I PAD

• Before launch

• Apple's first tablet computer was the Newton MessagePad 100,[28][29] introduced in 1993, which led to the creation of the ARM6 processor core with Acorn Computers. Apple also developed a prototype PowerBook Duo-based tablet, the PenLite, but decided not to sell it in order to avoid hurting MessagePad sales.[30] Apple released several more Newton-based PDAs; the final one, the MessagePad 2100, was discontinued in 1998

I PAD• 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 multitouch finger-sensitive touchscreen interface of Apple's iOS mobile operating system. By late 2009, the iPad's release had been rumored for several years. Such speculation mostly talked about "Apple's tablet"; specific names included iTablet and iSlate.[31] The actual name is reportedly a homage to the Star Trek PADD, a fictional device very similar in appearance to the iPad.[32] 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

I PAD• Jobs later said that Apple began

developing the iPad before the iPhone,[35][36][37] but temporarily shelved the effort upon realizing that its ideas would work just as well in a mobile phone.[38] The iPad's internal codename was K48, which was revealed in the court case surrounding leaking of iPad information before launch

First generation• Apple began taking pre-orders for the iPad from

U.S. customers on March 12, 2010.[3] The only major change to the device between its announcement and being available to pre-order was the change of the behavior of the side switch from sound muting to that of a screen rotation lock.[40] The Wi-Fi version of the iPad went on sale in the United States on April 3, 2010.[3][41] The Wi-Fi + 3G version was released on April 30.[3][4][4] 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 250 MB per month at half the price.[42][43] On June 2, 2010, AT&T announced that effective June 7 the unlimited plan would be replaced for new customers with a 2 GB plan at slightly lower cost; existing customers would have the option to keep the unlimited plan.[44] The plans are activated on the iPad itself and can be canceled at any time.

First generation• The iPad was initially only available online at

The Apple Store as well as the company's retail locations. The iPad has since been available for purchase through many retailers including Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Verizon, and AT&T. The iPad was launched in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom on May 28.[5][46] Online pre-orders in those countries began on May 10.[4] Apple released the iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore on July 23, 2010.[47][48][49] Israel briefly prohibited importation of the iPad because of concerns that its Wi-Fi might interfere with other devices.[50] On September 17, 2010, the iPad was officially launched in China.[51]

Second generation• Apple's CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad

2, the second generation of the device, at a March 2, 2011, press conference, despite being on medical leave at the time.[56][57] About 33% thinner than its predecessor and 15% lighter, the iPad 2 has a better processor, a dual core Apple A5 that Apple says is twice as fast as its predecessor for CPU operations and up to nine times as fast for GPU operations. The iPad 2 includes front and back cameras that support the FaceTime video calling application, as well as a three-axis gyroscope. It retains the original's 10-hour battery life and has a similar pricing scheme.

Second generation• The iPad 2 has been available for

purchase, depending on stock availability, since March 11, 2011, at Apple retail stores in the United States, as well as to American customers shopping online at Apple's retail website.[58] The iPad 2 was released internationally in 25 other countries on March 25, 2011, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom, but not Japan as originally scheduled due to the earthquake and tsunami.

Third generation• The successor to the iPad 2 was

unveiled on March 7, 2012 by Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.[60][61] The new iPad sports the new dual core A5X processor with quad-core graphics, and a Retina Display with a resolution of 2048 by 1536 pixels[62] (over 50 percent more pixels than a standard 1920×1080 high definition TV screen). As with previous iPads, there are two models, in this case a Wi-Fi only model and a Wi-Fi + 4G LTE model.

• Hardware