'The One Device' Book Covering 'Secret History' of iPhone Available June 20

Imagine losing your wife because you were so focused on iPhone, only to have competitors flood the market with near-identical competing phones.
 
newyorksole said:
I still have all of the boxes though and even the original bag it came in.
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The bag? From a retail store.. wow, that is most likely the saddest thing I have ever read.... do you think it's gonna become an heirloom or something in years gone by.. what next, the till receipt..... jeez....
 
Labeno said:
Amazing to remember it started with only 12 Apps, and back then those apps were awesome.
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And the best apps in the demo were because of Google services.

after_google.png


Can you imagine the iPhone debut without that infamous search to make a big coffee order in San Francisco?

All that neat stuff was integrated starting at Halloween 2006... just two months before it was shown off. No wonder that Jobs had brought Google's Schmidt on the Apple board that Fall. He knew he needed Google's help.

usarioclave said:
And those things helped WinMo so much that it continued its domination of the mobile phone space.
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Yes, those things did help WinMo continue until the iPhone caught up with some smartphone basics, like copy/paste, video recording, and 3G.

Rogifan said:
This is interesting though the excerpt was a bit gossipy. Also the only people interviewed for the book are ex-Apple employees. I don't want just Tony Fadell's (and whoever worked under him) version of history. Especially knowing that he and Forstall were rivals who apparently didn't get along. I'm sure Scott's version of history would be different.
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You're right. Everyone involved is retcon'ing their timelines and contribution to make themselves sound more important, and their enemies' involvement sound less so.

For example, Jon Ive claimed in Jobs' biography that it was actually he (Ive) who first orchestrated that multi-touch demo to Steve on a big conference table overhead projector setup.
 
Ant2369 said:
That's different...iPhone is supposed to be referred to as iPhone never The iPhone. When it was released Apple employees went through training teaching them to call it iPhome....Same with them not liking devices pluralized..
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If that's what Apple wants for Apple employees, great. For the rest of us, putting articles in front of nouns is just fine. The author is not giving an Apple keynote.
 
mcfrazieriv said:
The word "slurp" is revolting. Almost as bad as "moist."
I hope the author makes up for the use of this word. Otherwise I'll pass.
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Reproduction must be either dutiful and staid or occur not at all. Practice is not allowed.
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shk718 said:
pre-ordered on iBooks. Interesting Phil Shiller didn't want the touch interface.
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Made up for it with the cylindrical Mac Pro tho.
 
jayducharme said:
I was watching the video that the Verge embedded. Around 13:00, Steve Jobs talks about music subscription services and how he doesn't like them, because the company offering it ropes you in with a low price and then gradually increases prices over time. Also, he said he didn't like the fact that people didn't own the music; you stop paying and your music goes away.

How far we've come....
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There is an old interview (I couldn't find it now, but it is on YouTube somewhere) of an old AllThingsD with Steve Jobs where he basically says "We think customers won't pay for their music via subscription. If that changes, so will we."

People know Steve Jobs' had a remarkable "talent" for changing his mind, but I don't think Apple Music would even fall into the category of a "mind change". Rather "the landscape has changed, so let's respond like we always said we would".
 
marvz said:
Hmm.. there is a misspelling in the title of the book. For Apple it's not THE iPhone it's just iPhone. Pretty poor to miss that when you write this book.
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Despite what others have said, I'm with you on this one. It is similar to how boats and ships are usually supposed to be referred to by their names (e.g., I love Enterprise, the ship on Star Trek). I try to refer to iPhone and iPad as such, but sometimes through a 'the' in their inadvertently.
 
So Phil Schiller is denying he pushed for a physical keyboard. I'm going to guess there's not a lot of love lost between Schiller and Tony Fadell.

SuOmx.png
 
Richard Williamson's story about meeting with SJ over his planned departure for Google leaves out a couple crucial details. He wasn't the only one planning to jump ship. The entire WebKit team was threatening to move to Google en masse. That's why SJ was so pissed. It was extortion, and for once, Apple blinked. The Safari/WebKit team got all kinds of juicy concessions that put them ahead of nearly all other engineering teams.

All in all, the excerpt is an impressive collection of details from the right set of ex-Apple people who are in the know. I'm glad someone did this while the memories are still relatively fresh.
 
weup togo said:
Richard Williamson's story about meeting with SJ over his planned departure for Google leaves out a couple crucial details. He wasn't the only one planning to jump ship. The entire WebKit team was threatening to move to Google en masse. That's why SJ was so pissed. It was extortion, and for once, Apple blinked. The Safari/WebKit team got all kinds of juicy concessions that put them ahead of nearly all other engineering teams.

