The iPad arrived in 2010 and created the tablet market

The first tablet to reach mainstream use was the iPad, released by Apple on April 3, 2010. It was not the first device called a tablet — companies had experimented with tablet-shaped computers for years — but it was the first one people actually wanted to buy and use every day. Before the iPad, tablets were expensive, slow, and did things that laptops already did worse. The iPad was fast, had a battery that lasted all day, and did things that felt natural on a touchscreen. Within weeks, it became clear that Apple had created an entirely new product category.

The iPad ran iOS, the same operating system as the iPhone, which meant it could run the hundreds of thousands of apps already built for phones. It had a 9.7-inch screen, weighed 1.5 pounds, and cost $499 for the base model. Those numbers matter because they defined what a tablet should be: bigger than a phone, lighter than a laptop, and priced between the two. Every tablet made since has tried to hit that same target.

Key Takeaways

  • The iPad, released in April 2010, was the first tablet that sold in large numbers and created the tablet market as we know it today.
  • Before the iPad, tablets existed but were expensive, slow, and did not offer a clear reason to buy them instead of a laptop or phone.
  • The iPad succeeded because it ran iOS, had access to existing iPhone apps, and offered all-day battery life at a price between phones and laptops.
  • Within a year, competitors like Samsung and Microsoft began building their own tablets, all following the size and price template the iPad established.

Why earlier tablets failed to catch on

Tablets existed before 2010, but they never became popular. Microsoft released the Tablet PC in 2002, which was a laptop-sized device with a stylus and handwriting recognition. It was expensive, heavy, and ran Windows — an operating system designed for a mouse and keyboard, not a finger. Doctors and architects bought them, but ordinary people saw no reason to own one.

Other companies tried smaller tablets. The Compaq Tablet and various Wacom devices existed, but they were niche products for professionals. The problem was that tablets were trying to be computers, not trying to be something new. They ran desktop software, they needed a stylus, and they cost as much as a real computer. A person asking "should I buy a tablet?" had no good answer, because a laptop did everything a tablet did, just with a keyboard.

What made the iPad different

The iPad succeeded because it was not trying to be a small laptop. It ran iOS, which was built from the ground up for touch. There was no mouse cursor, no right-click menu, no file system to navigate. You tapped an app icon and it opened. You swiped to scroll. You pinched to zoom. Everything worked the way your finger expected it to work.

The second reason was the App Store. When the iPad launched, there were already 225,000 apps available for iPhone. Many of them worked on the iPad when ready. Developers could also build apps specifically for the larger screen. Within months, there were thousands of iPad-only apps — games, magazines, productivity tools, and things that had never existed before because no device had ever been shaped like a tablet before.

The third reason was price and battery life. At $499, the iPad cost less than most laptops. It weighed 1.5 pounds and had a 10-hour battery. You could hold it in one hand. You could use it in bed, on the couch, or at the kitchen table. A laptop required a desk. A phone had a screen too small for reading or watching video. The iPad fit perfectly in the middle.

How the iPad created the tablet market

The iPad sold 300,000 units in its first week. By the end of 2010, Apple had sold 15 million iPads. Competitors when ready began building their own tablets. Samsung released the Galaxy Tab in September 2010, running Android — Google's operating system, which was also built for touch. Motorola, LG, and HTC followed with their own Android tablets. Microsoft eventually released the Surface in 2013, which tried to be both a tablet and a laptop.

All of these devices followed the template the iPad set: a touchscreen between 7 and 10 inches, a battery lasting most of a day, and a price between $300 and $800. The iPad did not invent the tablet, but it invented the tablet market by proving that millions of people wanted one.

The difference between iPad and earlier tablets

The key difference was software, not hardware. Tablets had existed before — the technology was not new. What was new was an operating system designed for touch, an app store full of software written for that operating system, and a price that made sense for consumers. The Tablet PC had a stylus and ran Windows. The iPad had a finger and ran iOS. That single change made all the difference.

Earlier tablets also tried to do everything a computer could do. The iPad did fewer things, but it did them better. You could not run Photoshop on an iPad, but you could read a book, watch a video, play a game, or check email faster and more naturally than on any device that came before. For most people, that was enough.

What happened to tablets after 2010

The tablet market grew rapidly through the mid-2010s. By 2014, tablets were outselling laptops. Then growth slowed. People realized that for many tasks — writing emails, editing documents, creating content — a keyboard and trackpad were still faster. Tablets became secondary devices that people used alongside phones and laptops, not replacements for them.

Today, tablets are still popular, but the market is smaller than it was in 2015. The iPad remains the market leader. Android tablets from Samsung and others compete in the mid-range and budget segments. Microsoft's Surface line blurs the line between tablet and laptop. But the basic shape and purpose that the iPad established in 2010 — a touchscreen device between a phone and a laptop — has not changed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was the iPad really the first tablet ever made?

No. Tablets existed before the iPad — Microsoft made the Tablet PC in 2002, and other companies experimented with tablet-shaped devices. But the iPad was the first tablet that sold in large numbers and became a mainstream product. It created the tablet market as we know it.

Why did the iPad succeed when earlier tablets failed?

The iPad ran iOS, an operating system built for touch, and had access to thousands of apps designed for it. Earlier tablets ran Windows or other desktop operating systems and tried to do everything a computer could do. The iPad did fewer things but did them better and faster, and it cost less than a laptop.

What was the first Android tablet?

The Samsung Galaxy Tab, released in September 2010, was one of the first Android tablets. It came out five months after the iPad. Android tablets competed with the iPad but never captured as large a market share.

Can you still buy the original iPad from 2010?

No. Apple stopped selling the original iPad in 2011 and no longer supports it with software updates. Used original iPads are available on secondhand markets, but they are slow by modern standards and cannot run current apps.