Exactly three years ago today, Apple sent shockwaves through the entire consumer electronics industry with the release of the original iPad. In a single graceful motion, Steve Jobs took the stage, and reinvented the entire tablet market in mere moments. Three years later, the name iPad has become synonymous with the idea of the tablet, and Apple’s competitors are still struggling desperately to catch up.
The iPad has helped students learn better, pilots fly commercial jets without hundred-pound bags of manuals and maps, doctors attend patients more efficiently, and gamers become more absorbed into their gaming. And that’s just to name a few. While many early pundits were initially extremely critical of the iPad, and many consumers were “disappointed” that Apple didn’t release a full-on OS X Mac tablet, those naysayers have since eaten many heaping helpings of crow.
Happy birthday, iPad. You have forever changed the way consumers think about computers, have dramatically improved the way I and many other writers work, and have left a bigger dent in the universe than anyone could have expected. I raise my glass to you. Here’s to hoping for many future innovations for the iPad in the years to come!
It’s pretty amazing to see how far the iPad has come in just three years, and in my mind, this is truly a day worth commemorating. So sit back, relax, have a slice of iPad cake, and celebrate by using your iPad (and by watching Steve Jobs present the original iPad on stage!)
