It’s over a decade sinceApple’s original iPadwas announced. The iPad was launched by Steve Jobs who posed a question. He asked the audience whether “there was room for something in the middle” of theiPhoneand theMacBook?

There are many who, at the time, would likely have answered an unequivocal no to that question.

But then Apple sold 3 million iPads in 80 days and it was then clear that the answer to Steve Jobs' question was probably the answer he knew all along.

So how has the device that made tablets a thing changed since it was first announced over a decade ago? We look back at the history of the iPad.

Apple iPad Pro 10.5 (2017)

The iPad Pro 10.5 had a 20 per cent larger display and 40 per cent reduction in bezels compared to the iPad Pro 9.7 from 2016. It also upgraded the processor.

TheApple iPad Pro 10.5arrived at WWDC in 2017, alongside a spec update to the Apple iPad Pro 12.9. The iPad Pro 10.5 was designed to replace 2016’s 9.7-inch iPad Pro model, offering a 20 per cent larger display and a 40 per cent reduction in bezels. It featured offered many of the same characteristics though, including the four speaker setup, Smart Connector and rose gold colour option.

Under the hood was the A10X Fusion processor and M10 motion co-processor, which was claimed to be 30 per cent faster in performance than the A9 and 40 per cent faster in graphics. Storage models included 64GB, 256GB and 512GB and it was compatible with Apple Pencil like the old 12.9-inch and 9.7-inch Pro models.

Apple iPad (2018)

The 2018 iPad added support for the Apple Pencil, but had the same design as its 2017 predecessor and continued to miss off features like True Tone.

The2018 standard iPadwas designed as a successor to the 2017 model, offering the same design as the iPad Air 2. Once again, it misssed off a fully laminated display and anti-reflective coating, but it added supported for the first generation Apple Pencil compared to the 2017 model.

It missed out on a number of the iPad Pro features, including the Smart Connector and True Tone display technology, as well as no rose gold colour option, but it was significantly cheaper than the Pro models, aimed at students. It also bumped up the processor of the 2017 model to the A10.

Apple iPad Pro 11 (2018)

The iPad Pro 11 came in 2018 with a design refresh - squarer edges and further bezel reduction. It had Face ID over Touch ID and swapped Lightning for USB-C.

TheApple iPad Pro 11arrived in 2018 but it was designed to sit alongside the iPad Pro 10.5 model rather than replace it. Offering a complete design refresh, the iPad Pro 11 squared off its edges, reduced its bezels and ditched Touch ID in favour ofFace ID. It also swapped Lightning for USB Type-C.

A Liquid Retina display filled the footprint of the 5.9mm slim aluminium device, offering a 2388 x 1668 resolution and the iPad Pro 11 was compatible with Apple Pencil 2. It was also quite a bit more powerful than the 10.5-inch Pro model, featuring the A12X Bionic processor, along with the option of a 1TB model and improved cameras.

Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2018)

The 2018 iPad Pro 12.9 made huge reductions in footprint despite the same screen size. It also squared off its edges, and added Face ID and USB-C.

Unlike the first update to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the second update announced in 2018, made some big changes. It not only made some huge reductions to the footprint despite offering the same screen size - moving from 305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9mm to 280.6 x 214.9 x 5.9mm, but it squared off the edges too, like the iPad Pro 11.

The2018 iPad Pro 12.9also reduced its weight by 44g, Face ID replaced Touch ID, Lightning was replaced by USB Type-C and a second generation of Apple Pencil meant the stylus could attach magnetically to the edge of the iPad Pro 12.9 and charge wirelessly. A Liquid Retina display was also introduced featuring rounded corners and the A12X Bionic chip was placed under the hood. A 1TB option was also made available - like the smaller 11-inch model.

Apple iPad Air (2019)

The iPad Air relaunched in 2019, sitting above the standard iPad. It had Touch ID, Lightning and a 10.5-inch display with True Tone and anti-reflective coating.

The2019 Apple iPad Airwas much like the iPad Pro only without Face ID, uniform bezels and the Type-C port. Instead it opted for Lightning and Touch ID.

The 10.5-inch Retina display had a 1668 x 2224 resolution and featured an anti-reflective coating and True Tone, marking a jump up from the standard 2018 iPad.

