iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc., and running the iOS and iPadOS mobile operating systems. The first iPad was released on 3 April 2010; The most recent iPad models are the eighth generation iPad, released on September 18, 2020; The fifth-generation iPad mini, released on 18 March 2019; 4th generation iPad Air, released on October 23, 2020; and the third-generation 11-inch (280 mm) and fifth-generation 12.9-inch (330 mm) iPad Pro, released on May 21, 2021.
As of September 2020, Apple has sold over 500 million iPads, although sales peaked in 2013. It is the most popular tablet computer by sales as of the second quarter of 2020.
The user interface is built around the device's multi-touch screen, including a virtual keyboard. All iPads can connect using Wi-Fi; Some models also have cellular connectivity. iPads can shoot videos, take photos, play music, and perform Internet tasks such as web browsing and emailing. Other functions - games, references, GPS navigation, social networking, etc - can be enabled by downloading and installing apps. As of March 2016, there are over 1 million apps in the App Store for the iPad by Apple and third parties.
History
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs said in a 1983 speech that the company's strategy was simple: "What we want to do is we want to put an incredibly great computer in a book that you can take with you and learn how to use in 20 minutes ... and we want to do it with a radio link so you don't have to connect to anything and you can access all these big databases and other with computers.
Apple's first tablet computer was the Newton MessagePad 100, introduced in 1993, powered by ARM-developed ARM6 processor cores, a 1990 spinout of the Acorn computer that Apple invested in. Apple also developed a prototype PowerBook Duo-based tablet, the PenLite, but decided not to sell it to avoid hurting MessagePad sales. Apple released several more Newton-based PDAs; The last MessagePad 2100 was discontinued in 1998.
Apple re-entered the mobile-computing markets in 2007 with the iPhone. Smaller than the iPad, but featuring a camera and mobile phone, it pioneered the multi-touch finger-sensitive touchscreen interface of Apple's iOS mobile operating system. By the end of 2009, the iPad was rumored to have been released for several years. Such speculation mostly talked about "Apple's tablet"; Typical names include iTablet and iSlate. The iPad was announced on January 27, 2010, by Steve Jobs at an Apple press conference at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
Jobs later said that Apple started developing the iPad before the iPhone. Jonathan Ive created an industrial design for the Macintosh Folio, a stylus-based tablet, in 1991, his first project for Apple; by 2004 his studio at the company was participating in the development of a large tablet prototype, which he later described as "very crude, involving projectors". Ive said that after seeking to produce the tablet first, he agreed with Jobs that the phone was more important, as the tablet's innovations would work in it as well. The iPad's internal codename was K48, which was revealed in the court case surrounding the leak of iPad information ahead of launch.
Apple began taking pre-orders for the first generation iPad on March 12, 2010. The only major change in the device between its announcement and being available for pre-order was a change in the behavior of the side switch to perform sound muting or screen rotation locking (user selectable). The Wi-Fi version of the iPad went on sale in the United States on April 3, 2010. The Wi-Fi + 3G version was released on April 30. 3G service in the United States is provided by AT&T and was initially sold with two prepaid contract-free data plan options: one for unlimited data and the other for 250MB per month at half price. On June 2, 2010, AT&T announced that effective June 7 the unlimited plan would be replaced with a 2GB plan for new customers at a slightly lower cost; Existing customers will have the option of having an unlimited plan. Plans are active on the iPad itself and can be canceled at any time.
Initially, the iPad was only available to order at the Apple Store but has since become available for purchase through retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and network operators. The iPad was launched on May 28 in countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Online pre-orders in those countries began on May 10. Apple released the iPad in Hong Kong, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, and Singapore on July 23, 2010. Israel briefly banned the import of the iPad because of concerns that its Wi-Fi might interfere with other devices. On September 17, 2010, the iPad was officially launched in China.
300,000 iPads were sold on the first day of availability. As of May 3, 2010, Apple had sold one million iPads; it took Apple half the time to sell the same number of first-generation iPhones. After crossing the one million mark, they continued to sell fast and reached 3 million sales after 80 days. During a financial conference call on October 18, 2010, Steve Jobs announced that Apple sold more iPads than Macs for the fiscal quarter. Overall, Apple sold more than 15 million first-generation iPads before the launch of the iPad 2 – more sales than all other tablet PCs since the iPad's release. and reached 75% of tablet PC sales by the end of 2010.
