A decade ago, Apple heralded a new era of mobile technology. Introducing the iPhone for the first time to the world, Steve Jobs had the crowd at an uproar when he showcased a phone with three prominent features packed into an elegant device: an iPod, a mobile phone, and a communications device. Since then, the iPhone went through many changes and evolutions both in hardware and software, and while many argue that certain aspects of the iPhone are now behind some of the competition, the iPhone still remains the standard to compare every other smartphone to.
The iPhone’s status symbol in the world of smartphones flourished with the App Store and the possibilities of what a phone can do. Sure enough, the original iPhone was revolutionary in design — a fully touch screen display with no physical keyboard with then-powerful features was nothing short of breathtaking. While over the years the competition has caught up (and some might say, surpassed) the iPhone in design, the App Store is the primary success and the ecosystem that has been built around it. Mobile computing has transformed the way we live and interact with one another and the world, and the App Store is an integral part of why we are all addicted to the iPhone.
My first iPhone was the 3GS — though I have seen and used the original iPhone as well — and it transformed my world entirely. Though I shifted to android later for many years — lured by the customisations — I eventually returned to the iPhone and found myself hooked to the ecosystem. Apple has succeeded in creating something magical, despite some controversies here and there in their approach to software and hardware choices.
Still, an icon is an icon, and if it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone.