It supported the first generation Apple Pencil, as well as Apple’s Smart Keyboard, helping it strike what we thought was the perfect balance between power and value for money at the time.

iPad Mini (2019)

Four years after the iPad mini 4, an iPad mini update arrived with the same design as its predecessor but hardware upgrades for display, camera and processor.

Apple iPad Mini (2019)

TheApple iPad mini 5- not an official title - arrived four years after the previous iPad mini update. The design remained the same, again, but despite the now pretty large bezels for its time, it continues to be a very compact tablet.

The 2019 iPad mini retains the device’s most recognisable features: the 7.9-inch screen size alongside the Touch ID Home button. This model updated the display, camera and processor though, whilst also adding support for the Apple Penci.

It delivers unparalleled power for its price point.

Apple iPad (2019)

The 2019 iPad had a screen jump from 9.7-inches to 10.2. The design remained the same, but this model was constructed with 100 per cent recycled aluminium.

The10.2-inch iPad Applereleased in 2019 replaced the 9.7-inch iPad from 2018. It was designed to make the most of Apple’s then newiPadOS operating systemwhile still being the company’s most affordable and familiar tablet option.

It’s wasn’t the most powerful or feature-rich iPad available, but it continued to boast some decent specs including a 2160 x 1620 resolution and a chassis constructed from 100 per cent recycled aluminium.

This update cemented the standard Apple iPad as the logical choice for many and the best affordable tablet money could buy.

Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2020)

The 2020 iPad Pro 12.9 saw the introduction of the LIDAR sensor now found on the most recent iPhones. It also upgraded the processor and camera.

In 2020, theApple iPad Pro 12.9got a slight make-over with the addition of a new processor, improved camera and all the usual goodness users would expect from the Pro line-up.

This model also added a LIDAR sensor, which can now be found on the latest iPhones.

Whilst the upgraded processor, improved cameras and addition of the LIDAR sensor were great though, the 2020 iPad Pro didn’t break much other new ground.

The original iPad launched in 2010 with a 9.7-inch display, 13mm thickness and weight of 680g. It had an aluminium build with square edges.

Announced in January 2010,the original iPadoffered an aluminium build with square edges - much like what we see on thecurrent iPad Pro, though the new models are much slimmer. It came with an 9.7-inch display, measured around 13mm thick and weighed around 680g.

The 2010 model featured a 1GHz Apple A4 processor and it came in 16GB, 32GB or 64GB storage capacities, whilst also promising a 10-hour battery life. Pricing started at $499 and there were accessories including akeyboard docking station, as well as a standard docking station to turn the iPad into a “great photo frame”.

The second-generation model arrived in 2011 with a 8.8mm body and lighter 600g weight. The big news at the time was that it added cameras though.

Thesecond generation of iPadwas unveiled a year after the first, offering a 33 per cent slimmer body - now 8.8mm - and reducing the weight by around 50g to put it under the 600g mark. It also had a new dual-core A5 chip, which was said to perform at twice the speed of the original, with 9x faster graphics, and a repositioned speaker.

The biggest difference with the iPad 2 compared to the original model though: cameras. It had a front camera and a back camera, allowing for FaceTime and video calling. While that’s pretty standard now, it was big news at the time.

The third-gen model came in 2012 with a display and camera upgrade. It ran iOS 6 and the App Store had around 200,000 dedicated apps when this model launched.

Thethird generation iPadarrived in 2012 but while the design remained largely the same as its predecessor, the screen technology vastly improved. Apple called it a “Retina display” - a phrase it continues to use now - and it offered 4x the pixels of the iPad 2, as well as greater colour saturation.

A new A5X chip was also introduced for the third-generation iPad, which saw the graphics processor upgraded to quad-core, and the resolution of the camera also improved - moving up from 1-megapixel to 5-megapixels. Dedicated apps on the App Store were around 200,000 when this model launched and it ran on iOS 6.

Six months later, the iPad 4 appeared offering an upgraded processor, dual-band Wi-Fi, improved front camera, and crucially, a move to the Lightning connector.

Only six months after the launch of the iPad 3, Apple announcedthe iPad 4. It was pretty much the same as the iPad 3 meaning the same 9.7-inch Retina display, a metal build that measured 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4mm and weighed 652g, but this is the iPad that ditched the 30-pin dock connector and introduced Lightning.

