10 Years Ago Today: Steve Jobs Introduces the iPhone

[AngerDanger]

Note that that XKCD comic only proves that the quality of conversation and letter-writing has been monotonically decreasing since the 19th century, which is entirely consistent with it reaching 0 in the foreseeable future

That could be true. I saw somebody use the phrase "went full zombie" today.

(Also, it doesn't address the issues related to the rise of social media)

No, it just shows that similar issues have been painted as the degradation of society for a while. Now we've moved on to smartphones without feeling too bad about previous complaints made about our generations or technologies.

 

[Jsameds]

Right on, Fzang. Although I don't know exactly how old this sentiment is, the XKCD comic below shows that people have been bemoaning the same thing since the 1800s. My favorite of the bunch is "The age of leisure is dead, and the art of conversation is dying." It's from 1890, but sure, let's blame… smartphones.

Spoiler: Tall Image

Irony explosion! You're complaining about a loss of social interaction… on social media (like the people in the photo) using a meme from another social media site. Wow. Now we just need a picture of you right as you posted that with the same "best party ever" caption.

Relevant

 

[dilbert99]

Fair enough

PS. You need a better car

I'm waiting for it to come out

 

[MVMNT]

That list missed out Optical Image Stabilization. I'd say it's a pretty big deal as the camera become such an important part of the device experience.

 

[Speedy Dingo]

I love watching this presentation - gives me goosebumps thinking about how Steve and the then Apple were really changing the mobile world and how things are today.

 

[dilbert99]

US Store?

It's showing as $649 for me

Australian Store, $1 USD : $1.36 AUD

So if I took the 128GB 7 at $1229 ($900 USD) or $1117 excl GST ($818 USD)
Currently iPhone 7 128GB is $749 USD (not too bad a difference although I'd rather have the $69 difference)

 

[Lennyvalentin]

o 2010: Retina display
o 2013: Touch ID

The iPhone 4 was probably the biggest upgrade we've ever seen, and maybe will ever see - it depends on how radical this year's model(s) will be. Amongst other things, the iP4 brought, in addition to the "retina" display;
IPS LCD panel
Gorilla glass touchscreen
Front-facing camera
Autofocusing rear camera
LED camera flash
Chassis-integrated antennas *ahem*
Plus the usual twice the RAM, faster CPU, faster graphics...

Also, the 2013 iPhone 5S brought its super-powerful, dual 64-bit "Cyclone" processor cores, a first in the mobile industry, matching or exceeding four and eight-core CPUs used in other phones in nearly every benchmark, and muchly improved PowerVR "Rogue" graphics processor cores.

Also, let's not forget, the original 2012 iP5's chamfered edges!

 

[Reticuli]

The 2016 macbook delivered little and the presentation involved a little too much self congratulatory naval-gazing for my taste. Lets hope the 10th anniversary iPhone and 2017's macs are different.

 

[69Mustang]

Imagine if that rigged demo hadn't gone off perfectly. Also imagine if Jobs had stuck to his guns about the iPhone not needing apps. Things would be quite different.

 

[Lennyvalentin]

gives me goosebumps thinking about how Steve and the then Apple were really changing the mobile world and how things are today.

You don't really mean they changed the mobile world. This was the mobile world essentially being invented from scratch, before our very eyes. Nothing else like it existed at the time. You can't repeat that again, because the mobile world already exists now, it has matured and coagulated into a fixed shape (small flat rectangular device which is mostly touchscreen.) Every change to this concept will merely be an iterative improvement of what we already have, not anything revolutionary.

...Unless something totally different is invented which obsoletes and supplants this whole hand-held smartphone thing, such as brain implants giving permanent wireless internet connection and augmented reality "virtual vision" overlaying what we see or whatever.

 

[skippermonkey]

I miss Apple under Steve Jobs. Tim Cook should watch that video and feel bad. Bad that his presentations are so boring and that the products Apple releases are so evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The Apple I knew and loved feels like a distant memory these days.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

In your opinion, you forgot that part.

Nope my opinion as well, there are at least two of us

 

[kdarling]

... I'm curious to know, back in 2007 when Steve introduced the iPhone, were there the amount of rumours/speculation prior to the announcement (say back in 2006) to give us any idea that this was about to drop?

The fact that Apple was making a combo iPod + phone called the "iPhone" was not a surprise. Even Jobs couldn't keep that part secret:

It was reported earlier that Steve Jobs, the head of Apple, was so excited about Apple’s iPhone that he has produced several “zealous ramblings amongst personal acquaintances” since spring. It was also claimed that “incremental buzz surrounding the phone” has increased recently and that the long-discussed phone would be released “earlier than some people may be expecting”.

- Xbit Labs Nov 15, 2006

We also knew two months ahead of time that it was being made by Hon Hai (Foxconn), due to the usual Chinese factory leaks. We even knew the basic timing of its release:

According to the Commercial Times, Taiwan's Hon Hai has received a 12 million unit contract for the rumored iPhone. According to the site, the product would be released in the first half of next year, which currently echos other reports.

