Steve Jobs launched the iPhone eight years ago today to less than universal acclaim. Microsoft and BlackBerry, to mention just two firms, were openly sceptical and gave the 2G upstart very short shrift. Yet not only has the iPhone sold in the hundreds of millions, it has totally transformed the way we communicate. It spawned the ugly word “app” and led to the introduction of the App Store, a way of buying software that now seems so obvious but was revolutionary when it opened.
The greatest tribute we can pay to the iPhone is to say that it is not really a phone at all. Making phone calls is perhaps the least of its accomplishments. It is now nothing short of a personal communication device for the masses.
Today MacRumors marked the day and reminded us that tomorrow is another historic day for Apple, one with potentially far reaching consequences:
The eighth anniversary of the original iPhone’s release takes place just one day before the worldwide debut of Apple Music, another launch that could prove historic as Apple attempts to enter the crowded streaming music market alongside Spotify, Pandora, Google Play Music, YouTube and other players. Fittingly, many people will try Apple Music for the first time using an iPhone.