In Pictures: The evolution of the tablet PC

We live in explosively innovative times for tablet computing and mobile apps. But it didn't all happen overnight. Most attempts to build a tablet-like computer, going back to the '70s, were not successful. Yet every failure was a lesson learned that led us to the iPad. Here's a look back at how the modern tablet came to be.

Cisco Cius (2010)

The Cisco Cius was a short-lived, business-oriented, Android tablet that served as a conduit to Cisco's unified communications software. The Cius was announced in June of 2010 and discontinued on May 24, 2012. The 7-inch tablet was a victim of the iPad's accidental popularity at enterprises and the BYOD movement. Cius' demise proved that the iPad had killed the idea of an "enterprise only" tablet. Cisco learned the important lesson that it is better off providing software that works on different mobile OSes than trying to create an endpoint device of its own.

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