All in all, the excerpt is an impressive collection of details from the right set of ex-Apple people who are in the know. I'm glad someone did this while the memories are still relatively fresh.
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Where'd you read that at?
 
MacRumors said:



June 29 will mark ten years since the original iPhone went on sale in the United States. And just days before the anniversary, a new book detailing the smartphone's so-called "secret history" is set to be released.

the-one-device-secret-history-iphone-book.jpg

The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone, by technology journalist Brian Merchant, reflects on how the iPhone transformed the world and turned Apple into the most valuable company ever.

An excerpt of the book, which is said to contain exclusive interviews with the engineers, inventors, and developers who guided every stage of the iPhone's creation, has been published on The Verge today:The book can be pre-ordered for $18.50 on Amazon in hardcover format ahead of its release on June 20. It's also available to pre-order on the iBooks Store for $14.99 in digital format for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Article Link: 'The One Device' Book Covering 'Secret History' of iPhone Available June 20
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As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Never had a huge interest in the iPhone, but having an interest in tech and cell phones, I added to my Amazon wishlist. Not sure on Kindle or hard cover (or both) yet. May be a nice read.
 
10 years eh? Gosh I remember just before it launched, as a poor student trying to sell various devices I would no longer need if I had got one. That was fun! All I sold was a Toshiba Pocket PC and then didn't even get an iPhone until the 4S.
 
djlythium said:
Despite what others have said, I'm with you on this one. It is similar to how boats and ships are usually supposed to be referred to by their names (e.g., I love Enterprise, the ship on Star Trek). I try to refer to iPhone and iPad as such, but sometimes through a 'the' in their inadvertently.
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Ship names are individuals, which is why "the" is not necessary, same as when using people's names. Well, okay, except for "The Donald" ;)

Apple not using "the" with iPhone is just a clever way of making it sound more personable and unique at the same time.

My favorite reason for not using "the" is when insiders refer to say, working for CIA or NSA. Notice no "the". The well known conceit involved is that there is only one CIA and NSA, thus... just as when referring to God, the one and only... there is no need for "the" in front :D

Rogifan said:
Now Tony Fadell says the Schiller keyboard story is false and he wants the author to correct.
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I can already tell from the book excerpts that the author is clueless about a lot of the tech background, and he blends in rumors and casual or debatable remarks to make his story sound more exciting. History rewritten once again to make a buck. So it goes. Reminds me of that awful movie "Pearl Harbor".

I think the first iPhone histories that came out in 2007 were more factual, without any belated backstabbing and misremembering. Still, there should be a few pieces of new info that can be picked out, so I'll buy a copy.
 
thekeyring said:
Imagine losing your wife because you were so focused on iPhone, only to have competitors flood the market with near-identical competing phones.
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And yet you still pocket almost all of the profits in the smartphone industry...!!!
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newyorksole said:
Uhhh it's a special edition iPhone bag. I hope you weren't trying to be funny. You did a terrible and sad job.


iphonebag.jpg
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Special edition iPhone bag? Lol... This is how Apple marketing wins...
 
newyorksole said:
Uhhh it's a special edition iPhone bag. I hope you weren't trying to be funny. You did a terrible and sad job.


iphonebag.jpg
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Nope, I was being deadly serious, it's a bag lol. You genuinely think it's gonna be worth something in the future don't you. Oh dear..
 
jayducharme said:
I was watching the video that the Verge embedded. Around 13:00, Steve Jobs talks about music subscription services and how he doesn't like them, because the company offering it ropes you in with a low price and then gradually increases prices over time. Also, he said he didn't like the fact that people didn't own the music; you stop paying and your music goes away.

How far we've come....
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I still do, and likely, always will, agree with him.

I don't subscribe to Apple Music, but I will, soon. I have my entire iTunes Library housed on 2 iPod Classics (and they're still not big enough) so when I get a new iPhone 8, the majority will go on my 6+ and Apple Music will be on the 8. I HATE being tied to a cellular connection for music. And having it on my iPhone atm, ruins it because of the downloading part. It's got to be on the device, or I'm out.
 
Ah, those were the days...this very website was Ground Zero for a lot us around the country planning on meeting up at an Apple Store on the big day, the buzz in the air was phenomenal - and the anxiety over which store to go to for the best chance of getting one was palpable. Met so many fellow MacRumor members that morning as we lined up at 5:30 a.m. and waited out the hours.

At the Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego, it was an event shared by other retailers. The news channels were there in force, the pizza place in the food court sent out pizza, and the Apple Store handed out bottled water to us line-sitters. One MacRumor member brought an iPhone shaped and decorated cake. And after purchase, the store employees formed a line down the store to the door and cheered each and every purchase as we walked out.

Still have my original bag and box from that day. Great memory.
 
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