But what did people think of it back then, when the iPad first came out? Well, j said it felt like “a natural extension” of their iPhone 3G, with the bigger screen “especially useful for browsing the web and composing email.” Waclark57 was a little underwhelmed at first because it felt like a bigger iPod/iPhone, but then “developers and users began to see the potential and then the apps started coming.” And zebmorgan said “there have been times when it was extremely helpful in classes for recording and storing notes, as well as its ability to serve as an e-reader.” Kynatro agreed, calling it a “great media consumption device.”

It wasn’t without its faults, however. Zebmorgan was a bit annoyed by the screen glare and Etoch struggled with the weight, saying that “I tend to read it in bed at night and it’s more cumbersome than a paperback, obviously.” Subsequent models did get lighter and thinner, though not to everyone’s pleasure, with element94 admitting “I actually prefer the physical design of iPad 1 over the later models.”

But in the end, it was the apps that stood out the most for people, more than the build or display quality. cdpinker summed it all up by saying, “If you want the best tablet experience you buy an iPad, it really is as simple as that. Other tablets can compete on specific features etc, but none come close to providing the rich, simple and mature user experience that Apple have created, along with providing the best content (apps etc).” After 10 years and multiple generations of iPad, that statement still holds up.