Skip to Content

Got a tip for us?Let us know

a. Send us an email
b. Anonymous form

Today Marks the 13th Anniversary of When Steve Jobs Unveiled the Original iPhone

Thursday January 9, 2020 1:10 pm PST by Juli Clover

13 years ago today, then Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the stage at Macworld in San Francisco and surprised the world with the very first iPhone.

Jobs introduced the iPhone as if it were three separate products: an iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a breakthrough internet communications device. Today, the iPhone is still all of those things, but also so much more.

maxresdefault

Steve Jobs iPhone 2007 Presentation (HD)Jonathan

Watch on YouTube

Apple has sold well over a billion iPhones since 2007, and as of last January, the company's active installed base had hit 1.4 billion devices. Though iPhone sales were down last year, the iPhone continues to be Apple's single most successful product.

original iphone
Apple has steadily improved the iPhone over the years, refining the design over and over again, updating the camera, and adding new biometric features, and all of these changes have made the iPhone even more indispensable in our daily lives. Improvements over the years:

2008: App Store and 3G network support
2009: Personal Hotspot and video recording capabilities
2010: New form factor and Retina display
2011: Siri and iCloud
2012: 4-inch display, Lightning connector, and LTE
2013: Touch ID fingerprint sensor
2014: 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays
2015: 3D Touch, Live Photos, and 4K video recording
2016: Waterproofing, dual-lens camera for iPhone 7 Plus, no headphone jack
2017: No Home button, 5.8-inch OLED full screen display, wireless charging, fast charging, Face ID
2018: 5.8 and 6.5-inch OLED screen sizes, three iPhone lineup
2019: Night mode, triple-lens cameras

Rumors suggest the iPhone is going to see a major overhaul in 2020, with Apple set to debut 5G connectivity, a revamped iPhone 4-style frame design, 5.4, 6.1, and 6.7-inch iPhone sizes, and a time-of-flight laser-based camera system for better depth calculations and AR capabilities.

Tag: Steve Jobs

Popular Stories

iPhone 4 on Black Feature

Full iPhone 4 'Antennagate' Q&A Video Surfaces After 16 Years

Thursday September 24, 2026 5:39 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

A 47-minute video of the Q&A session from Apple's 2010 iPhone 4 "antennagate" press conference has surfaced on YouTube, showing Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, and Bob Mansfield answering reporters' questions. The recording was highlighted by Daring Fireball's John Gruber, who attended the event. Apple called the July 16, 2010 press conference amid complaints that holding the iPhone 4 in a particular...

• 87 comments

steve jobs 2010 iphone 4

Today Marks the 15th Anniversary of Steve Jobs' Death

Monday October 5, 2026 2:12 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

15 years ago today, Steve Jobs passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. It was the day after Apple executives introduced the iPhone 4s at a media event on the company's Infinite Loop headquarters campus. Image Credit: Matt Yohe / CC BY 2.0 In the days following his passing, Apple began posting comments from fans on its "Remembering Steve" webpage. Apple continues to maintain the...

• 43 comments

iphone 17 pro max battery 1 year

Three Years of 80% Charge Limits on iPhone: The Results

Tuesday October 6, 2026 12:59 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Since 2023, Apple's newer iPhones have had an 80 percent charge limit for those who want to extend battery lifespan. Charging to 80 percent instead of 100 percent is supposed to put less stress on the battery, improving longevity. For the last three years, I've used that setting on my iPhone. I started with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, then did the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and most recently, the iPhone...

• 433 comments

Top Rated Comments

88 months ago

I played with one of the first gen iPhones when it came out. While it was unique, it was also painfully slow and had a tiny low res screen. It was obvious Apple would sell millions of them, but I didn't want one.

Painfully slow? Tiny low res screen? Compared to what?

The original iPhone was not released in Canada but that did not stop a number of my friends from acquiring one. I will never forget four of us crowding around the devise, just wanting to play with it; we were all blown away. The owner then reminded us this was version 1.0 and try to imagine what it would be like going into the future. The world has changed because of the iPhone.

Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)

ActionableMango

88 months ago

Notable quotes from 2007:

"There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance."
-Steve Ballmer, Microsoft

“It’s kind of one more entrant into an already very busy space with lots of choice for consumers. But in terms of a sort of a sea-change for BlackBerry, I would think that’s overstating it.”
-Jim Balsillie, BlackBerry

“The development of mobile phones will be similar in PCs. Even with the Mac, Apple has attracted much attention at first, but they have still remained a niche manufacturer. That will be in mobile phones as well,”
-Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia

"We've learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone. PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They're not going to just walk in."
-Ed Colligan, Palm

"There is no likelihood that Apple can be successful in a business this competitive.”
“What Apple risks here is its reputation as a hot company that can do no wrong.”
“If it's smart it will call the iPhone a ‘reference design’ and pass it to some suckers to build with someone else's marketing budget. Then it can wash its hands of any marketplace failures.”
- John C. Dvorak, in his column Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone

"I'm never going to pay $500 for a phone."
- Me, owner of an iPhone 3G, 4, 5S, 6S, and 8

Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)

88 months ago

I swear Steve Jobs was the reason why I loved Apple so much back in the day.

Keynotes haven’t been the same since.

Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)

88 months ago

I vividly remember watching this keynote and being amazed. At the time I had a clamshell phone with a tiny screen.

Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)

88 months ago

Interesting how the home screen basically stayed the same. Not sure what to think about that.

But i guess it works...

Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

88 months ago

Here are a few photos I took that day:

Funny that same day they released Gen-1 AirPods:
https://appleinsider.com/articles/07/07/30/review_apple_iphone_bluetooth_headset

Taken the next day...it was a weird age of iPod accessories back then:

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Read All Comments

Latest Stories

AirPods 5 vs. AirPods 5 With Wireless Charging Case Buyer's Guide

Accessory Deals This Weekend: Save on TVs, Headphones, and Smart Home Gear

Apple's All-New Home Hub Will Be Revealed October 13: What to Expect

Apple Announcing HomePod Mini 2 Next Week With These New Features

A New Apple TV 4K is Finally Coming on Tuesday

Top Stories: Apple's 'Welcome Home' Launch on October 13 and More

Apple Stores Will Add Your Name to iPhone Duo's Startup Screen

SpaceX Inches Closer to Becoming a U.S. Carrier

Apple Potentially Behind 'HomeView' Trademark Filed Alongside 'homeOS' Last Year

Mark Your Calendar: Six Important Apple Dates Coming Up This Month

MacRumors Giveaway: Win an Apple Watch Series 12 and a Nylon Band From Southern Straps

First Apple TV 4K Now 'Vintage' Ahead of New Model Coming on Tuesday

The MacRumors Show: Apple's Smart Home Products Are Coming

Apple Shares Fall After News of iPhone 18 Pro Order Cuts

Leak Details iPhone Features for Apple's LG Home Accessories

Prime Day Leftover Deals: AirPods Max 2 for $429, Mac Mini for $779.99, and More

Every M5 MacBook Air Now $200 Off on Amazon

Mac Shipments Fall, But Apple Still Gains Ground in Shrinking Market

Apple Reportedly Cuts iPhone 18 Pro Orders After Price Hike Dampens Demand

Apple Signs Hiring and Licensing Deal With AI Podcast Startup Huxe

Apple's October 13 Launch: What's Coming

Anthropic Says Users Can't Be Needlessly Cruel to Claude

Apple to Launch Touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro and OLED iPad mini on October 27

Apple Now Pushing iPhone Users Still on iOS 26 to Install iOS 27

Apple Has a New M&A Chief as Ternus Reshuffles Leadership

Prepare for Apple's New Home Hub With These HomeKit Accessory Deals

Tim Cook Says He's 'Not Meddling' With Apple's New CEO John Ternus

Tim Cook Explains Why He Stepped Down as Apple CEO Before iPhone Duo Launch

Apple Product Launch Announced for October 13: 'Welcome Home'

Amazon Unveils New iPad Rivals With Alexa+ and Google Play