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[Maiden Voyage]

The original press release for those looking for a hit of nostalgia:

Apple Reinvents the Phone with iPhone

www.apple.com

MACWORLD SAN FRANCISCO—January 9, 2007—Apple® today introduced iPhone, combining three products—a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod® with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, searching and maps—into one small and lightweight handheld device. iPhone introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting users control iPhone with just their fingers. iPhone also ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, which completely redefines what users can do on their mobile phones.
“iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We are all born with the ultimate pointing device—our fingers—and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse.”
iPhone is a Revolutionary Mobile Phone
iPhone is a revolutionary new mobile phone that allows users to make calls by simply pointing at a name or number. iPhone syncs all of your contacts from your PC, Mac® or Internet service such as Yahoo!, so that you always have your full list of up-to-date contacts with you. In addition, you can easily construct a favorites list for your most frequently made calls, and easily merge calls together to create conference calls.
iPhone’s pioneering Visual Voicemail, an industry first, lets users look at a listing of their voicemails, decide which messages to listen to, then go directly to those messages without listening to the prior messages. Just like email, iPhone’s Visual Voicemail enables users to immediately randomly access those messages that interest them most.
iPhone includes an SMS application with a full QWERTY soft keyboard to easily send and receive SMS messages in multiple sessions. When users need to type, iPhone presents them with an elegant touch keyboard which is predictive to prevent and correct mistakes, making it much easier and more efficient to use than the small plastic keyboards on many smartphones. iPhone also includes a calendar application that allows calendars to be automatically synced with your PC or Mac.
iPhone features a 2 megapixel camera and a photo management application that is far beyond anything on a phone today. Users can browse their photo library, which can be easily synced from their PC or Mac, with just a flick of a finger and easily choose a photo for their wallpaper or to include in an email.
iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone which also features EDGE and Wi-Fi wireless technologies for data networking. Apple has chosen Cingular, the best and most popular carrier in the US with over 58 million subscribers, to be Apple’s exclusive carrier partner for iPhone in the US.
iPhone is a Widescreen iPod
iPhone is a widescreen iPod with touch controls that lets music lovers “touch” their music by easily scrolling through entire lists of songs, artists, albums and playlists with just a flick of a finger. Album artwork is stunningly presented on iPhone’s large and vibrant display.
iPhone also features Cover Flow, Apple’s amazing way to browse your music library by album cover artwork, for the first time on an iPod. When navigating your music library on iPhone, you are automatically switched into Cover Flow by simply rotating iPhone into its landscape position.
iPhone’s stunning 3.5-inch widescreen display offers the ultimate way to watch TV shows and movies on a pocketable device, with touch controls for play-pause, chapter forward-backward and volume. iPhone plays the same videos purchased from the online iTunes® Store that users enjoy watching on their computers and iPods, and will soon enjoy watching on their widescreen televisions using the new Apple TV™. The iTunes Store now offers over 350 television shows, over 250 feature films and over 5,000 music videos.
iPhone lets users enjoy all their iPod content, including music, audiobooks, audio podcasts, video podcasts, music videos, television shows and movies. iPhone syncs content from a user’s iTunes library on their PC or Mac, and can play any music or video content they have purchased from the online iTunes store.
iPhone is a Breakthrough Internet Communications Device
iPhone features a rich HTML email client which fetches your email in the background from most POP3 or IMAP mail services and displays photos and graphics right along with the text. iPhone is fully multi-tasking, so you can be reading a web page while downloading your email in the background.
Yahoo! Mail, the world’s largest email service with over 250 million users, is offering a new free “push” IMAP email service to all iPhone users that automatically pushes new email to a user’s iPhone, and can be set up by simply entering your Yahoo! name and password. iPhone will also work with most industry standard IMAP and POP based email services, such as Microsoft Exchange, Apple .Mac Mail, AOL Mail, Google Gmail and most ISP mail services.
iPhone also features the most advanced and fun-to-use web browser on a portable device with a version of its award-winning Safari™ web browser for iPhone. Users can see any web page the way it was designed to be seen, and then easily zoom in to expand any section by simply tapping on iPhone’s multi-touch display with their finger. Users can surf the web from just about anywhere over Wi-Fi or EDGE, and can automatically sync their bookmarks from their PC or Mac. iPhone’s Safari web browser also includes built-in Google Search and Yahoo! Search so users can instantly search for information on their iPhone just like they do on their computer.
iPhone also includes Google Maps, featuring Google’s groundbreaking maps service and iPhone’s amazing maps application, offering the best maps experience by far on any pocket device. Users can view maps, satellite images, traffic information and get directions, all from iPhone’s remarkable and easy-to-use touch interface.
iPhone’s Advanced Sensors
iPhone employs advanced built-in sensors—an accelerometer, a proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor—that automatically enhance the user experience and extend battery life. iPhone’s built-in accelerometer detects when the user has rotated the device from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display accordingly, with users immediately seeing the entire width of a web page, or a photo in its proper landscape aspect ratio.
iPhone’s built-in proximity sensor detects when you lift iPhone to your ear and immediately turns off the display to save power and prevent inadvertent touches until iPhone is moved away. iPhone’s built-in ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the display’s brightness to the appropriate level for the current ambient light, thereby enhancing the user experience and saving power at the same time.
Pricing & Availability
iPhone will be available in the US in June 2007, Europe in late 2007, and Asia in 2008, in a 4GB model for $499 (US) and an 8GB model for $599 (US), and will work with either a PC or Mac. iPhone will be sold in the US through Apple’s retail and online stores, and through Cingular’s retail and online stores. Several iPhone accessories will also be available in June, including Apple’s new remarkably compact Bluetooth headset.
iPhone includes support for quad-band GSM, EDGE, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 EDR wireless technologies.
iPhone requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS® X v10.4.8 or later and iTunes 7; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4), Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2). Internet access is required and a broadband connection is recommended. Apple and Cingular will announce service plans for iPhone before it begins shipping in June.
Learn More About iPhone
To learn more about iPhone, please visit Apple.com or watch the video of the iPhone introduction at www.apple.com/iphone/keynote.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online store.

