The history of the iPad for its 14th anniversary

Disclaimer: Reader's Digest from Before the Blog, but with several edits

The iPad is an amazing device, from an awesome digital notepad to simply light productivity. And now it’s at its 14th anniversary of launch!!! Even though it infamously went without any new versions last year, the iPad is still an awesome device. For this, I'll make a history of all iPads ever in this blog post.

Past iPads

iPad (2010, $499 (prices shown original)

The original iPad was a revolutionary device, with the beautiful design and easy-to-comprehend UI that Apple loved (and still loves today) plus lots of apps (the 2 1/2 months between the announcement on January 27 and the release we're celebrating that was on April 3 gave developers time to develop for the iPad so apps were available from the first day the iPad was on sale) setting it apart from others and defining its success (unlike Android phones, you'd be surprised to see any Android tablets out in the wild even today). It featured an A4 chip, a 9.7" screen, and from April 30th on a Wi-Fi + 3G version. It coincided with the development of the iPhone and iPod Touch, and it was Apple’s second strike at a tablet computer (with the first being the MessagePad 100 of 1993).

iPad 2 (2011, $499)

Apple’s next iPad was 33% thinner than the original, had an A5 chip, included a CDMA version for Verizon in the US, and was compatible with the new Smart Cover.

iPad (3rd gen) [2012, $499]

The iPad 3 got the A5X chip, a 5MP camera with 1080p recording ability, and 4x more pixels than the previous iPad, but has slightly bigger design than the previous iPad as well. This, however, might be one of the worst because the iPad 4 was released just 7 months later.

iPad (4th gen) [also 2012, $499]

The next iPad included an A6X processor, Lightning, and a FaceTime HD camera.

iPad mini (2012, $329)

The first-ever iPad mini was introduced with a smaller 7.9” screen size and similar internal specifications as the iPad 2, but with Lightning, 5MP back camera, and 1.2MP front camera.

iPad Air (2013, $499) 

Apple kept up the pace of new iPad lineups with the iPad Air, which served as a 5th gen iPad while iPad lovers waited for one. It featured an A7 chip along with a M7 co-chip, a thinner design, and improved cameras: the front camera was capable of 720p HD, and the back camera getting a name change to iSight.

iPad mini 2 (2013, $399)

The next mini featured a Retina display (it even used to be marketed as the iPad mini with Retina display) along with almost the same internals as the Air.

iPad Air 2 (2014, $499)

Next came the next-gen Air, which was thinner and faster than the original, with Touch ID as well, with internals similar to the iPhone 6 series. But it includes a new A8X chip. Also, it featured an 8MP back camera with burst mode and Slo-Mo.

iPad mini 3 (2014, $399)

iPad mini 3 came with the 2nd-gen Air, with a Touch ID sensor compatible with Apple Pay and a new gold color option.

iPad mini 4 (2015, $399)

Next, with the iPad mini 4, came similar specifications to the Air 2, although with the A8, an anti-reflective coating, and a slightly bigger size than the previous mini.

iPad Pro (2015, $799)

The fall 2015 event featured something totally revolutionary: the first iPad made for pro users! It featured a colossal 12.9” screen size, a smart connector for a keyboard, 4 stereo speakers, and a variable refresh rate. It came with an attachable keyboard and something totally new: the Apple Pencil!

iPad Pro (9.7”) [2016, $599]   

For pros who want a smaller screen size, spring 2016 gave them something to love: iPad Pro (9.7”)! It also introduces improved cameras, True Tone, and Retina Flash. 

iPad (5th gen) [2017, $329]

Finally, a new regular iPad! The iPad 5 has the A9 chip with an M8 co-chip. It had the same thickness as the original iPad Air, and unlike other models, featured no full lamination or anti-reflective coating.  

iPad Pro 10.5”/12.9” (2017, $649/$799)

The next iPad Pro featured an A10X chip, 12MP rear camera, faster connection, and up to 512GB of storage (plus a higher 64GB base storage), all in either a 10.5” screen size or the regular 12.9” size.  

