Photo: iPad
April 30, 2010: Almost a month after the first-gen iPad went on sale, the first Wi-Fi + 3G iPads arrive in the hands of U.S. customers.
The devices ship in boxes identical to the Wi-Fi-only models, but with an additional sticker noting their 3G capabilities. The tablets come preloaded with micro-SIM cards branded AT&T, the only carrier that initially supports iPad.
iPad 3G becomes a smash hit for Apple
Steve Jobs publicly unveiled the first iPad on January 27, 2010, three months before the Wi-Fi + 3G device went on sale.
The device immediately became a massive commercial and critical success, with The Wall Street Journal quipping that, “The last time there was this much excitement over a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.”
By the time the iPad 3G went on sale, the tablet was already well on its way to becoming Apple’s fastest-selling new product ever. Apple sold 1 million units in less than a month. And, in the iPad’s first year, Apple sold around 25 million of them. Those impressive numbers made the tablet the most successful new product category launch in Cupertino history.
In terms of size, the original iPad measured 0.5 inches thick, weighed 1.5 pounds and boasted a 9.7-inch multitouch display. A 1GHz Apple A4 chip powered the tablet. You could get it with storage options ranging from 16GB to 64GB of flash memory. It didn’t come with a camera.
Were you among the customers who bought a Wi-Fi + 3G iPad back in 2010? If so, what were your first reactions to the new device? Let us know your memories of the first-gen iPad in the comments below.