Apple Celebrates iPhone’s 10th Anniversary, Tim Cook Promises ‘The Best Is Yet to Come’
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Today, Jan. 9, marks 10 years exactly since Steve Jobs unveiled the very first iPhone.
Apple commemorated the 10-year milestone with a press release, restating Jobs’ iconic words at Macworld 2007: hailing the first iPhone as “a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone and a breakthrough internet communications device.”
Now, ten years later, the iPhone has cemented itself both as the gold standard of what a phone should be, as well as a revolutionary device testing the boundaries of what a phone can be. And, in the words of Apple CEO Tim Cook, Cupertino isn’t quite done yet.
“iPhone is an essential part of our customers’ lives, and today more than ever it is redefining the way we communicate, entertain, work and live,” Cook said in Apple’s press release. “iPhone set the standard for mobile computing in its first decade and we are just getting started. The best is yet to come.”
While initial sales were lukewarm — and competitors scoffed at the original device — the iPhone eventually took off and redefined what modern personal computing looked like. Now, the iPhone is Cupertino’s most important and iconic device, accounting for over half of all revenue, according to AppleInsider.
Apple also touted the iPhone’s sales — estimated to be over one billion units thus far — as well as the millions of iOS apps that have become essential to people’s day-to-day lives. Beyond the app economy, Cupertino said the iPhone has also inspired other hardware innovations, such as the Apple Watch and even AirPods.
“It is amazing that from the very first iPhone through to today’s newest iPhone 7 Plus, it has remained the gold standard by which all other smartphones are judged,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “For many of us, iPhone has become the most essential device in our lives and we love it.”
This year, Apple is expected to release another groundbreaking device, known tentatively as the iPhone 8. It’s largely rumored to feature a completely refreshed design, with an edge-to-edge, curved OLED display, a glass back and wireless charging.
“We’re going to make some history together today,” Jobs said to kick off that fateful 2007 event. All these years later, it seems he was right.