All iPads in Order: The Real History from Steve Jobs to the M5 Powerhouse

Honestly, looking back at the original 2010 launch, it’s wild how much people doubted the iPad. Critics called it a "giant iPhone" or a "product without a purpose." Fast forward to 2026, and it’s basically the gold standard for tablets. If you're trying to track all ipads in order, you're looking at a massive family tree that has branched off into Pros, Airs, and Minis.

It isn't just a list of dates. It's a story of how Apple slowly killed the "traditional" computer for a lot of us.

The Early Days: When There Was Just One iPad

The first one changed everything. April 3, 2010. No cameras. No multitasking. Just a 9.7-inch screen and a vision. Steve Jobs sat in a leather chair and browsed the web, and suddenly everyone wanted one.

Then came the iPad 2 in 2011. This was the one that really stuck. It was thinner, had those iconic Smart Covers, and finally added cameras—though the quality was pretty terrible by today’s standards.

• iPad (3rd Gen): The "New iPad" brought the Retina display in early 2012. It was beautiful but got hot because the chip struggled to push all those pixels.
• iPad (4th Gen): Released just six months later in late 2012. This was the first with the Lightning connector. People who bought the 3rd gen were furious.

All iPads in Order: The Family Starts to Grow

By late 2012, Apple realized one size didn't fit everyone. They launched the iPad mini. It was basically an iPad 2 shrunk down to 7.9 inches. It felt like holding a paperback book.

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The Air and the Mini Revolution

In 2013, the iPad Air arrived. It was shockingly light. Around this time, the "Mini 2" also got a Retina display, making it a tiny powerhouse. For a few years, the lineup stayed relatively simple: a big one (Air) and a small one (Mini).

The Pro Era Begins

Everything shifted in 2015. Apple launched the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It was huge. It had four speakers and supported the first Apple Pencil. This was Apple saying, "Yes, you can actually work on this thing."

The Messy Middle Years (2017-2020)

Things got a bit confusing for a while. Apple brought back the "standard" iPad as a budget model in 2017 (the 5th Gen). It wasn't fancy, but it was cheap.

Meanwhile, the Pro line went crazy. The 2018 iPad Pro is still considered a design masterpiece. It ditched the Home button, added Face ID, and moved to USB-C. Honestly, if you find a refurbished 2018 Pro today, it still feels fast. That’s how far ahead of its time it was.

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The Modern Lineup: M-Series Chips and Beyond

Starting in 2021, Apple stopped using iPhone chips in the high-end tablets. They put the M1 Mac chip inside the iPad Pro. Total overkill? Probably. But it meant the gap between a MacBook and an iPad was almost gone.

In the last couple of years, the updates have been focused on refining that power. We saw the iPad (10th Gen) finally lose the Home button in 2022, though it had that weird Apple Pencil charging situation that required a dongle. Nobody liked that.

The Recent Heavy Hitters (2024-2026)

By 2024, the iPad Pro moved to M4 chips and Tandem OLED screens. The displays are so bright they almost hurt your eyes in a dark room.

The 2025/2026 Landscape:
Right now, the lineup is more distinct than ever. We just saw the 11th Gen iPad (A16) and the M3 iPad Air drop in March 2025. Then, in late 2025, the M5 iPad Pro arrived. The big news for 2026? The entry-level iPad is finally getting an A19 chip so it can handle "Apple Intelligence" (AI) features properly.

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Tracking Every Model: The Chronological List

1. iPad (1st Gen): April 2010. The original.
2. iPad 2: March 2011. Thinner, added cameras.
3. iPad (3rd Gen): March 2012. First Retina display.
4. iPad (4th Gen): November 2012. Lightning port arrives.
5. iPad mini (1st Gen): November 2012. The 7.9-inch portable.
6. iPad Air (1st Gen): November 2013. Drastic weight reduction.
7. iPad mini 2: November 2013. Retina display for the small fry.
8. iPad Air 2: October 2014. First with Touch ID.
9. iPad mini 3: October 2014. Basically a Mini 2 with Touch ID.
10. iPad mini 4: September 2015. Better internals.
11. iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 1st Gen): November 2015. Pencil support.
12. iPad Pro (9.7-inch): March 2016. Pro features in a standard size.
13. iPad (5th Gen): March 2017. The budget-friendly comeback.
14. iPad Pro (10.5-inch & 12.9-inch 2nd Gen): June 2017. ProMotion (120Hz).
15. iPad (6th Gen): March 2018. Cheap iPad gets Pencil support.
16. iPad Pro (11-inch & 12.9-inch 3rd Gen): November 2018. Face ID, USB-C.
17. iPad Air (3rd Gen): March 2019. 10.5-inch screen.
18. iPad mini (5th Gen): March 2019. Finally an update for the mini.
19. iPad (7th Gen): September 2019. Moves to a 10.2-inch screen.
20. iPad Pro (4th Gen): March 2020. Adds the LiDAR scanner.
21. iPad (8th Gen): September 2020. A12 chip bump.
22. iPad Air (4th Gen): October 2020. Redesign, Touch ID in power button.
23. iPad Pro (5th Gen): May 2021. The M1 chip era begins.
24. iPad (9th Gen): September 2021. Center Stage camera.
25. iPad mini (6th Gen): September 2021. Major redesign, USB-C.
26. iPad Air (5th Gen): March 2022. M1 chip in the Air.
27. iPad (10th Gen): October 2022. Modern design, landscape camera.
28. iPad Pro (6th Gen): October 2022. M2 chip and Pencil Hover.
29. iPad Air (6th Gen - 11" & 13"): May 2024. M2 chip.
30. iPad Pro (7th Gen): May 2024. M4 chip, Ultra Retina XDR OLED.
31. iPad mini (7th Gen): October 2024. A17 Pro chip.
32. iPad (11th Gen): March 2025. A16 chip, 128GB base storage.
33. iPad Air (7th Gen): March 2025. M3 chip.
34. iPad Pro (8th Gen): October 2025. M5 chip.

What Most People Get Wrong About Choosing an iPad

You don't always need the "latest" one. That's the biggest trap.

Because Apple builds its own silicon, an iPad from three years ago is still faster than most brand-new cheap Android tablets. If you're just watching Netflix and checking email, an iPad (10th Gen) or the "new" 11th Gen is more than enough.

The real dividing line now is Apple Intelligence. If you want the new AI features—writing tools, smarter Siri, Genmoji—you generally need a model with at least an A17 Pro or any M-series chip. This means the base-model iPad (11th Gen) with its A16 chip is actually the "odd man out" in the current 2026 lineup, as it's the only one that doesn't fully support the heavy AI features.

Actionable Advice for Buyers in 2026

If you are currently shopping, keep these three rules in mind:

• Avoid the 64GB trap: If you find an old 9th or 10th gen on sale, check the storage. 64GB fills up almost instantly with modern apps. The 11th Gen now starts at 128GB for a reason.
• The "Air" is the sweet spot: The M3 iPad Air (2025) gives you 90% of the Pro experience for hundreds less. Unless you are a professional color grader or artist, you won't miss the OLED screen that much.
• Watch the Pencil compatibility: It’s a mess. The newest iPads work with the Apple Pencil Pro. Older ones might only work with the USB-C version or the old 1st gen. Always check the box before you buy.

The best move right now is to look at your actual daily needs. If you’re a student, the Air is your best friend. If you’re a traveler, the Mini 7 is unbeatable. But if you’re just lounging on the couch? That 11th Gen iPad is the way to go.