In 1888, the American inventor Elisha Gray was granted a patent for the teleautograph, a device that captured handwriting on an electronic tablet.
That technology was the beginning of what has today become one of the most innovative and dynamic sectors in the electronic technology industry.
Although its prominence was shadowed by the laptop computer, the tablet was thrust to the forefront of the tech wars last year after speculation mounted that Apple was about to announce a mobile device that would be similar to the iPod in its impact.
True to form, when Steve Jobs, the company's chief executive, unveiled the iPad in January, he silenced all the critics who had said that a tablet would prove to be an unnecessary gadget.
With many features borrowed from Apple's popular iPhone, the iPad turned out to be a huge hit, selling just over 300,000 units on the first day and 7.5 million to date.
It has generated about US$5 billion (Dh18.36bn) for the company, a remarkable figure for a gadget that went on sale only in March.
The iPad's success has created a technology gold rush that has drawn dozens of new players into the market with tablet devices of their own.
Figures vary, but the technology analysis company Gartner predicts that worldwide media tablet sales will reach 19.5 million this year and could grow to 208 million by 2014.
Jawad Abbassi, the founder and general manager of Arab Advisors, says: "The popularity of the tablets is that the design that Apple launched with the iPad was so different than anything else on the market. It single-handedly [persuaded] other vendors to jump into the space and develop tablets of their own."
The secret to the popularity of the iPad has been the wide variety of content available and its user-friendly touchscreen.
"It's a device that non-tech savvy people can be comfortable with," Mr Abbassi says. "The keyboard is actually comfortable and wide enough to use. It's like a laptop without all the problems of a laptop."
Indeed, when the tablet was about to be introduced, many industry analysts thought it would be dead on arrival. Variations were released previously, but none had offered the user experience that the iPad delivered. Now, tablets are expected to be the first choice for many consumers looking to replace obsolete laptops this holiday season.
Mike Abramsky, a technology equity analyst with Royal Bank of Canada, says: "We agree tablets may cannibalise some [personal computers], but perhaps not completely.
"The category seems to us to sit between a laptop, an iPod and a mobile phone, with some uniqueness of its own, along with a modest overlap of all three. [But] we fear some shakeout coming in tablets. There are too many vendors vying for the pie, with little differentiation."
Many technology companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Acer, LG and Nokia, are expected to move into the growing tablet market. But only a couple will mount a serious challenge to Apple's dominance.
Since October, Samsung has sold more than 1 million units of its Galaxy Tab, a 7-inch device based on Google's Android operating system and featuring a camera facing the user for video phone calls.
Android-based models such as the Galaxy Tab will chip away at Apple's market share and will account for about 15 per cent of all tablet sales next year, according to the technology consultancy IMS Research.
But perhaps the greatest threat to the iPad comes from Research In Motion (RIM), the company whose BlackBerry smartphone has fiercely squared off against Apple's iPhone during the past three years.
RIM is preparing to enter the market early next year with the PlayBook, a 7-inch tablet that is geared towards business users and will feature an ultra-fast processor that can play back high-definition video while sending an e-mail.
Early reviews have been promising. The Boy Genius Report, a prominent technology blog, called the PlayBook experience "fluid, quick and downright impressive".
The PlayBook will be priced at about $399, below the iPad's starting price of $499 and the Galaxy Tab's $599. The timing of its release may be auspicious, however, with Apple expected to announce an upgraded version of the iPad in February, reports have suggested.
Regardless of how many players are in the market, the tablet is here to stay. "If it's something my grandmother can use, you know it's going to be a hit," Mr Abbassi says.
