Five Years Ago Today … The Smartphone Changed Forever

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Whether or not you use or have used an iPhone, like or hate Apple, liked or disliked Steve Jobs, there is one reality that is self-evident: smartphone history is entirely divided into the pre-iPhone and post-iPhone era. And while the actual product didn’t reach customer hands until June 29th, it was on January 9th, 2007 that Steve Jobs stood up at the Macworld convention and changed the course of smartphone history.

For the general public, the iPhone introduced a multi-touch interface that has since become the industry standard. While some changes took time to see, others were evident from the start: Windows Mobile market share plummeted from the moment the iPhone hit shelves, the Android OS is very similar in many functional ways, RIM and Nokia started losing market share and relevancy, and so on.

The winners? Consumers! Look in a cell phone store today and you will see that 90% of devices are smartphones MUCH more powerful than the original iPhone and for much less money – whereas in June of 2007 it was almost entirely locked-up ‘dumb phones’ with $3 ringtones and incompatible accessories.

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About the Author

Michael Anderson
I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!