When it first launched the iPad, Apple invited skepticism, and many challenged the success of the tablet. However, over the years, many others in the market came up with their own tablets in an attempt to dethrone the tech giant or establish their mark. Despite the many players and plenty of Android tablets, coming up with a similar offering to Apple is not easy due to the longevity of the iPad and its ecosystem. It has been 15 years since the iPad was first launched, and it remains the best-selling tablet of all time.
Today marks 15 years since the launch of the iPad, and it still retains its dominance in the tablet space
Apple entered the tablet market on April 3rd, 2010, with its iPad. While it was mocked by rivals, the tech community, and business analysts, it surpassed all expectations to become the best-selling tablet, and even after 15 years, we cannot pick one name that can be called a true competitor of the iPad as it continues to lead the market. Even though many others came up with budget-friendly alternatives and did end up holding their share of the market, they still do not come any close to Apple's ecosystem integration and its dominance in terms of sales.
Initial speculations were that Apple would be naming the tablet iSlate, but the iPad has become such a household name that it is hard to imagine another name in its place. Before the iPad was even released, many jumped to conclusions, calling it merely an iPhone with a bigger screen, and it invited quite a lot of criticism. Steve Jobs did a tremendous job by first creating the need for a device between a smartphone and a laptop and then positioning Apple as the only company able to carry out the ambitious vision truly.
Steve Jobs launched the iPad with a 90-minute launch event, which was crafted meticulously, making the audience buy the idea that a tablet was not only necessary but Apple was the only one able to deliver the evolution. It was not, however, only the well-curated positioning of the iPad that did the trick for the company but also the longevity it offers, as the iPad tends to last longer than the offerings of the competition, reducing the constant need to upgrade.
Other than the longer life of the iPad and the well-integrated ecosystem, it is the constant design changes and other iterations that make the tech enthusiast want to get their hands on the iPad, especially with the diverse range of premium and more affordable models it offers. Despite rivals hoping otherwise and the success of the iPad appearing to be skeptical, iPad continues to lead and dominate the tablet space.
