Steve Jobs Biography: On the Development and Launch of iPad

While reading through Steve Jobs' biography, we discovered a number of interesting behind-the-scenes facts related to the development of the iPad.

ipad 2 oblique
When Steve Jobs was first hammering out the concept for the iPad, Jonathan Ive created a large number of mockup designs in order to figure out the right size and aspect ratio. Apple ultimately decided to go with a 9.7" screen at a 4:3 aspect ratio, but not without trying many other variations:

The process began with Jobs and Ive figuring out the right screen size. They had twenty models -- all rounded rectangles, of course -- in slightly varying sizes and aspect ratios. Ive laid them out on a table in the design studio, and in the afternoon they would lift the velvet cloth hiding them and play with them. That's how we nailed what the screen size was," Ive said

There have been persistent rumors that Apple had been developing a 7" iPad. It seems possible that that size was a runner-up choice that made it to late prototypes before Apple ultimately decided on the 9.7" model.

As for the processor being an ARM chip, Jobs had initially planned on using Intel's low-voltage Atom chip, even though the iPhone used an ARM chip. Tony Fadell successfully argued for ARM, even threatening to resign over the issue.

Much of the initial press reaction to the iPad was negative, which both "annoyed and depressed" Steve Jobs on the evening after the launch. Jobs says he received 800 emails that day -- many of them complaints.

ceraAs usual, Jobs was intimately involved in the television advertising for the iPad, but he wasn't happy with initial options so the ad agency came back with a number of others. One of the proposed TV ads for the iPad used actor Michael Cera "wandering through a fake house making funny comments about the way people could use iPads."

Finally, Jobs thought the iPad could revolutionize the textbook industry, and had considered a plan to include textbooks as a feature on the iPad.

"His idea was to hire great textbook writers to create digital versions, and make them a feature of the iPad. In addition, he held meetings with major publishers, such as Pearson Education, about partnering with Apple."

He specifically wanted to make textbooks free and bundled with the iPad, and such a system would give states the opportunity to save money during the slow economy.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...

Top Rated Comments

rwilliams Avatar
175 months ago
Pretty soon, the entire book will be able to be spliced together from all of the MacRumors stories & excerpts. :)
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
175 months ago
Perhaps we should consider not publishing "spoilers" from the Jobs biography on the front page of the site.

The story is clearly titled. Maybe don't read the story?

arn
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NebulaClash Avatar
175 months ago
. One of the proposed TV ads for the iPad used actor Michael Cera "wandering through a fake house making funny comments about the way people could use iPads."

Sounds like a Microsoft commercial, and it would have been just as lame.

Much smarter to let the device star while showing what it does. Apple dodged a bullet that Microsoft keeps insisting on firing into its foot.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
175 months ago
Nobody bats 1.000.
His textbook plan wasn't (yet) put into place.

arn
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
175 months ago
Why be so arrogant?
It's not arrogance. It's an actual suggestion.

But I agree with him. I didn't read the article but still saw the title. And I'm only reading the book once the MacRumors spoilers have died down and I've forgotten them. Early next year sometime.
The title was purposefully written to avoid exposing anything. Everyone knows Apple developed and launched an iPad.

arn
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newdeal Avatar
175 months ago
thank god they didnt do atom in the ipad. the battery life is the killer feature and that would have destroyed it
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)