For me, the answer is no. The iPad has changed every aspect of my life, from how I do my job to how I communicate with others, and it accomplished all of that in a way that was so natural it left me virtually unaware it was even happening. Some of us may have moved on to greener (only as it pertains to the logo, of course) Android pastures, but those alternatives wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for the success of Apple’s original, so let’s take a moment to look back at the year that was for the iPad.

Jan. 27, 2010: The iPad is announced at a special event by none other than Steve Jobs himself, after years of speculation about the existence of an Apple tablet. Consumers will have to wait to get their hands on the device, however, as the Wi-Fi versions are expected to ship within 60 days in the U.S., and the 3G version will come later, with a 90 day release window. Many wonder about whether or not the iPad would take off, myself included.

Mar. 12, 2010: iPad pre-ordering begins from Apple.com for U.S. residents. Much debate ensues about which model to order, and many probably changed their minds more than a few times before finally making a commitment. I still regret not opting for more storage (I have the 16 GB 3G-capable model). The iPad did very well in pre-order sales, but still no one predicts the level of success it will ultimately achieve.

April 3, 2010: The first iPads arrive at customer doors. Being based in Canada, I wasn’t lucky enough to get in on launch-day action, but Dave Greenbaum, who provides an envy-inspiring unboxing video, was. The lucky few who’d pre-ordered well in advance spend the day setting up the iPad, or comparing native iPad apps to scaled versions of iPhone ones . But the real winner is Apple, which reportedly sold roughly 300,000 iPads on launch day alone.

Apr. 30, 2010: The Wi-FI + 3G iPad goes on sale in the U.S., with service initially available only from AT&T. While the 3G-capable iPad originally gets off to a slower start than its cheaper, Wi-Fi-only relative, it now seems to be the more popular version, according to some recent surveys. Shortly after the 3G version’s introduction, the iPad begins to show hints of its impact on mobile OS market share, even before its international release.

May 28, 2010: International iPad sales begin, nearly two months after the device’s initial U.S. launch. Countries that introduced iPad sales on May 28 include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. The launch was delayed by one month after the initial U.S. response overwhelmed Apple’s supply chain. Just prior to the international launch, analysts estimated that weekly iPad sales began to outpace those of the Mac.

July 20, 2010: Apple announces that 3.27 million iPad were sold during Apple’s third financial quarter of 2010, the first quarter during which it was available. Consider that Apple sold 3.47 million Macs during the same quarter, and that the iPad wasn’t available for the full three month period, and it becomes apparent that at this point the iPad is indeed outselling the Mac.

Aug. 2, 2010: Apple takes third place in global portable computing market share, when the iPad is included. Much of that increased share appears to have been gained at the expense of netbooks.

Aug. 18, 2010: iPad supply finally approaches demand, making device scarcity less of an issue for customers looking to purchase one. Around the same time, the iPad comes to China, reaching a huge new potential market. Apple steps up production to meet the demand incurred by expanding to new markets in an effort to keep supply on pace.

Sep. 1, 2010: Apple announces iOS 4.2 for the iPad, which will finally bring features like multitasking and folders to the device. The long delay between the release of 4.0 for the iPhone and the official announcement of 4.2 for the iPad still strikes me as one of Apple’s biggest missteps with the tablet, but it doesn’t seem to have hurt sales.

Oct. 4, 2010: The iPad is named the fastest-selling electronics device ever, beating out the DVD player by a wide margin. It will later be beaten out by Microsoft’s Kinect, the motion-detecting hands-free Xbox 360 controller, but 3 million units sold in 80 days is still impressive, record-holder or not.

Oct. 18, 2010: Apple sells 4.19 million iPads during its fourth financial quarter of 2010, the first full quarter during which it was available. That brings the total number of iPads sold during 2010 to 7.46 million at that point, and sees iPad revenue eclipse that of the iPod.

Nov. 22, 2010: Apple finally releases iOS 4.2 for iPad and iPhone, bringing folders, multitasking, AirPrint, AirPlay and free Find my iPad to the tablet . The update also changes the function of the physical orientation lock switch, making it a mute toggle, a move that was met with user displeasure.

Jan. 18, 2011: Apple sells 7.33 million iPads during the first quarter of its 2011 financial year, nearly matching sales of the previous two quarters combined and beating most analyst predictions. To say that nearly 8 million iPads is a good first year for a newly-introduced device would be a massive understatement.

Jan. 26, 2011: Apple ranks third overall in global PC sales, if you include the iPad. Whereas previous studies saw it dominating the mobile PC industry, these most recent figures put it ahead in all categories, mobile or otherwise.

With a whole host of Android competitors on the way, is this the high-water mark for the iPad, or can it climb higher still?

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Apple likes numbers, and shoving said numbers in our faces every time they reach a milestone of any kind. To celebrate the App Store’s first birthday, the company’s got a suitably huge figure to brandish: 1.5 billion. That one, five and eight zeroes indicates the number of iPhone apps downloaded within the store’s inaugural year. It’s an impressive number on its own, but it becomes even more impressive when you recall that it was only a little over two months ago that Apple hit the 1 billion-mark.

That’s half a billion downloads in around two and a half months. To say iPhone 3.0 and the new 3GS hardware probably had an effect on app downloading volume would be a gross understatement. A cursory and very unscientific examination of Twitter at the time of the official release of 3.0 saw a massive surge in interest surrounding the App Store, as people frantically shared and searched for any news of what the first push-enabled apps would be. And then probably downloaded those apps in droves as they came out.