The display on the iPad 4 was the same as the iPad 3 - a Retina display with a 2048 x 1536 resolution - though Apple did equip the iPad 4 with a new A6X processor, which was said to be 2x faster than the iPad 3. It also made a move to support dual-band Wi-Fi and a new front-facing camera arrived, bumping up from VGA to 1.2-megapixels.

The first iPad mini was announced alongside the iPad 4 with a smaller 7.9-inch display and half the weight at 308g. It was also curvier and rounder in design.

Apple launchedthe first iPad minialongside the iPad 4, marking new territory for iPad. Retaining a premium metal build, the iPad mini was significantly smaller and lighter than the standard iPad, measuring 200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm and weighing 308g - so half the weight. The bezels surrounding the display were reduced and Apple programmed iOS to ignore accidental finger presses on the edge of the screen.

The iPad mini had curvier, rounded edges than the original iPad, but it opted for the iPad 2’s resolution in its 7.9-inch screen - 1024 x 768 pixels - rather than the Retina display. It also used the A5 processor, meaning it wasn’t quite as powerful as the iPad 4. That said, it might have been mini by nature but it was mighty in what it offered.

The iPad Air was the fifth gen iPad that launched in 2013 with a whole new design. It was 20 per cent lighter than the iPad 4 and made a move to a 64-bit chip.

The fifth generation of Apple iPad was calledthe iPad Airand it came with a whole new design, borrowing the curved edges from the iPad mini. It was 20 per cent lighter than the iPad 4 at 469g compared to 652g, but it was slimmer too - 7.5mm compared to 9.4mm - and shorter, making for a more portable device.

The 9.7-inch display was the same as the iPad 4, but Apple reduced the bezels surrounding the display by 43 per cent, meaning a larger viewing area. The same cameras as the iPad 4 were on board the iPad Air, but Apple put a new A7 chip under the hood of the Air, which had 64-bit architecture that allowed for faster autofocus, higher video frame rates and faster photo capture, among other features.

In 2013, the iPad mini with Retina display arrived with the highest resolution display for a tablet of its size. The design stayed the same as the first mini.

One year after the iPad mini launched, Apple introduced theiPad mini with Retina display. The design remained the same but the display moved from a 1024 x 768 pixel resolution to a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution, making it the highest resolution around for a tablet of its size.

It was a little thicker and heavier than the original iPad mini - 7.5mm instead of 7.2mm and 331g instead of 308g - but the design didn’t change otherwise. Storage options included a 128GB option, and Apple also upgraded the chip to A7 - which was the same processor found on the iPad Air and iPhone 5S.

The second gen iPad Air came in 2014 and at 6.1mm, it was the slimmest tablet you could buy at the time. It was also the first iPad to introduce Touch ID.

Thesecond generation of iPad Airoffered a similar design to the original Air model but it slimmed down even further to 6.1mm, giving it the title of the slimmest tablet you could get at the time. It was also lighter than the first generation Air, weighing just 437g.

Whilst the size and resolution of the display remained the same as the first Air, the Air 2 introduced an anti-reflective coating, whilst also upgrading the chip from the A7 to the A8X. The biggest change between the Air and the Air 2 though, was the introduction of Touch ID. It wasn’t known then, but the Air 2 was last in the iPad Air line.

Arriving alongside the iPad Air 2 in 2014, the iPad mini 3 had the same design as its predecessor, but got Touch ID and a new gold colour option.

TheiPad mini 3arrived alongside the iPad Air 2, but at the time, Apple glossed over it quickly in the presentation, focusing on the larger model instead. The design remained the same as the iPad mini 2, though Apple did add Touch ID to the iPad mini 3 and made it available in gold.

There was no processor upgrade though, no camera improvements and it didn’t get the laminated and anti-reflective display or faster Wi-Fi that the larger iPad Air 2 did. Ultimately, the iPad mini 3 was a minor upgrade to the iPad mini range.

The iPad mini 4 came in 2015 with a fully laminated display and anti-reflective coating, like the Air 2. It also got chip upgrade to the A8.

TheApple iPad mini 4succeeded the iPad mini 3 in 2015, though no one knew back then that it would be the last mini for a while. It was slimmer and lighter than the iPad mini 3, and it got a fully laminated display, as well as an anti-reflective coating like the Air 2.

Apple also upgraded the chip in the iPad mini 4 to the A8 processor with M8 motion coprocessor, and it got a bump in resolution of the rear camera too. Other than that, the design remained the same as the previous iPad minis.