Prior iPads

Given that there have been several web pad initiatives in the past, it should come as no surprise that there were iPads in the past as well. A brief scan through my Pen Computing's archives revealed that LG Electronics announced an iPad at CeBIT 2001, a multimedia-savvy Linux-based tablet handheld that offered Internet access, plus standard PIM features and word processing. A year later, the Fujitsu iPad was announced by Fujitsu Transaction Solutions, Inc., at the 2002 National Retail Federation Expo in New York. The sleek 10 ounce device was based on Microsoft's CE .NET and at Pen Computing I commented on how the Fujitsu iPad could even function as a cordless phone (using WLAN and VoIP). A more detailed search would likely reveal others, but I am sure Apple was aware of them all and properly secured the name.