Jobs unveiled the iPad 2 at a press conference on March 2, 2011. About 33% thinner and 15% lighter than its predecessor, the iPad 2 has a better processor, a dual-core Apple A5 that Apple says is twice as fast. The predecessor for CPU operations and nine times faster for GPU operations. The iPad 2 includes front and back cameras that support the FaceTime Videophone application, as well as a three-axis gyroscope. It retained the original 10-hour battery life and had a similar pricing plan.
The successor to the iPad 2 was unveiled on 7 March 2012 by Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. The new iPad features a new dual-core A5X processor with quad-core graphics and a Retina display with 2,048 by 1,536 pixels, which is 50 percent more pixels than the standard 1,920 by 1,080 high definition TV screen. A brief controversy erupted when it was revealed that the LTE advertised did not work in some countries.
On 23 October 2012, Apple announced the fourth-generation iPad, which began shipping on 2 November 2012. New hardware includes an A6X processor, HD FaceTime camera, improved LTE compatibility, and an all-digital Lightning connector. It is available in the same storage enhancement and pricing structure as the third generation. After the announcement of the fourth-generation iPad, the previous generation was discontinued.
With the launch of the fourth generation of hardware, Apple announced the iPad mini. With a 7.9-inch screen, it's aimed at the emerging field of smaller tablets like the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7. The new iPad Mini's hardware is similar to the iPad 2, with a 1,024 768-pixel resolution screen and dual-core A5 processor, but it's 53% lighter and 7.2mm thick. It was released on 2 November 2012 in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB capacities and Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + Cellular versions.
On October 22, 2013, Apple introduced the fifth generation of the iPad, the iPad Air, and the second generation of the iPad mini, the iPad mini 2, which comes with Retina Display. The iPad Air went on sale on November 1, 2013, starting at $499, while the iPad Mini 2 went on sale on November 12, 2013, starting at $399.
In the first quarter of 2014, Apple reported that it sold 25 million iPads, an all-time quarterly record, compared to 22.9 million in the year-ago quarter.
In October 2014, Apple released the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. The iPad Air 2 is the first iOS device to feature a triple-core CPU and 2GB of RAM. As well as being thinner and faster than its predecessor, the iPad Air, it has Touch ID and is available with a gold color option. The iPad mini 3 is similar to the iPad mini 2 in design and hardware, but includes Touch ID and is available in gold.
iPad and iPad Pro
In September 2015, the iPad Pro was announced, featuring a 12.9-inch screen, and in March 2016, a 9.7-inch version was announced, adding a 256GB option to both iPad Pro models.
A new iPad was announced on March 21, 2017. The hardware includes an A9 processor and is designed to be a budget version of the iPad.
iPad pro-second generation
In June 2017, the second generation of iPad Pro hardware was announced to have 12.9- and 10.5-inch screens.
On March 28, 2018, the new iPad (6th generation) was announced. The new model uses the A10 Fusion processor and fully supports the Apple Pencil, replacing the 2017 model.
On October 30, 2018, the third-generation iPad Pro was announced and was the first generation to support 1TB of storage.
On March 18, 2019, Apple announced iPad Air (3rd generation) and iPad mini (5th generation) with A12 Bionic processor.
On September 10, 2019, the seventh generation iPad was announced, featuring a larger 10.2-inch display and support for Smart Keyboard. It retains most of the specs of the sixth-generation iPad 9.7-inch.
The second-generation 11-inch iPad Pro and the fourth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro were announced on March 18, 2020. Both retain the same design, but with a new camera bump, including a new 10MP ultra-wide camera, a LiDAR. scanner, and an A12Z Bionic chip. Almost everything from the previous generation is carried over with 11-inch and 12.9-inch Liquid Retina displays, 5.9mm slim design, and more.
A year after the seventh-generation iPad event, the eighth-generation iPad and the fourth-generation iPad Air were announced. The eighth-generation iPad still has the same 10.2-inch display, support for Smart Keyboard, the same storage options, 32GB and 128GB, and the same colors, but now has the A12 Bionic processor from the iPhone XS. The iPad Air now has a similar design to the iPad Pro, with squared edges, a Liquid Retina display, a USB-C port, and support for the Smart Keyboard Folio and Magic Keyboard, but there are a few differences: It has a slightly smaller 10.9- inch display, with a resolution of 2360x1640 pixels, the display only goes up to 500 nits instead of 600, has no-promotion technology for 120Hz refresh rate, doesn't have an ultra-wide camera and LiDAR scanner, and is the same as the iPhone 12 series. in the form of. The new A14 is the Bionic chipset.
Light years ahead of the competition, Apple!