---

My first iPhone was a used 8 I picked up after getting frustrated with the short lifespan of Android devices. I upgraded to a 12 about a year later.

 

[nush]

That was the year people began to stop having conversations with colleagues during lunch, first is was the quiet guy and nobody cared, then one by one year by year the conversations dried up even though you were still sitting round the same table. Then you needed to get one cause you were so fucking bored as everyone had their face stuck in their phones.

 

[Laieon]

I've always been an Android (and Blackberry way back in the day) guy, but it feels weird nonetheless that iPhones have been around for about 1/2 my life.

 

[ClanOfNone]

Crazy. I remember my brother-in-law getting one and I thought, "This is kinda neat, but it'll never catch on with this all glass face."

whelp

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

The curved back 3GS was my first one.

 

[ZywyPL]

I still rewatch that Jobs' keynote once every few years, and just like back in 2007 I'm still mesmerized with his genius, how ahead of its time the iPhone was, because looking at even today's phones you can tell all those copycats don't know what a good user experience is, what the whole idea behind smartphones was.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

I remember getting iPhone 3G without even knowing what it is and how it works. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the ability to access full versions of websites on a mobile phone. It was magical.

 

[JimmyRustler]

2007, RIP social interaction

That being said, I did buy first one with the 3G because the tech was simply amazing. Not sure if I would have if I‘d know where it lead to though.

 

[IDKFA]

Amazing tech that changed the phone market forever.

However, personally I've never owned a iPhone and since I'm invested in the Android store with apps, games and films, I'll probably never get a iPhone.

 

[AJUMP23]

I bought the 3gs because it could do video.

 

[Nobody_Important]

And the world is worse off for it.


Never owned one. Never will.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

iPhone 5 company phone.

 

[Thaedolus]

5S was my first one…finally gave up trying to convince myself Android was better

 

[Coolwhhip]

I think we were better off without it. Social media, Tik Tok, people walking the streets looking at their phones like zombies...

