iPad

Released in 2010, the iPad was the first tablet device developed by the U.S. computer and software manufacturer Apple. The release of the iPad marked a key turning point in the popularisation of touch screen technologies, helping to rapidly establish a new consumer market of tablet users. One of Apple’s main objectives was to create a new computer product that sat between the touch screen smartphone (already popularised by Apple’s iPhone), and the well-established laptop and personal computer market. It also aimed to create a device that would offer an intuitive computer interface operated via a touch screen and navigated via a simple grid of apps. This was designed to allow users to directly engage with content on the screen using their fingers (e.g., by ...