The first generation iPad came out in March of 2011.
But, as of today, it is rapidly becoming obsolete.
In fact, it has been replaced by the iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad Retina, and even more recently, the iPad Air.
There are also a ton of other brands of tablets now available.
But, the question is: How obsolete are they?
Are they still useful?
Let's find out.
In order to answer that question, I thought it would be appropriate to first compile a list of common tasks used for a tablet computer.
Then address each activity to see how the first generation stacks up.
Web browsing, e-mail, video chat, apps and games, music, movies, connectivity.
Web browsing is a problem.
The latest iOS and Safari that runs on it are out of date.
Safari is as slow as molasses on many websites, assuming it will display the website without crashing, which unfortunately is very common.
I found that some third party browsers, like Mercury Browser, are more stable than Safari, but, they don't really improve the speed any.
The main issue here is likely the lack of available RAM.
The first gen iPad has only 256 megs of RAM.
Now, please don't confuse that with the amount of storage.
For example, the iPad was sold with 16, 32, or 64 gigabytes of flash memory.
But don't be confused, this is not RAM and cannot be used as such.
Just as a comparison, the iPad 2 comes with 512 megabytes and the iPad 3 has one gigabyte.
So, I'm going to say that web browsing is crippled as it is.
And this is only going to get worse as the years pass by.
Email still works just fine on the first generation and there only minor improvements in the later versions.
Along that same line, iMessage also works just fine.
So, I will give a passing grade on email.
Due to the fact that the iPad 1 has no camera whatsoever, video chat is pretty much out of the question.
So, for video chat, the iPad 1 fails.
Right now, this is not easy to answer because there are vast differences from one app to the next depending on which one you are trying to use.
My testing shows the vast majority of apps in the App Store still work to some degree, however, some newer apps won't work at all, because they require a new iOS.
Other apps may run, albeit very slowly compared to a newer iPad.
So, despite the fact that there are some games and apps that won't work on the iPad 1, I'm gonna go ahead and give it a passing grade overall, since most apps do work.
Music still works just fine, not only from iTunes, but many third party apps.
All iPad 1s are equipped with Bluetooth as well, so you can sync an iPad with the stereo in your car, for example.
Also, the latest version of iTunes still supports the iPad 1 in every way.
So, I will give it a passing grade on music.
Movies run fine, even ones in 720p.
It can also run apps like Hulu and Netflix just fine.
If you'd prefer to watch on a larger screen, you can connect the iPad to an HDMI television.
Or, even VGA if needed.
I'll give it a passing grade on watching video.
The iPad 1 does support Wireless A, B, G and N.
So, it's actually pretty up-to-date as far as that goes.
As for the 3G model, it does support Edge and GSM-based 3G networks.
All the LTE networks may be faster, you have to go all the way to the iPad 3 before you can even get that.
Along the same line as connectivity, the iPad uses the older style 30-pin dock connector.
However, this was shared by many other Apple devices and so, there are still a plethora of available accessories that use this connector, as well as many accessories such as protective cases.
So, I'll give it a passing grade on connectivity.
So, I'll hope this gives you an idea of where the iPad 1 stands.
Some people might ask: is it possible to upgrade the RAM to make it faster?
Unfortunately, no.
The RAM is actually stored completely inside of the A4 chip and cannot be upgraded.
It may be possible to upgrade the flash storage and I think some people have done that.
But the RAM is out of the question.
Ok, so you see that I've given the iPad 1 for the most part, a passing grade.
Um, it's you know, it's got a few issues, web browsing is a big one.
Um, and, you know, no vid - no camera of any kind is - is another problem.
So, it's important to point out that, despite it's shortcomings, the iPad 1 can be purchased for around a hundred bucks on the used market.
I imagine as time goes by, that price will get even lower.
So, um, that is worth considering if it lives up to all of things that you need a tablet to do.