Phil Schiller Says iPhone Was 'Earth-Shattering' Ten Years Ago and Remains 'Unmatched' Today

[MacRumors]

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller sat down with tech journalist Steven Levy for a wide-ranging interview about the smartphone's past, present, and future.

The report first reflects upon the iPhone's lack of support for third-party apps in its first year. The argument inside Apple was split between whether the iPhone should be a closed device like the iPod, or an open platform like the Mac, a discussion that Schiller said was ultimately "shut down" by then-CEO Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs shut down the discussion, Schiller recalls. "He said 'We don't have to keep debating this because we can't have [an open system] right now. Maybe we'll change our mind afterwards, or maybe we won't, but for now there isn't one so let's envision this world where we solve the problem with great built-in apps and a way for developers to make web apps."

Levy suggested that the iPhone's great moment was when the App Store launched a year later, creating a world where for "every imaginable activity" there was "an app for that." Schiller, perhaps unsurprisingly as Apple's marketing chief, said that belief undermines how truly "earth-shattering" the iPhone was at the time.

"That undervalues how earth-shattering the iPhone was when it first came to market, and we all first got them and fell in love with them," he says. "iPhone made the idea of a smartphone real. It really was a computer in your pocket. The idea of real internet, real web browser, Multi-Touch. There were so many things that are core to what is the smartphone today, that created a product that customers fell in love with, that then also demanded more stuff on them, more apps."

Nowadays, some critics are wondering whether Apple is playing it safe as of late, arguing that recent iPhone models have only incremental improvements rather than revolutionary new features. But, again, Schiller downplayed this notion and said the changes in more recent iPhones are "sometimes even bigger now."

"I actually think the leaps in the later versions are as big and sometimes even bigger now," he says. "I think our expectations are changing more, not the leaps in the products. If you look through every version--from the original iPhone to the iPhone 3G to the 4 to the 4S, you see great changes all throughout. You see screen size change from three and a half inch to four inch to four point seven and five point five. You see cameras going through incredible change, from the first camera that couldn't shoot video, to then having both a front and a backside camera, to now three cameras with the stuff we're doing, and with live photos and 4K video."

Schiller positioned the iPhone as a top smartphone. "The quality is unmatched. The ease of use is still unmatched. The integration of hardware software is unmatched. We're not about the cheapest, we're not about the most, we're about the best."

In a press release yesterday, Schiller said Apple is "just getting started" with the iPhone, while CEO Tim Cook promised "the best is yet to come." Building upon those comments, Schiller told Levy that he hopes in 50 years, people will indeed look back and realize how much was yet to come.

Schiller hopes that 50 years people will look back at this point and say, "Wow, they didn't realize how much was to come -- in fact, others missed it because they were busy running around looking for other things. Everyone has their opinions at this point, but it could be that we're only in the first minutes of the first quarter of the game," he says. "I believe this product is so great that it has many years of innovation ahead."

Levy, however, went on to question "whether a pocket-sized device like the iPhone will still be as relevant decades hence," particularly as "a lot of observers have been saying we are at the start of the era of the conversational interface."

At CES last week, for example, a number of reputable publications said Amazon's Alexa platform "stole the show" or offered similar accolades, after companies showed off everything from new cars and robots to fridges and laundry machines integrated with the voice-controlled assistant, which launched in late 2014.

Apple itself had an early lead in this artificial intelligence space when it debuted Siri on the iPhone 4s in 2011.

Schiller opined that "the best intelligent assistant is the one that's with you all the time," such as the iPhone. Schiller added that "people are forgetting the value and importance of the display," which he said is "not going to go away."

"I'm so glad the team years ago set out to create Siri -- I think we do more with that conversational interface that anyone else. Personally, I still think the best intelligent assistant is the one that's with you all the time. Having my iPhone with me as the thing I speak to is better than something stuck in my kitchen or on a wall somewhere."

"People are forgetting the value and importance of the display," he says. "Some of the greatest innovations on iPhone over the last ten years have been in display. Displays are not going to go away. We still like to take pictures and we need to look at them, and a disembodied voice is not going to show me what the picture is."

