Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad at Apple’s January 2010 event.
Jobs introduced the first-generation iPad on January 27, 2010, at a special Apple event in San Francisco. Apple positioned it between a smartphone and a laptop, emphasizing web browsing, email, photos, video, music, games, and reading on a larger multitouch display.
The original iPad went on sale in the United States on April 3, 2010, with Wi-Fi models available first. Wi-Fi plus 3G versions followed later that month. The device used iPhone OS, which Apple renamed iOS in 2010.
The iPad was not Apple’s first tablet-related project; the company had previously developed the Newton MessagePad in the 1990s. However, the iPad’s multitouch interface, App Store ecosystem, and simpler consumer design helped establish tablets as a major product category.