Last Thursday marked the tenth anniversary of the launch of the very first iPhone. While Steve Jobs introduced the phone in January 2007 at Macworld, it wasn’t until the end of June that buyers lined up outside Apple and AT&T stores to purchase what would end up being a world-changing device.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that AdColony would not be here were it not for the iPhone. With the iPhone, Google did an about-face on its own phone plans and the Android we know today appeared, and the smartphone market exploded into a $432 Billion market. It’s fitting that we say a few short words about this small device that had such a huge impact.
The evolution of the iPhone over the years is a testament to how quickly the tech industry has advanced. When the first generation iPhone was released, it had only 128 MB of memory and a 3.5 inch display, and it wasn’t until June 2009 that it came standard with a video recording feature. Today, the newest iPhone 7 can hold up to 256 GB of memory and is available in a 4.7 inch or 5.5 inch display.
iOS has similarly evolved with each annual release of the iPhone. From establishing design and functionality, to introducing Siri, incorporating pressure-sensitive touch inputs, and improving display resolution and graphics performance, the iPhone has definitely come a long way.
If you’re curious just how the original iPhone stacks up, perhaps looking for a taste of nostalgia, Joanna Stern at the Wall Street Journal tried using it for a week.
The iPhone changed the way people used their phones. In 2006, just over 3% of US consumers had a smartphone. Now they’re ubiquitous, with over 80% of the US population using one on a daily basis, for three hours a day on average. Since its release, there have been over 1 billion units sold, and a growing marketplace of over 2.2 million apps.
With the change in consumer behavior, major brands have adopted the smartphone as the prime method for reaching consumers with novel, engaging advertising options. Retailers both physical and online have also embraced smartphones as the perfect place for their customers to shop, compare, and purchase.
Apple’s continued improvements to the iPhone and consistent competition from Google, Samsung, LG, and others have pushed smartphone features forward at a rapid clip. Thousands upon thousands of developers have a creative outlet for games and apps of all kinds that simply didn’t exist a decade ago, paving the way for a new generation of industry professionals who might never have had the chance to see their vision without our handheld supercomputers.
We don’t know what the iPhone will look like after another 10 years, but if the past 10 years of improvements are anything to go by, we’ll have a ton of changes to look forward to.
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How has the iPhone impacted your life in the past 10 years? Let us know by tweeting @AdColony. For the latest AdColony mobile news and updates, follow @AdColony on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or connect on Linkedin.
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