Today marks 16 years since Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to the world for the first time.
Jobs, stood on stage at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, California, on January 9, 2007 and launched what he called a “revolutionary product” that would change the world.
Revolutionary product
“Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything.”
“Today, Apple will reinvent the phone,” Jobs, wearing a black turtleneck, boasted.
And boy, was he right.
Before the iPhone
Before the iPhone entered the world, Nokia was king with almost everyone carrying one, you just had to have a Nokia in your pocket.
The iPhone boasts a huge advance on existing smartphones such as the Blackberry, Moto Q and Palm Treo with a finger touch screen, a powerful camera and easy access to the internet, among many other features.
Change the world
Jobs famously described the iPhone as an iPod with touch controls, a phone, and a breakthrough internet communication device.
“The iPod, the phone, and the internet communicator. The iPod, the phone… do you get it? These are not three separate devices: They are one device, and we call it the iPhone.
“The iPhone was a revolutionary and magical product that was literally five years ahead of any other cell phone,” Jobs said during his keynote speech.
The original iPhone
The original iPhone that is not available in South Africa, but the author of this article is happy to own, has a 3.5-inch LCD screen, a 2-megapixel camera, and an aluminum and plastic body.
The Cupertino tech giant’s new smartphone is extremely popular and in high demand with customers sleeping outside Apple stores for days to get one and some even selling their places in line.
Back to the Future
Fast forward 16 years later, the iPhone lineup has five different models: iPhone SE, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The device has phenomenal features including an all-screen display without a Home Button and thin bezels, facial recognition, 4K video recording, a 48MP camera, Dynamic Island, a higher refresh rate display, and many features and capabilities in iOS 16. .
Also read: I got an Apple iPhone 14 Pro and didn’t have to sell my kidneys
Billions sold
Apple sold 6.1 million first-generation iPhones between the time it released the product to the public on June 29, 2007, and ended on July 15, 2008.
according to The New York Post, about 2 billion iPhones have been sold since its introduction, with nearly 800 million in use around the world today -about one for every 10 people on the planet, according to estimates by various tech analysts.
Sales of iPhones account for 52% of Apple’s $365 billion sales in 2021, according to a company report.
Jobs died
The iPhone, and the technological advancements it has forced on other smartphones, have had a huge impact on the way people live.
Jobs died in October 2011 after a long battle with cancer.
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