

The original iPad was selected by ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine as one of the 50 Best Inventions of the Year 2010, while ''
Popular Science Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...
'' chose it as the top gadget behind the overall "Best of What's New 2010" winner Groasis Waterboxx.


Usage


Market share

The iPad had a relatively stable tablet global market share. It received a significant drop in the third quarter of 2012 but gradually recovered, although not as abundant as before. As of the third quarter of 2021, it had a market share of 34.6%.


Business

While the iPad is mostly used by consumers, it also has been taken up by business users. Within 90 days of its release, the iPad managed to penetrate 50% of Fortune 100 companies. Some companies are adopting iPads in their business offices by distributing or making available iPads to employees. Examples of uses in the workplace include attorneys responding to clients, medical professionals accessing health records during patient exams, and managers approving employee requests. A survey by
Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan is an American business consulting firm. It offers market research and analysis, growth strategy consulting, and corporate training. It has about 45 offices in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe; the principal office is in Sa ...
shows that iPad usage in office workplaces is linked to the goals of increased employee productivity, reduced paperwork, and increased revenue. The research firm estimates that "The mobile-office application market in North America may reach $6.85 billion in 2015, up from an estimated $1.76 billion n 2010" Since March 2011, the US
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
(FAA) has approved the iPad for in-cockpit use to cut down on the paper consumption in several airlines. In 2011,
Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the fifth-largest airline in North America when measured by scheduled passengers carried, as of 2024. Alaska, togethe ...
became the first airline to replace pilots' paper manuals with iPads, weighing compared to for the printed flight manuals. It hopes to have fewer back and muscle injuries. More than a dozen airlines have followed suit, including United, which has distributed iPads to cockpits. Also, many airlines now offer their inflight magazine as a downloadable application for the iPad.


Education and healthcare

The iPad has several uses in the classroom, and has been praised as a valuable tool for
homeschooling Homeschooling or home schooling (American English), also known as home education or elective home education (EHE) (British English), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted ...
and
distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...
. Soon after the iPad was released, it was reported that 81% of the top book apps were for children. The iPad has also been called a revolutionary tool to help children with autism learn how to communicate and socialize more easily. In the healthcare field, iPads and iPhones have been used to help hospitals manage their
supply chain A supply chain is a complex logistics system that consists of facilities that convert raw materials into finished products and distribute them to end consumers or end customers, while supply chain management deals with the flow of goods in distri ...
. For example, Novation, a healthcare contracting services company, developed VHA PriceLynx (based on the mobile application platform of business intelligence software vendor MicroStrategy), a
business intelligence Business intelligence (BI) consists of strategies, methodologies, and technologies used by enterprises for data analysis and management of business information. Common functions of BI technologies include Financial reporting, reporting, online an ...
app to help health care organizations manage its purchasing procedures more efficiently and save money for hospitals. Guillermo Ramas of Novation states, "Doctors won't walk around a hospital with a laptop. With an iPad it's perfect to walk around the hospital with as long as they have the information they need." In 2013, Gianna Chien (aged 14) presented to more than 8,000 doctors at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting that the Apple iPad 2 can, in some cases, interfere with life-saving heart devices (
pacemakers A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to co ...
) because of the magnets inside. The iPad User Guide advised pacemaker users to keep iPads at least away from the pacemaker. A study in 2014 found that the iPad 2 could cause electromagnetic interference (EMI) in implantable cardioverter defibrillators.


Consumer usage

In the United States, fans attending
Super Bowl XLV Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
, the first Super Bowl since the iPad was released, could use an official
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) app to navigate
Cowboys Stadium AT&T Stadium is a retractable roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. It is also the home of the Cotton Bowl Classic ...
. In 2011, the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
became the first NFL club to discontinue the use of paper copies of playbooks, and instead distributed all players their playbook and videos in electronic format via an
iPad 2 The iPad 2 is a tablet computer, tablet developed and marketed by Apple Inc. Compared to IPad (1st generation), the first iPad, as the second model in the iPad line, it gained a faster multi-core processor, dual core Apple A5, A5 processor, a ...
. The iPad is able to support many music creation applications in addition to the iTunes music playback software. These include sound samplers, guitar and voice effects processors, sequencers for synthesized sounds and sampled loops, virtual synthesizers and drum machines, theremin-style and other touch responsive instruments, drum pads and many more.
Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...
's 2010 album, '' The Fall'', was created almost exclusively using the iPad by
Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (, ; born 23 March 1968) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman, main vocalist, and lyricist of the rock band Blur (band), Blur and the co-creator and primary musical con ...
while on tour with the band. The music video for
Luna Sea Luna Sea (stylized as LUNA SEA) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1986. Due to the use of makeup and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they are considered one of the most successf ...
's 2012 single, " Rouge", was filmed entirely on an iPad. Due to its popularity, the term "iPad" is occasionally used as a generic name for tablet computers.


Timeline


See also

*
List of Apple Inc. media events Apple Inc. has announced major new and redesigned products and upgrades through press conferences, while minor updates often happen through press releases on Apple Newsroom. The press conferences have historically garnered a significant followi ...
*
Comparison of e-readers An e-reader, also known as an e-book reader, is a mobile device, portable electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading e-books and Periodical literature, periodicals. E-readers have a similar form factor (design), form f ...
*
Comparison of tablet computers This is a list of tablet computers, grouped by intended audience and form factor. Media tablets Multimedia tablets are compared in the following tables. Larger than screen The following two tables compare multimedia tablets with screens larger ...
*
Microsoft Surface Microsoft Surface is a family of touchscreen-based personal computer, tablet, and interactive whiteboard hardware products designed and developed by Microsoft. The majority of them run the Windows operating system and use Intel processors. ...
*
Pen computing Pen computing refers to any computer user-interface using a digital pen or Stylus (computing), stylus and Graphics tablet, tablet, over input devices such as a keyboard or a mouse. Historically, pen computing (defined as a computer system employin ...


Notes


References


External links

* *
Every iPad Generation: A Full History of Release Dates
'.
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
. Accessed on October 4, 2024. {{Authority control Articles which contain graphical timelines Computer-related introductions in 2010 Foxconn Products introduced in 2010