Revealed today, 10 years ago, Steve Jobs and his Apple design team helped change the world, bringing us into a proper smartphone era. They introduced the iPhone. Sure, looking back at the reveal video, it wasn’t even running 3G, and that screen seems positively tiny. However, back then things were so much worse.
Tacky keyboards, horrible interfaces, text web browsers, grotesque file management and other evils were all the norm for anyone trying to work on their PC content on the go (aside from using a hefty laptop).
Also, today, we’re pretty much immune to the endless hyped and poorly-marketed press events that announce the next big thing, that’s really just the same old thing. Steve Jobs’ presentation back in January 2007 really was one of the rare times we all got to see something that actually was new and different.
Yes, it took them six months to launch it, and years for it to become a global phenomenon. There’s also the fact the most of the technology in that first iPhone came on the back of inventions from labs around the world. And then, it took a few more years for the Android crowd to ruthlessly pick it apart, mimic it, and only then start making improvements that subsequent Apple models have copied to return the favor.
So, just for today, let’s pretend we don’t live in a 4G, HD world. Think back to a time when the technology market was full of wild but horrible looking innovation, it was really ripe for change. Watch the launch and try and imagine any business doing something so revolutionary today.
Even those that do – perhaps Amazon with Echo in 2014 was the last “big” innovation that could make a huge change to our lives – all try too hard to “be” and “sound” like every other tech business. Instead, why are don’t those behind the new batch of launches try to find some personality and verve for their products. Perhaps the next big tech Kickstarter can try not to mimic the style of every other product?
What do you remember about iPhone in the early days? Let us know!
YouTube: [HD] Steve Jobs – Apple iPhone Introduction in 2007 (Complete)
Photo credit: Mark Fugarino / Miki Yoshihito