 

[newtypepilot]

amazing that ios is still garbage

 

[Days like these...]

I remember getting a Palm Pre around the time iPhone launched.

 

[Old Retro]

I was ahead of my time in early 2005 with this bulky mofo:

I never liked Mac/Apple products, never will. iPhone was never on my radar.

 

[KielCasto]

I started with the beautiful 4S. I got it when it was already a couple of generations old. But up until I got it, I knew I wanted an iPhone since the experience with it felt smoother and less clunky than the alternatives though Android has improved greatly.

 

[TheMan]

Peak apple in terms of interesting products IMO

 

[Trogdor1123]

Got my first one last year on Black Friday. Was with android for years and years but the iPhone is just so much better in my limited experience so far. I don’t think I’ll go back. We got the family iCloud package too so I think they got us locked down haha

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

I think we were better off without it. Social media, Tik Tok, people walking the streets looking at their phones like zombies...

I was about to come into this thread and say the same thing. Everything that has happened between then and now in that space. Two words: fucking hell.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

I think we were better off without it. Social media, Tik Tok, people walking the streets looking at their phones like zombies...

Without iPhone and smartphones? No way. Without social media? Definitely.

 

[GnomeChimpsky]

My friend had an OG iPhone. It was pretty impressive. Remember when you could actually get a piece of new over hyped technology without making a pact with the Devil or selling your kidney?

 

[AJUMP23]

And the world is worse off for it.

I don't think we are worse off do to the Iphone, it certainly affected and changed the entire industry. I would say we are worse off for Social media and immediate access to self affirming echo chambers created by it.

 

[Raven117]

And completely changed the world.....Don't know whether its for the better, but it did change.

 

[Javthusiast]

Owned the first SE for about 3 days, then send it back. Too small, too expensive. Had only Android phones since.

I do love the iPads though. My most used piece of tech since 2012.

 

[HeadsUp7Up]

I remember getting a Palm Pre around the time iPhone launched.

I LOVED that phone until it died on me and they wouldn't warranty it. I can't remember what I got next but my favorite phones other than the iPhone was my cyan Nokia Lumia 900, Palm Pre, and I had an LG G2 Android phone at one point. I really wish Palm's WebOs and Windows Phone didn't die because I actually enjoyed using those phones more than 4 or 5 iPhones I have had since.

 

[Pagusas]

Owned the first SE for about 3 days, then send it back. Too small, too expensive. Had only Android phones since.

I do love the iPads though. My most used piece of tech since 2012.

You bought an SE and felt an intentionally small phone was... too small? Thats interesting.

 

[Farawayfromhell]

iPhone 3 -> iPhone 4 -> iPhone 7 -> iPhone 11 Pro... we'll see when what I have will die now... iPhone is dead, long live the iPhone.

 

[Trogdor1123]

What was the first price? How close has it stayed to inflation I wonder?

 

[Maiden Voyage]

What was the first price? How close has it stayed to inflation I wonder?

Pricing is toward the very end but the entire video is worth watching.

 

[EverydayBeast]

The original product has stayed true to its design, you won’t see many changes and that means something today that prioritizes making changes.

 

[Days like these...]

I LOVED that phone until it died on me and they wouldn't warranty it. I can't remember what I got next but my favorite phones other than the iPhone was my cyan Nokia Lumia 900, Palm Pre, and I had an LG G2 Android phone at one point. I really wish Palm's WebOs and Windows Phone didn't die because I actually enjoyed using those phones more than 4 or 5 iPhones I have had since.

I had a coworker who had an iPhone at the time who was really impressed by WebOS. Oh well to the victor go the spoils.

 

[clem84]

There never was an iphone 2?

 

[Dural]

I remember getting a Palm Pre around the time iPhone launched.

The Pre launched almost exactly two years after the iPhone launched.

My friend had an OG iPhone. It was pretty impressive. Remember when you could actually get a piece of new over hyped technology without making a pact with the Devil or selling your kidney?

