text: When the first iPad launched on 3 April 2010, opinion was split on how popular the product would turn out to be, and whether the tablet market would grow. Now five years - and 225 million sales - later it might be natural to presume that those who doubted the device have been proved wrong. But amid falling sales and a new generation of alternative devices, some industry experts have predicted that the  iPad’s days are numbered. Scroll down for video . The first generation iPad was revealed by the late Steve Jobs in early 2010 (pictured), but at the time it was met with ridicule as experts struggled to see how it would prove popular. Five years and 225 million units later, it seems many critics have been proved wrong - for now . When Steve Jobs revealed the original iPad in California in early 2010, it was met with derision by many technology experts, who failed to see how such a product would prove popular. At the time, blogger MG Siegler from TechCrunch said: 'Is it a must-have? The quick and dirty answer is: for many people, right now, no. 'Unlike the iPhone, which filled an already well-established need, there is no existing need the iPad fills.' Rhi Morgan at T3 magazine agreed. He said: 'I can’t see anybody who needs a laptop buying an iPad, and I can’t see people using it as a smartphone either.' But opinion soon swung back in Apple’s favour. Within the first 24 hours of Apple's launch the company sold 300,000 units, and to date, nine incarnations of the iPad have gone on sale, with the Air 2 and Mini 3 being the most recent. 1st generation: 3 April 2010 . 2*: 11 March 2011 . 3rd generation: 16 March 2012 . 4th generation: 2 November 2012 . Mini 1st generation: 2 November 2012 . Air: 1 November 2013 . Mini 2: 12 November 2013 . Air 2: 22 October 2014 . Mini 3: 22 October 2014 . *Note: The iPad 2 was the only iPad that had a number after its name (aside from the Air and Mini). The iPad was soon heralded as being the perfect mid-way device between a phone and a laptop. Considering, at the time in 2010, smartphones were still by and large finding their feet, the iPad filled a gap in the market that many thought simply wasn’t there. The Horn, a technology blog for eCommerce site Gazelle, cited a number of areas that the iPad exceeded in. In education, the iPad found its place as tablets were preferred to textbooks. And, according to The Horn, it ‘altered (and possibly saved) the publishing industry, forcing magazines and newspapers to create tablet-ready versions for digitally savvy customers.’ While the iPad was by no means the first tablet on the market, it successfully grew the industry to such levels that, today, news readers or presenters are often seen clutching an iPad when talking on the TV, where once they would have used paper. Launches of Apple products are often greeted by swathes of adoring fans - and that was none more obvious than with the launch of the original iPad. Pictured is Robert Scoble picking up the inaugural iPad on 3 April 2010 in Palo Alto, California . How far we've come: On the left is the original iPad, launched in 2010, and on the right the iPad Air 2, launched on 22 October 2014 . The latest variant of the iPad, the iPad Air 2, is shown here being unveiled by CEO Tim Cook on 16 October 2014. In total nine different versions of the iPad have made it to market . Queues of people are seen here waiting outside the Apple store in Regent's Street, London after the release of the iPad 2 on 25 March 2011 . But it seems the tide may be turning for the iPad. According to CNN Money, sales for the iPad dropped 18 per cent in the final quarter of 2014 alone. And this year, it’s predicted that sales will fall by five per cent from last year - admittedly still at 60.1 million units - but the lowest level since 2012. Industry expert Giulio Montemagno, from SVP International, RetailMeNot, says that while tablets might have revolutionised some markets, it risks being lost in a sea of other products. ‘This year alone, shoppers are set to spend £6.32 billion [$9.37 billion] using tablet devices in the UK, up from £3.62 billion [$5.36 billion] 2014,’ he said. But he added: ‘We are seeing a strong shift from tablets to smartphones as the lines blur between smartphones, phablets, and tablets.’ Apple's iPad has widely been heralded as kickstarting the tablet industry, creating a huge new market between smartphones and laptops - and seeing many copycat devices made in the process . ‘There are still flashes of life in the iPad,’ Martyn Landi, Press Association Technology Correspondent, told MailOnline. ‘It’s still the fastest selling product in Apple history with more than a quarter of a billion sold in five years - and that's quite something up against the iPhone and iPod. ‘But sales are starting to decline as smartphones are getting bigger and rivals are getting better. ‘iPad numbers were always going to fall at some point because they had a huge market share to begin with - 75 per cent after the first year of iPad - and that was always unlikely to be sustainable once the competition got involved. ‘It's being squeezed from both sides by “phablets” like Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and even the iPhone 6 Plus, but also on the other side by hybrid laptops like the Surface Pro 3. ‘Times and trends change. Right now, it's all about larger screen smartphones and full metal bodies. Tablets are not top of the wanted list for consumers right now, but that doesn't mean they never will again.’ All is not well for the iPad. The rise of new devices like the Apple Watch (left) and larger smartphones like the iPhone 6 Plus (right) mean the place for the iPad in today's market is becoming less obvious . ‘To some extent it’s Apple’s own fault,’ said Phil Morris, Deputy Editor for iCreate Magazine. ‘With bigger screens on its iPhones, consumers aren’t using their iPads like they used to. ‘The new MacBook is going to dent the iPad even further - that machine is like a Mac with an iPad engine, a real sofa-surfers' device. ‘Apple won't let the iPad die though, so we fully expect an iPad Pro later this year’ On whether Apple might consider discontinuing the iPad, though, he said he ‘can’t ever see that happening.’ He added: ‘Sales won’t fall off that dramatically for the iPad to be discontinued.’ Apple store staff in central Sydney welcome the first shopper waiting in line, Alex Lee (centre) of Canada, the moment Apple's iPad 2 became available for direct purchase in Australia on 25 March 2011. Hundreds of customers lined up outside Apple stores for the launch - but will we see such numbers again? With the release of smartphones with larger screens like the iPhone 6 Plus, and other devices like the Apple Watch, the place for the iPad today is becoming less obvious. But, after all, that is what they said five years ago, as well. Will we be celebrating the 10 anniversary of the iPad in 2020, though, and looking back on another successful five years? At the moment, it looks pretty unlikely.
target: Apple's first generation iPad launched on 3 April 2010 .
  In its five years on the market, 225 million devices have been sold .
  But larger smartphones and smart watches may herald its end .
  Sales for the iPad dropped 18 per cent in the final quarter of 2014 .