Full-Length Article: Phil Schiller on iPhone's Launch, How It Changed Apple, and Why It Will Keep Going for 50 Years

Article Link: Phil Schiller Says iPhone Was 'Earth-Shattering' Ten Years Ago and Remains 'Unmatched' Today

 

[Paul Dawkins]

Unmatched? Is he taking the piss?

 

[DotCom2]

I'm scared that Apple is not progressive thinking very much any more. I hope I'm wrong and we shall see but...

 

[robjulo]

Schiller and Cook....all talk, no products.

 

[nt5672]

Unmatched, this is exactly what is wrong with Apple today. They think just because it says "Apple" on the box that it is innovative and unmatched. What a crock.

 

[v0lume4]

Schiller is right about the "earth-shattering" comment. However, he is no longer right about "unmatched."

The iPhone is still incredible. But everyone else has caught up.

 

[typonaut]

It is absolute nonsense to describe the iPhone as 'earth-shattering'. It was a significant step forward in the art, but it was only an evolutionary step. Palm/Treo had been offering smart phones for a number of years before the iPhone emerged, and had a significant third-party developer base offering a wide-range of applications (including satnav).

 

[639051]

All of this is unsurprising for what C level staff must say. There are many good things about iPhone but to say it is unmatched is silly.

 

[Veinticinco]

Actions speak louder than words.

 

[BootsWalking]

Phil sounds like a retired auto mechanic boasting about how good he was at fixing carburetors.

 

[69Mustang]

"I'm so glad the team years ago set out to create Siri -- I think we do more with that conversational interface that anyone else..."

I'm a bit confused by this part of his quote. Is he somehow giving credit to Apple for creating Siri or is he giving credit to the team of devs that actually created Siri? If it's the latter, okay. Those guys did do nice work. If it's the former, then revising history is probably not the best way to make a point.

Doing more with conversational interface than anyone else? Uh, the Siri app was more functional before Apple acquired the dev team. Just my opinion, but no, Apple is not doing more than anyone else. Heck, the original dev team's new Viv is testimony that Apple isn't doing more than anyone else.

 

[Delgibbons]

Just a heads up Phil, the iPhone display has been matched and beaten - in both overall quality and resolution - by the many manufacturers using OLED.

 

[AgentZeppin]

Just because Schiller is employed by Apple doesn't mean he has to trumpet every product they have.

If Siri falls short then call a spade a spade and say it falls short. But claiming that it rivals Alexa, Google's Assistant, and Cortana is so discordant with reality that it comes off as a man afraid of committing a thought crime.

 

[lyngo]

Sure, Phil. Whatever you say, Phil. "Unmatched" "courage." Way to be brave, Phil.

 

[navaira]

Levy, however, went on to question "whether a pocket-sized device like the iPhone will still be as relevant decades hence," particularly as "a lot of observers have been saying we are at the start of the era of the conversational interface."

If you ever thought it was irritating to sit in the restaurant where all of your friends are busy texting, Instagramming their food and updating FB status to "OMG havin' so much fun with my girlz LOL", imagine all those people TALKING to their devices at the same time.

 

[pally]

"Mem'ries, Light the corners of my mind...."

 

[riverfreak]

It is absolute nonsense to describe the iPhone as 'earth-shattering'. It was a significant step forward in the art, but it was only an evolutionary step. Palm/Treo had been offering smart phones for a number of years before the iPhone emerged, and had a significant third-party developer base offering a wide-range of applications (including satnav).

Sure there was prior art, but they all sucked. Anybody remember the Danger Sidekick? Cool little device. Even had an app store. I think there was one app in it. The launch of the iPhone in 2007 completely and totally upended the market.

 

[jamface]

“What does the future hold for Duff? Let’s just say we’ve got a few ideas up our sleeve.” – Brewery Tour Guide
“Like what?” – Homer Simpson
“Um, I’d rather not get into it right now.” – Brewery Tour Guide
“Why not?” – Homer Simpson
“Alright, we don’t have any ideas for the future. We got nothing. Happy?” – Brewery Tour Guide
“No.” – Homer Simpson

 

[diipii]

Where I live my 8 year old non-smart Nokia gives clear reception. My wife's new iPhone 6s sounds like it's underwater. That's something they might like to address: a phone that's good for making phone calls.

