It's been 10 years to the day that Apple's future-shaping iPhone hit shelves, and subsequently pockets, worldwide. It completely revolutionised the way we all communicate, procrastinate and.. errrrmm .. what else ends with 'ate'? Anyway, here we are, 10 whole years later and all the better for it... probably.
During that time, we've seen some incredible leaps in technology between the releases of handsets, and some not-so-incredible leaps in technology (we're looking at you, iPhone 7) but it all started off with the now pretty humble looking first generation iPhone, and you'll not believe how much they're going for now.
Credit: Ryan Tir/creative commons
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Back in 2007, if you were going to jump onto the iPhone bandwagon, you'd have been looking to pay £269 in the UK and $499 in the States, but to get that same handset in 2017, boxed and sealed, it's going to set you back between a staggering £3,000 ($3890) and a quite frankly arse-clenching £6,000 ($7780). It might seem like a lot, but when you consider what a pivotal piece of technology the first iPhone has since proven itself to be, we can see them selling for a hell of a lot more in years to come.
Ten years ago, Apple came out with the slogans "This is only the beginning" and "Apple reinvents the phone" to market its new product, both of which turned out to be incredibly accurate.
"An iPod [remember those?], a phone, and an Internet communicator," Steve Jobs said on stage during the Macworld conference. "Are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. This is one device."
Credit: Twentyfour Students/creative commons
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The first iPhone would be considered pretty primitive by today's standards, but back then it was completely state of the art. Even though it nowhere near matches up to the smartphones of today, without it, it's debatable that today's smartphones would even exist, at least not as we know them. In terms of design, it still looks like something someone might have in their pocket today. The same certainly cannot be said of other phones from 10 years back, most of which look like something you'd expect to find in a museum.
"In 2001, we introduced the first iPod, and... it didn't just change the way we all listen to music, it changed the entire music industry," said the late Steve Jobs at the 2007 Apple keynote.
"Well, today, we're introducing three revolutionary products of this class.
"The first one: is a widescreen iPod with touch controls.
"The second: is a revolutionary mobile phone.
"And the third is a breakthrough Internet communications device.
"So, three things: a widescreen iPod with touch controls; a revolutionary mobile phone; and a breakthrough Internet communications device.
"These are not three separate devices, this is one device, and we are calling it iPhone.
"Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone, and here it is."
The iPhone revolutionised the world of mobile phones. It was the first handset to introduce a full multi-touch touchscreen and virtual keyboard. More advanced phones and PDAs at the top end of the market had relied on cramped, overcomplicated keypads and styluses until it came and switched things up. But even given how different it was from its competitors, the first iPhone was still a completely different beast to the one you most likely have in your hand today.
The Blackberry Curve was also released in 2007 and looks positively prehistoric by comparison. Credit: Enrique Dans/creative commons
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First off, there was no app store. This wasn't introduced until 2008 and until then early iPhone users were stuck with just 15 preinstalled apps. Secondly, there was only a single 2mp camera - remember, selfies didn't officially exist back then...simpler times. Thirdly, there was no social media functionality, which is a bizarre thought given that these apps are among some of the most used today.
Don't take our word for all that stuff, though. For just over a few grand on eBay you can explore the first generation iPhone for yourself.
Words: Paddy Maddison
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Phones and Gadgets, iphones, Technology