The iPad was heavily hyped at its launch but some analysts worried that it slipped between the gaps of what consumers wanted and therefore would not be widely used.
The tablet had been tried on a number of occasions before and had never really had any mainstream success.
After Apple announced the product, research firm Simpson Carpenter concluded that "there isn't a compelling incentive to get mainstream consumers to buy it" and even here at Click, many were sceptical about how practical the device would be.
Less than 18 months - and nearly 30 million iPads - later, the market has been re-defined by its success.
Numerous companies have now released similar products in the hope of succeeding in a global market to be worth £30bn by the end of 2011, if one forecast is to be believed.
Stephen Pierce Internationalecommerce solutions 
