Today, January 9th, marks the 10th anniversary of the original introduction of the iPhone by Steve Jobs at MacWorld in San Francisco. In that span, the iPhone has drastically changed the landscape of the mobile phone industry, and in many ways helped to form the device we carry in our pocket today.
During the original introduction, Steve Jobs teased the iPhone as if it was three separate devices, including a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a breakthrough internet communication device. Later in his presentation, it was revealed that all three of those amazing products would be wrapped into one device, called the iPhone.
Six months after January 9th’s announcement, the iPhone went on sale in a 4GB configuration for $499 and an 8GB configuration for $599. A few months later, the 4GB model was discontinued and the 8GB model’s price was dropped to $399.
During the original keynote presentation, Steve Jobs was quoted, describing the iPhone saying “Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything.” He was definitely correct, as the iPhone continues to be a popular device that truly changed the smartphone industry and continues to help push it forward.
As MacRumors points out, since then, Apple has improved the iPhone each year by adding several new features:
• 2008: App Store and 3G network support
• 2009: Video recording and Personal Hotspot
• 2010: Retina display
• 2011: Siri and iCloud
• 2012: Taller 4-inch screen, Lightning connector, and LTE
• 2013: Touch ID
• 2014: Larger 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens
• 2015: 3D Touch, Live Photos, and 4K video recording
• 2016: Waterproofing and dual-lens camera on iPhone 7 Plus
On the anniversary of the iPhone announcement, Phil Schiller shared his thoughts, saying “It is amazing that from the very first iPhone through to today’s newest iPhone 7 Plus, it has remained the gold standard by which all other smartphones are judged. For many of us, iPhone has become the most essential device in our lives and we love it.”
The iPhone has had a great run over the past 10 years and rumors are saying that the 10th anniversary iPhone should be something special, possibly bringing a new design as Apple marks the anniversary of its smartphone line.
I’m not sure that I can imagine life without an iPhone, and I’m not sure where smartphones would be today if Apple didn’t push the envelope with the design and feature set included in the original iPhone and those released since 2007. I’m definitely looking forward to Apple’s next generation iPhone announcement this year too, based on the rumors we’ve heard.