As is now becoming standard again for Apple press releases, the official word from Cupertino includes a (rather bland) quote from returned CEO Steve Jobs, who had this to say:

“The App Store is like nothing the industry has ever seen before in both scale and quality,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With 1.5 billion apps downloaded, it is going to be very hard for others to catch up.”

Basically, Jobs is reiterating what tech pundits, analysts and bloggers have been saying since Apple’s rivals started introducing their own applications stores. Nice that he at least sounds sporting about it, almost like he’s issuing a challenge.

For more info on the recent massive uptick in App Store downloads, including a lovely chart to show you just how Apple managed to amass so many downloads in such a short period of time, check out CNN’s Fortune blog post about the press release. As they rightly point out, this meteoric rise can’t continue forever. The question is, when and where will it end?

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Wave good-bye to the week and say hello to the weekend, complete with a hand-picked selection of the latest apps to hit the iPhone.

Prior to diving into the picks, it’s customary ’round these parts to provide an enlightening summary of the week’s iPhone news and Apple-related happenings.

First up, accident-prone owners of the iPhone will be particularly pleased to note that Apple is now replacing iPhone displays while you wait. Apparently the magic happens behind the scenes, armed with a giant suction cup your designated Apple Genius will pull the damaged screen off your iPhone before replacing it with a shiny new one. Great news, but potentially expensive if you’re out of warranty.

We may be in the midst of Summer, but the rumor-mill just keeps on churning out potentially golden nuggets of (dis)information. This time, Apple has apparently ordered a large quantity of super-cheap camera modules, supposedly to be integrated into the next iteration of iPod.

Prowl, a new iPhone app specifically for devices on the latest OS 3.0 software, allows you to receive desktop Growl notifications via push. This means that Growl notifications generated by desktop applications, such as torrent clients, instant messaging or email, can now be piped directly to your iPhone when you’re on the go.

Augmented reality has finally made it to the iPhone in the shape of Nearest Tube, an app that takes your iPhone’s camera feed and overlays directions. Designed for use in London, hold the iPhone up and it’ll point you to the nearest underground train station — perfect for locals and tourists alike. While it may not be useful for most of our readers outside the UK, it’s a compelling look at where the future of iPhone apps may be heading.

This year, July 11 doesn’t just signify a lazy Summer weekend, it also happens to be the first anniversary of the App Store’s official launch. In celebration of this, Apple has compiled a list of its favorite apps from the store, notable picks include Rolando and Dictionary.com’s excellent (and free) iPhone app.

TheAppleBlog’s Darrell Etherington may be a subscriber to Apple’s MobileMe service, but I certainly am not. I just don’t see the value in paying so much for a service that can be pieced together for free: Gmail, Picasa, Dropbox, Google Calendar and Google Sync. Now yet another reason has been added to the anti-MobileMe list, in the form of GPush — an app that generates an iPhone push notification whenever your receive new mail.

Moving on to the picks, this week I’ve been looking at iTwitter, VideoUp for Facebook, Mecho Wars and Evacuation.

iTwitter ($3.99)
Several months back, I posted a rundown of the most notable Twitter clients on the iPhone. Since then, the landscape has barely changed: Tweetie is still a firm favorite with the masses, TwitterFon is the well-rounded underdog and Twinkle is the pretty but shallow airhead. Until now, the only notable addition to this perpetual 140-character battle has been TweetDeck, introducing groups and a Palm Pre-style browsing interface. iTwitter isn’t a massive leap forward, but it does introduce push notifications — a feature which its competitors have yet to integrate. The app also looks great, is easy to navigate and can be used in landscape or portrait orientation. This is definitely one for the frequent tweeters to check out.

VideoUp for Facebook (99 cents)
Those who aren’t early adopters, take note, this app is for iPhone 3GS owners only. The latest iPhone integrates video recording straight out the box so, unlike the iPhone 3G, no nasty jailbreak-related hacks are needed. By default, you’re able to upload your videos direct to YouTube, which is great but not ideal for users of other social networks. VideoUp for Facebook is a simple uploader app that, once you’ve trimmed your vid down, allows you to upload direct to the social networking service. In particular, Facebook users who are a tad trigger-happy with iPhone 3GS video recording will find this to be an essential download.

Mecho Wars (99 cents)
I was excited to discover UniWar a few weeks back, a polished turn-based strategy with a sci-fi vibe. Now Mecho Wars joins the fray, bringing turn-based action inspired by Nintendo DS Advance Wars to the iPhone. The graphics have a retro-2D Japanese style to them, with weird robo-bugs and lunar landscapes, and the gameplay even features excellent cut-scenes for the battles. There’s also single device multiplayer, which means that you can compete with a friend using one iPhone. The app is also on sale for a limited time, so grab it while you can for just a buck.

Evacuation (99 cents)
Recently, I’ve developed a growing obsession for flash games — they’re the perfect distraction, quick to loud, easy to learn and occasionally great fun. With gameplay reminiscent of the Kill Bill flash game, one of my favorites of late has been Too Many Ninjas, a hack ‘n’ slasher with Commodore 64-esque retro graphics. Ported to the iPhone, Evacuation is another fun mini-game from the creator of Too Many Ninjas. It’s a puzzler where the goal is to shoot all the purple aliens out of the ship’s airlock, without blasting your crew in to space, too.

That’s all the picks for this week. I’ll be back in seven days with more news from the week and picks from the App Store.

In the meantime, what apps have you been using this week?

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In case you hadn’t noticed, the iCal application ican stays a constant “July 17″ which, not surprisingly, also happens to be the day it was released to the masses (ie. its birth).

iCal is currently at version 2.0.5 with a fairly major update coming when Leopard is released next decade.

Hat tip: TUAW

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