- TUAW Nov 15, 2006

The only thing they got wrong was the 12 million units. Actual sales of the first model were about half that. Perhaps they didn't sell as well as Apple had hoped. (Sales didn't really take off until the next model, which had 3G, apps, and was subsidized.)

-- FAN CONCEPTS ABOUNDED

Fan concepts were mostly inaccurate. Many included the same thing that Jobs originally wanted to do -- an iPod based phone with a clickwheel:

However, a few 2006 fan concepts came pretty close. This one had a full screen touch display:

As did this mockup:

Which just goes to show that a rounded rectangular flat display device was nowhere near a unique idea, as Apple would later claim in court. Heck, even fans came up with the same idea on their own.

It was also well known in the industry that finger friendly capacitive touch phones were coming in 2007.

But did we have detailed leaks of the first iPhone shape and UI ahead of time? Nope. Mischief managed, secret kept

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Why do you need an adapter to listen to music??? My son has a 7 and when he plugs it into my wife's car, it plays music. When he uses the lightning headphones, it plays music. When he uses Bluetooth, it plays music. When he airplays to the Apple TV, it plays music.

So I'm a little confused as to why your iPhone needs an adapter to play music???

Exactly even in my 2004 I plug in my iPhone using the lightning cable into the USB socket and it both charges and plays music. That car is from even before the iPhone was invented

 

[cardfan]

There will never be another Jobs.

Sure there will. But it'll be another company with his or her own story. It won't be at Apple.

The reason there's not going to be another on the level of Jobs at Apple is that we don't have a time machine to allow someone to become a co-founder and get iconic status. No one at Apple is going to be able to come in there and demand the respect Jobs commanded. That alone gave Jobs the ability to call the shots and enforce his way.

Cook is doing the best he can but it's not just him that is responsible for what you see. Apple cut his pay for missing internal target. Who made those targets? The whole culture over there now is about maximizing margins with adequate growth. Making wall street happy. Finding new revenue streams and capitalizing on what they have (they loved mentioning itunes accounts with credit cards and one click to buy). It's not as if Jobs didn't do this, but he wasn't as transparent about it while stressing delighting customers. If something didn't look right to him, it didn't make it out the door. Jobs could sell the experience where Cook comes across as kind of lost.

Keep in mind such a centralized power (like Jobs) doesn't work at most companies. It worked at Apple because again, Jobs had the ability and respect.

IMO, everything rests on the Mac. Even the money maker, iOS. Even with the windows 8 flop and iphone's peak, I'm not sure Apple capitalized on it they way they could have. Apple may be less relevant now and the major worry is that nothing is really essential from them, service or software wise as MS wisely starts to target the creatives.

 

[Marshall73]

I used to love the iPhone and still do to some extent but haven't upgraded from the 6 to the 7 on my usual 2 year upgrade cycle because they removed the headphone jack - need to charge and use 3.5mm jack at same time in car etc.

Interesting that Apple removes the headphone jack and for the first time in 10 years they have a sales decline. Could be a correlation there.

Sales declined last year before the iPhone 7 was introduced, so thats your theory out of the window.

 

[nwcs]

Is the iPhone still the gold standard? Probably but I think it's partly the residue of past innovation. What annoys me, though, is that they are so intent on not listening to people. People want an up to date 4" phone but Apple seems to not be listening very well. The SE is good but it was somewhat of a parts bin phone and now seemingly may not be updated this year in order to maximize profit margins or force people to larger phones they don't want. And dropping the phone jack? I still don't like it. I don't care about this "brave new future" of wireless headphones.

 

[The Game 161]

the day where a 3.5 inch screen was considered big ha

 

[mkeeley]

There will never be another Jobs.

What a load of twaddle.

 

[Naimfan]

Remarkable how little real innovation there is in the phone itself - it still looks amazingly like the original phone, and while a 6S or 7 can do everything better, the basic concept of phone - music player - internet device - camera remains.

Sure, everything in it has been improved, refined, and engineered, but . . .

 

[apolloa]

Nice, congratulations Apple. Perhaps they will make an iOS version that reflects 10 years of work? Rather then 10 years of bugs!
Saying that if they launch a new phone that's smaller then the Plus phone I may take a look...

 

[Urban Joe]

iPhone is nice but if we're honest it has really jacked up the way people relate (or don't relate) to each other. I don't think Steve realized how socially disruptive it would be and prob would regret seeing so many people absorbed and withdrawn into their phone. So it's been sorta a blessing and a curse.

 

[Wowereit]

I can't believe it's been 10 years. Hopefully Tim means it when he says "the best is yet to come".

amazing things in the pipeline

 

[mkeeley]

Relevant

Amusing but pointless. The big difference is that they weren't stuck to their newspapers every waking moment.

 

[Lostanddamned]

iPhone is nice but if we're honest it has really jacked up the way people relate (or don't relate) to each other. I don't think Steve realized how socially disruptive it would be and prob would regret seeing so many people absorbed and withdrawn into their phone. So it's been sorta a blessing and a curse.

“The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.”

Socrates said that. He died in 399BCE.

Why not come with a new and interesting complaint. Also Steve worked in technology, he'd have seen what you see and been happy with the result.