How Steve Jobs's tablet computer divided opinion among critics

Stephen Fry, writer, broadcaster and technophile, was at the Apple launch and was impressed. He wrote: "Like the first iPhone, iPad 1.0 is a John the Baptist preparing the way of what is to come, but is still fantastic enough to be classed as a stunningly exciting object, one that you will want now and one that will not be matched this year by any company."

As with most Apple launches, the media coverage was extensive, and the reaction mixed. Reviewers picked on the name, the fragile 9.7in glass screen and the lack of multi-tasking capability, video or flash support.

But Apple fanatics loved it and pointed to the way many problems on the early iPhones had been fixed. Most criticism focused on it being caught between a big phone or a small laptop.

But Fry claimed this wasn't the case. "Hold your judgement until you've spent five minutes with it. It's not just a scaled-up iPhone or a scaled-down multitouch enhanced laptop. It is a whole new kind of device," he enthused.

At the launch Jobs poked fun at Netbooks, claiming the iPad created a niche between laptops and smartphones. Many see its biggest rival as Amazon's e-book reader, the Kindle.

But Claudine Beaumont, the Daily Telegraph's technology editor, said it wasn't all about fun: "The new touch-optimised iWork suite is beautifully realised, making it quick and easy to piece together a spreadsheet or presentation. It helps to elevate the iPad to more than just a plaything."