Happy Birthday iPhone, Here's To Many More Years

By Kamal Nayan - 10 Jan '15 10:40AM

Eight years ago, on January 9 2007, Steve Jobs announced iPhone - the first ever smartphone from Apple. With the launch, our perspectives towards smartphones changed too.

"We're gonna make some history today," Jobs started the iconic presentation at the Macworld conference. He misled the audience that Apple is launching three devices - an iPod Touch, an Internet communications device and a mobile phone. While Apple did make history, only one product was launched - iPhone.

iPhone was a completely fresh approach towards smartphone. Back then a smartphone meant a Qwerty phone with Internet. The concept of touchscreen was alien to all other makers in the market.

When the iPhone was launched in 2007, it was not well received by every one, mostly by its high price tag. Then Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had mocked "$500 fully subsidized with a plan?"

But the iPhone launch turned out to be a paradigm shift. It bought the concept of apps and App Store mainstream. Recently App Store generated $25 billion in revenue for its developers and has around 1.4 billion apps.

While we celebrate iPhone 8th birthday, here's the iconic video of Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone for the first time.