iPad (6th gen) [2018, $329]

The iPad 6 was a minor upgrade, featuring just the A10 Fusion and allowing for styluses like Apple’s in-house Apple Pencil.

iPad Pro 11”/12.9” 3rd-gen (2018, $799/$999)  

The next iPad Pro introduced the first 11” screen size along with its 12.9” size. In this new package, there was a new Liquid Retina display, Face ID, USB-C connector, A12X Bionic, up to 1TB of storage, and no Touch ID or headphone jack.  

iPad Air (3rd gen) [2019, $499] 

Finally, a new iPad Air! After 4 ½ years of no Air, it finally got a revision. It got the A12 Bionic, support for the first Apple Pencil, and a 10.5” display. This Air goes by the saying: He says few words, but the words he says makes a mark.   

iPad mini (5th gen) [2019, $399]

The next iPad mini came with the Air, and it was the first iPad mini to go without a live press event. Because this iPad mini was the first in 3 ½ years, March 2019 was the era of “Finally!” for the iPad. The iPad mini 5 featured A12 Bionic, True Tone, support for Apple Pencil 1, and more.  

iPad (7th gen) [2019, $329]   

The iPad 7 featured a larger 10.2” size and A10 Fusion (again: not even this change???).

iPad Pro 11”/12.9” (2nd/4th gen) [2020, $799/$999]

The next iPad Pro featured the A12Z processor, 2 cameras and a LiDAR scanner, RAM improvements and a 128GB base storage, and the all-new Magic Keyboard, featuring a trackpad, backlit keys, USB-C port, and a cantilever design.  

iPad (8th gen) [2020, $329]

The iPad 8 was another boring upgrade, with the only thing being an A12 Bionic chip. iPad Air (4th gen) [2020, $599]

The iPad Air 4 featured a 10.9” Liquid Retina display, USB-C, allowing for the Apple Pencil 2 (it was previously limited to the Pro models), Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard Folio compatibility, no home button (with Touch ID being relocated to the Wake button), and A14 Bionic.

iPad Pro 11”/12.9” (3rd/5th gen) [2021, $799/$1,099]

This iPad Pro was truly memorable, with a very creative prefilm at the event showing Mi stealing an M1 chip from a MacBook and putting it in an iPad Pro, eventually showing that he was actually Tim Cook! Along with this revolutionary feature, the next-gen iPad Pro also featured Thunderbolt, a 2TB storage configuration, Liquid Retina XDR display by way of thousands of mini-LEDs on the 12.9” model, 5G, and more.

iPads sold right now

iPad (9th gen) [2021, $329] 

The iPad 9 gives the A13 Bionic, True Tone, a 12MP camera for Center Stage, and a doubled base configuration of storage.

iPad mini (6th gen) [2021, $499]

The iPad mini 6 features a new all-screen 8.3” design reminiscent of other iPads (with Touch ID fitted into the top button), plus USB-C, no headphone jack, the A15 Bionic, a 12MP back camera with support for 4K 60 fps video recording, 2nd-gen Apple Pencil support, and 5G (on cellular models)/Wi-Fi 6.

iPad Air (5th gen) [2022, $599]

The iPad Air 5 featured the M1, a lamination and anti-reflective coating, 5G, an improved display, improved cameras, and more.  

iPad (10th gen) [2022, $449]

The iPad 10th-gen features a new all-screen 10.9” design reminiscent of the other iPads, plus USB-C, no headphone jack, the A14 Bionic chip, a 12MP back camera with support for 4K 60fps video recording, a landscape-side front camera, and an accompanying $249 Magic Keyboard Folio with a stand and a keyboard.

iPad Pro 11"/12.9" (4th/6th gen) [2022, $799/$1,099]

The iPad Pro 6th-gen features the M2 chip, Apple Pencil Hover (which previews an Apple Pencil mark when the Apple Pencil is ≤12mm (0.47 in) from the display), and support for Bluetooth 5.3, Smart HDR 4, and Wi-Fi 6E.

By Leo