As you’ve already heard by now, it’s been 10 years since Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone.
Since then, the Cupertino-based company has been through quite a bit. The world lost Steve Jobs in the meantime, and the company has gone from a small rounded rectangular device to launching an iPhone with a 5.5-inch display. Apple even has a stylus of its own now, which serves as a perfect accessory for the gigantic 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Apple has changed in a lot of ways over the last 10 years, and in some ways it hasn’t changed at all. For better or worse.
In 2016, Apple doubled down on its typical behavior, ignoring what other companies are doing and just going its own route. That led to the changes in the MacBook Pro lineup. And while the MBP caused plenty of back-and-forth between Apple fans and not, the AirPods eventually launched to almost universal praise.
When I look back at 10 years ago, I remember that when the iPhone launched, I wasn’t going to own one. I was on a different carrier than AT&T, with no plans to switch, and, believe it or not, I was happy with what I was using at the time (which was a Nokia E62! And a BlackBerry.) But a friend of mine that was working for AT&T was excited to pick his up, and even happier to show it off when he finally got it.
At the time, despite the fact I loved the E62 and the hardware keyboard (I had actually just discovered streaming music to a Bluetooth headset, too. Oh look how far we’ve come.), I couldn’t argue that the iPhone was ridiculously impressive. The capacitive touchscreen, video playback, and the software keyboard were all great.
Still, I knew I wasn’t going to be switching.
I’ve gone back-and-forth over the years, too, moving from webOS, to Microsoft’s mobile platforms, and extended periods of time using Google’s Android mobile operating system. I wouldn’t pick up my first iPhone until 2009 and the iPhone 3GS. I haven’t really looked back since. Apple’s combination of hardware and software, along with the App Store, and the features it has introduced, have kept me in the iOS ecosystem.
I didn’t jump on the Apple bandwagon until well after the iPhone had established itself, but it’s been practically impossible for me to get off of it ever since. Yes, I’ve tried, but things like iMessage and, even more important, Control Center, keep me coming back. And I’m certainly okay with that.
That announcement of the original iPhone is still amazing, though, especially to see Steve Jobs in his element. He worked on that announcement for days, working diligently to get close to a perfect unveiling. It’s still fun to watch, even all these years later, too. I’ve embedded a video of that unveiling below, to ring that nostalgia bell.
How long have you been using an iPhone? Did you pick up the first model back in 2007, and have you stayed with Apple’s smartphone lineup ever since? Or did you wait awhile, like me, before you eventually picked one up? Have you stuck with it ever since?
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