The unlikely (but inevitable) success of the iPad

The iPad will be ten years old next month, and with something north of a third-of-a-billion units sold, it’s one of computings biggest success stories. But if we’re honest, at the time, most pundits didn’t see it. And you only have to see the responses from tech journalists across the world to get a sense of their negativity.

IDG’s PC World Magazine said: “…at the end of the day, the show’s centrepiece – the iPad – is just a big iPod Touch. Lots of folks will want it, in a hypothetical sort of way. But it’s hard to imagine all that many of them will fork over the initial $499 for a crippled version…”

They weren’t alone. And it wasn’t just the tech publications. Fortune magazine said: “When I put it down on my sofa and caught it in less flattering light, I saw my unattractive fingerprints all over it. When I took it to work the next day, it weighed down the new handbag I’d bought in part because it would fit it…”

It’s hard to find positive reviews for the iPad. Given the huge success of the iPhone, it might surprise you to learn that Steve Jobs actually considered the iPad to be “the most important product of my life.”

The criticisms from journalists and “experts” continued unabated for two months. That’s how long in advance many of them had an iPad before they were released to the general public.

Then the public got their hands on it. And the success story was complete. It ended up being the device that took on the netbook and won. Each iteration got bigger and better.

And here’s the thing for writers: more and more people are using it to write (or at least organise) their stories and/or ideas.

And now, the advent of iPadOS has given users a file system and even more flexibility for creative professions.

The only reason for today’s blog post is to say this: I’m seriously considering using my iPad Pro (which I’m writing this post with) as the main writing tool for my next novel. As in, this will be the thing I write my first draft on.

Is that crazy? What about you? have you written a novel on an iPad? Or some other long-form project? How did it go? I’d appreciate your views and experiences (and issues!) before I dive in!