Fifteen Years of iPad, Apple’s Device with a Persistent Identity Crisis
Monday, January 27, 2025
It’s lunch o’clock, so it’s time to finish this blog post. Fifteen years ago today, I was sitting in my sixth grade classroom when my teacher called me over to her desk to show me what I had been waiting for Apple to unveil: the iPad. There it was on the screen, the first photo I had seen of Apple’s tablet that had been long rumored and which at the time was traditionally referred to as a “slate.” Thankfully, that name didn’t stick even for more commoditized tablets. 8 months later, I was able to buy my own iPad after doing odd jobs, mowing lawns, and more over the summer. I loved that original iPad, especially because I had yet to get my own new Mac. I had hand-me-downs and we of course had a family Mac. But this felt like the first time I was getting a new “computer” just for myself. Hilariously, I remember syncing my original iPad to my Dad’s old PowerBook G4 that he passed down to me. It felt a lot like transferring my apps and media over wasn’t just a technical task, but a symbolic shift. The iPad felt like the future of computing. Fast forward to today and the iPad doesn’t know what it wants to be. It’s not the best laptop. It’s not the best way to watch movies. It’s not the best way to read books. It’s good at all these things, but it’s not the best at them. The company has struggled to give the iPad a real identity. They lost track of Steve’s original vision of the iPad as a car while the computer was the truck that could do more but wouldn’t be needed as often. Unfortunately, most tasks are still easier to do on a Mac. I still hold out hope that Apple will eventually figure out the right way to position the iPad, but I’m not seeing it yet. The iPad mini is the best iPad right now simply because it’s not trying to be something that it isn’t. It’s just a really good tablet with a giant app library that’s easy to take anywhere. The rest of the lineup is trying to be a good tablet, a good laptop, a good canvas, and so on without being the best at any of them. I love my iPads, but they’re glorified YouTube watching devices. When I want to get real things done, I still turn to my Mac. Though I shouldn’t have to. If only Apple would stop holding iPadOS back. The radically powerful hardware just doesn’t match the rest of the ecosystem. None of this is particularly new to anyone who pays attention to the gadget world, but I’ll keep reiterating it until it finally happens. Hopefully.