Yeah, phone prices have gotten completely ridiculous. I think I paid $199 for my first iPhone in late 2007.

 

[Days like these...]

The Pre launched almost exactly two years after the iPhone launched.




Yeah, phone prices have gotten completely ridiculous. I think I paid $199 for my first iPhone in late 2007.

Thanks my memory is off. My point was i had a pre when the iphone was taking off

 

[AJUMP23]

And completely changed the world.....Don't know whether its for the better, but it did change.

The Phone is a tool, how we use it is the good or bad.

Basically you will be happier if you delete social media.

 

[Raven117]

The Phone is a tool, how we use it is the good or bad.

Basically you will be happier if you delete social media.

Never signed up. I'm old enough to remember the internet as a place that you NEVER posted anything attributable to you. Pics, profiles, nada.

 

[Star-Lord]

My first iPhone was the 4/4S, and I’ve not looked back since. I currently have the iPhone 12 Pro, and I can’t see myself upgrading for a while. It’s just perfect.

 

[AJUMP23]

Never signed up. I'm old enough to remember the internet as a place that you NEVER posted anything attributable to you. Pics, profiles, nada.

I can't wait till we find politicians that get ruined by their social media past.

 

[Raven117]

I can't wait till we find politicians that get ruined by their social media past.

Oh, give it maybe another one maybe another election cycle or two when it reaches the national elections...Its going to be a world of pain.

 

[Coolwhhip]

Without iPhone and smartphones? No way. Without social media? Definitely.

They go hand in hand though. Without smartphones social media and Tiktok would not have been possible.

 

[Dural]

Thanks my memory is off. My point was i had a pre when the iphone was taking off

Yeah, I got the Pre after the OG iPhone. It's funny how everyone copied the cards from WebOS. Also got a couple of those tablets with WebOS that HP put out, they were pretty decent for the time.

 

[Javthusiast]

You bought an SE and felt an intentionally small phone was... too small? Thats interesting.

I thought it wouldn't bother me.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

The original Steve Jobs keynote address that introduced the iPhone is legendary today. There's a reason why the auditorium on Apple Park is named the Steve Jobs Theater. No one in tech anywhere on Earth had or has the stage charisma Steve did.

 

[GeekyDad]

Huh, thought it was longer than that. I think my wife and I got 3Gs.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

The original Steve Jobs keynote address that introduced the iPhone is legendary today. There's a reason why the auditorium on Apple Park is named the Steve Jobs Theater. No one in tech anywhere on Earth had or has the stage charisma Steve did.

Nah, but I give him credit he was the first one to realize people do not give a damn about tech specs. That was what set Apple apart, and lately it has been the reverse - at the beginning while Samsung was drumming numbers, megapixels, reference names of their Snapdragon XYZ3500-Zzzzzzz Apple was just saying: 'You get a terrific screen, great looking phone, that takes great pictures. It is magical and it works, just see for yourself'.

Which is why I don't understand why Apple came back to doing it lately. A12 Bionic, A14 Bionic, Anna Polina Porn Edition Bionic - people that give a damn are buying shit Android phones to flex their CUSTOM UI they got by rooting the phone, then 12 months later change it because there are no OS updates or they are shit and bloated.

 

[Chittagong]

The original Steve Jobs keynote address that introduced the iPhone is legendary today. There's a reason why the auditorium on Apple Park is named the Steve Jobs Theater. No one in tech anywhere on Earth had or has the stage charisma Steve did.

I think this will forever be the single greatest tech keynote. Transformed the world in an hour, taking everyone by surprise.

 

[Tams]

Nokia bros, can I have a hug?

I think the iPhone's place in history is overhyped. It was first yes, but that there were a few other devices before it that did much of the same stuff and that other companies made similar devices so soon afterwards just shows that it really was just going where the technology was going. You don't make that stuff in a mere few months.

 

[Blade2.0]

I had a 6s once and now I would never go back to iphone. Overpriced and I don't like the OS. Android for me, plz