With the release of the iPad Pro, Apple is attempting to corner the market on the tablet industry. But the path to the iPad Pro is not as smooth as Apple would like everyone to believe. The legal battles between Apple and Motorola in the smartphone industry are legendary, with Motorola fighting to retain its name as an innovator in the communication industry. Now Apple has turned its sights on Samsung, as Apple once again tries to use the international courts to put the competition out of business and claim industry dominance.
The History Of The Tablet Computer
In 1989, Palm Computing released the first recognized tablet computer called the GridPad. It never caught on with the consumer world because it was too expensive and too heavy. But the United States military purchased a few and used them in the field.
In 1993, Apple released its Newton MessagePad, which was a personal digital assistant that allowed the user to write notes using a stylus and have the device translate those notes into digital files. The handwriting software was ineffective, which caused the Newton MessagePad to disappear from the store shelves relatively quickly.
In 1997, Palm Computing combined the technology of its GridPad with the condensed form factor of the Newton MessagePad to create the very successful line of PalmPilot products. This device also used a stylus and allowed users to write handwritten notes, but it was much more refined than the MessagePad. Palm Computing enjoyed huge success with its PalmPilot line.
In 2000, the first real tablet computer that caught on with consumers was finally introduced. Microsoft's Tablet PC started a stream of Microsoft tablet products that were popular and successful. It wasn't until 2010 that Apple finally introduced its first iPad. By then, the trails in the tablet industry had already been blazed.
Apple Versus Samsung
The real history of the tablet industry is being written in courtrooms all over the world. Apple and Samsung have been suing and counter-suing each other in countries such as the United States, Britain, South Korea and Germany over issues such as the color scheme of the iPhone's home page and the rounded corners on the iPad.
Apple claims that Samsung used its position as a technology partner of Apple to steal Apple's ideas and put them into Samsung's Android products. Samsung claims that it developed the technology first, and it was Apple that stole the final ideas.
Juries in the United States have largely sided with Apple, while juries in other parts of the world have come down on the side of Samsung. There has been a series of injunctions around the world that have cost both companies a great deal of money. For example, the Australian courts first ruled in 2011 that there should be an injunction against the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet device. But before the Christmas shopping season started, that same court lifted the injunction and the Samsung products hit the market.
Apple's Place In Tablet History
Technology evolves quickly and those involved in that evolution try to protect their work with international patents and copyrights. Apple is notorious for suing its competition, and Apple is also known for winning as many court cases as it loses. As of 2015, Apple and Samsung are still battling it out in a variety of courts around the world to determine which company really owns the technology that was said to start the iPad technology revolution.
The truth is that Apple did not invent the tablet. Apple is an innovative software company that knows how to adapt hardware to meet the needs of its customers. Apple can also lay claim to releasing the very first financially successful personal computer with the Mac. But Apple's contribution to the tablet world seems to be more entrenched in the courts than in the technical laboratories of the world.
While Apple and Samsung continue to go at each other in the courts, Microsoft is releasing its own tablets that are struggling to find a market. At first, the Microsoft tablets were not as functional as the iPad. When Microsoft fixed the functionality issues, it wound up charging a price that consumers would not pay. As Microsoft continues to work on its Surface line of tablets, Apple prepares to introduce new versions of the iPad Pro.
No, Apple did not invent the tablet. But Apple should be credited with taking a product that consumers did not want, and turning it into a financial juggernaut. As the court battles continue, the world waits to see exactly where Apple will be placed in the short history of the tablet computer.