Apple's iPad tops Time's top 10 gadgets of 2010 list

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Time magazine awarded Apple four slots on its 2010 top 10 gadgets list, naming the iPad the No. 1 gadget of 2010.



Apple briefly fell from grace last year when Time magazine awarded the Motorola Droid the status No.1 gadget of the year, calling it "Android's first credible challenge to the iPhone."



This year, however, Apple is back on top with the wildly successful iPad.



"It's not the first touchscreen tablet in the history of computing, but it's easily the most successful so far," wrote Doug Aamoth for the magazine. "With 3 million iPads sold in their first month alone and a market for interactive magazines and newspapers created almost overnight, Apple finally managed to make tablet computing cool."



According to Time, 2010 was a big year for Apple. The recently released 11-inch MacBook Air, which has been "flying off the shelves," came in third. The iPhone 4, Apple's fastest selling product ever, came in sixth. The new streaming Apple TV rounded out Apple's place on the list at No. 7.



Google also had a good year, and it's clear from the list that the search giant is giving Apple a run for its money. The Samsung Galaxy S Android smartphone took second prize. In fourth place was Google TV, specifically the Logitech Revue. Google's own Nexus One came in fifth, ahead of the iPhone 4.



To its credit, the iPhone did show up on another list: Top 10 iPhone Apps, of which Netflix was No. 1.



Times' list highlights the growing rivalry between Apple and Google. Apple has established a significant lead in the tablet market, and it's No. 1 spot on the top 10 gadgets list affirms that competitive answers to the iPad have yet to take off.



On the other hand, 2010 was the year where collective Android sales overtook those of the iPhone. Time acknowledged the growing success of Google's mobile operating system by awarding Android smartphones the No. 2 and No. 5 spots, ahead of the iPhone 4's sixth place finish.



2011 is sure to be another year of fierce competition between the two companies. Google's Andy Rubin offered a glimpse at next year's offerings this week when he showed off a prototype Android-based Motorola tablet and the just announced Nexus S Android smartphone at the D: Dive Into Mobile Conference. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to release an updated version of its iPad early next year, possibly with cameras and an SD card slot.



The Toshiba Libretto Dual-Screen Laptop, Microsoft Kinect, and Barnes & Noble Nook Color finished out the list.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    enohpienohpi Posts: 103member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "With 3 million iPads sold in their first month alone and a market for interactive magazines and newspapers created almost overnight, Apple finally managed to make tablet computing cool."



    A market for interactive magazines and newspapers created almost overnight?
  • Reply 2 of 17
    msanttimsantti Posts: 1,377member
    Goole Nexus One higher than the iPhone 4? Really?



    Sales wise, that thing bombed. The Galaxy S has done well given the dozen different versions of the thing.



    I don't think Google TV has done good out of the gate. Sales wise, I am sure Apple TV is killing it. It does have some nice features but just costs too much.



    The iPad for sure deserves #1. first product of it's type to really have done well and in this case, extremely well.
  • Reply 3 of 17
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Any Top 10 list with Goole TV on it was drawn by idiots.
  • Reply 4 of 17
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    Any Top 10 list with Goole TV on it was drawn by idiots.



    Absolutely agree. A half-baked tech shouldn't be on a anyone's list. And Nexus One ahead of iPhone 4 is a joke too.
  • Reply 5 of 17
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by msantti View Post


    Goole Nexus One higher than the iPhone 4? Really?



    Sales wise, that thing bombed. The Galaxy S has done well given the dozen different versions of the thing.



    I don't think Google TV has done good out of the gate. Sales wise, I am sure Apple TV is killing it. It does have some nice features but just costs too much.



    The iPad for sure deserves #1. first product of it's type to really have done well and in this case, extremely well.



    Right?! I think the Samsung Galazy Tab running Android v2.2 has sold more units than the Nexus One did.
  • Reply 6 of 17
    The great thing about the iOS developer program is this... everyone wants to get rich off their own apps, so they have every incentive in the world to promote Apple's iOS devices. No one's hands are clean!
  • Reply 7 of 17
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    I'm not sure calling something a top "gadget" is a compliment. It's quite condescending actually.
  • Reply 8 of 17
    TIME? Really? Nexus One and Google TV?
  • Reply 9 of 17
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    Its laughable that any of these google android based products got rated in the top ten. The Nexus One was a huge disappointment, Google TV is being totally panned, and the Samsung Galaxy, although doing alright is nowhere near the success, nor does it have the consumer high ratings of the iPhone 4.
  • Reply 10 of 17
    Laughed when I saw Apple TV at No.7. Seriously Time?



    However I kept reading and saw Google TV at 4th and well... at that point all bets were off so I suppose sticking Apple TV at no.7 isn't quite as funny.



    This seems to be like the gadgets that generated the most stories through the year rather than what they think were the "best" gadgets of 2010.
  • Reply 11 of 17
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    weekend junk filler news sludge

    zune accessory's didn't even break the top 1090
  • Reply 12 of 17
    These lists are nothing more than marketing ploys anyway.



    Buy what you want and be happy with it.
  • Reply 13 of 17
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Firefly7475 View Post


    Laughed when I saw Apple TV at No.7. Seriously Time?



    However I kept reading and saw Google TV at 4th and well... at that point all bets were off so I suppose sticking Apple TV at no.7 isn't quite as funny.



    This seems to be like the gadgets that generated the most stories through the year rather than what they think were the "best" gadgets of 2010.



    I think TIME just wants to stay relevant in the age of the Internet.
  • Reply 14 of 17
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    Obviously Time never tested the Samsung Galaxy S's GPS, the filesystem Samsung created that slowed the phone down to a crawl or the on again off again froyo updates.



    Taking pictures at night isn't crash hot either.
  • Reply 15 of 17
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    Any Top 10 list with Goole TV on it was drawn by idiots.



    Exactly! It has terrible reviews. Too clunky, unreliable, overly complicated. Google is taking over where MS left off! No thanks.



    iPhone 4, new iPad, new ATV, Netflix and I'm good to go! Thanks Apple!



    Best
  • Reply 16 of 17
    majjomajjo Posts: 574member
    Of the 10 devices on that list, I really only think the iPad, the Nexus 1 and the Kinect deserve to be on it.



    The iPad for setting the bar for tablets

    The Nexus 1 for getting Android publicity and paving the way for Android's successes

    The Kinect because its a huge leap in input and control interfaces



    Everything else was just kinda... meh.
  • Reply 17 of 17
    nexus one? hasn't that been out of service for over a year?



    hasn't googleTv been recalled?



    What kind of list is this?



    Isn't anybody producing something useful, like a vaccine against AIDs, or something?
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