 

[blacktape242]

Pompous.

 

[pally]

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller sat down with tech journalist Steven Levy for a wide-ranging interview about the smartphone's past, present, and future.

The report first reflects upon the iPhone's lack of support for third-party apps in its first year. The argument inside Apple was split between whether the iPhone should be a closed device like the iPod, or an open platform like the Mac, a discussion that Schiller said was ultimately "shut down" by then-CEO Steve Jobs.Levy suggested that the iPhone's great moment was when the App Store launched a year later, creating a world where for "every imaginable activity" there was "an app for that." Schiller, perhaps unsurprisingly as Apple's marketing chief, said that belief undermines how truly "earth-shattering" the iPhone was at the time.

Nowadays, some critics are wondering whether Apple is playing it safe as of late, arguing that recent iPhone models have only incremental improvements rather than revolutionary new features. But, again, Schiller downplayed this notion and said the changes in more recent iPhones are "sometimes even bigger now."Schiller positioned the iPhone as a top smartphone. "The quality is unmatched. The ease of use is still unmatched. The integration of hardware software is unmatched. We're not about the cheapest, we're not about the most, we're about the best."

In a press release yesterday, Schiller said Apple is "just getting started" with the iPhone, while CEO Tim Cook promised "the best is yet to come." Building upon those comments, Schiller told Levy that he hopes in 50 years, people will indeed look back and realize how much was yet to come.Levy, however, went on to question "whether a pocket-sized device like the iPhone will still be as relevant decades hence," particularly as "a lot of observers have been saying we are at the start of the era of the conversational interface."

At CES last week, for example, a number of reputable publications said Amazon's Alexa platform "stole the show" or offered similar accolades, after companies showed off everything from new cars and robots to fridges and laundry machines integrated with the voice-controlled assistant, which launched in late 2014.

Apple itself had an early lead in this artificial intelligence space when it debuted Siri on the iPhone 4s in 2011.

Schiller opined that "the best intelligent assistant is the one that's with you all the time," such as the iPhone. Schiller added that "people are forgetting the value and importance of the display," which he said is "not going to go away."Full-Length Article: Phil Schiller on iPhone's Launch, How It Changed Apple, and Why It Will Keep Going for 50 Years


Article Link: Phil Schiller Says iPhone Was 'Earth-Shattering' Ten Years Ago and Remains 'Unmatched' Today

"Why, I remember when I could buy a piece of Bazooka Joe for a nickel. A NICKEL, I TELL YOU!"

 

[Veinticinco]

 

[DocMultimedia]

Apple execs need to stop talking and start producing. At this rate their salaries might get cut by another $1M next year, and we know how tough that would be on them.

 

[merkinmuffley]

Schiller needs to remove his head from his ass, he's suffering oxygen deprivation.

 

[avanpelt]

Apple itself had an early lead in this artificial intelligence space when it debuted Siri on the iPhone 4s in 2011.

It's mind-boggling that Siri has been around on the iPhone for nearly six years and hasn't gotten much smarter in ways that would actually be beneficial to me. I hope they eventually develop a Siri standalone app and APIs that allow people to specify third-party applications Siri should use for directions, weather, etc.

It would also be nice if we could use a standalone Siri app to develop complex workflows that could then be triggered with a simple voice command. If Apple does something like this, Siri will be head and shoulders ahead of the competition instead of lagging further and further behind. Imagine if I could say "Good morning, Siri" and instead of it simply telling me "Good morning", it told me the weather, my calendar for the day, and a few top headlines (or whatever I configured it to tell me when I used the phrase "Good morning"). That's pretty basic (and I think it's something Alexa already does). However, it gets to be more powerful when I can say one phrase and then Siri starts sending texts, sending e-mails, and making a phone call all without me having to intervene further.

 

[Crosscreek]

I will probably move away from the iPhone after my SE gives up the ghost. There are better value and options now and with my withdrawal of away from expensive and obsolete Macs continue I see no need to stay in the ecosystem at this point.