The iPhone is unveiled
Summary
On 9 January 2007 Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone at Macworld in San Francisco, a device combining a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod and an internet device with mail, web and maps. It was operated with the fingers on a 3.5-inch multi-touch screen instead of a keyboard or stylus. The iPhone changed what a phone is, but launched without third-party apps, without 3G and with only one carrier.
What Apple announced
According to the press release the iPhone combined three devices: phone, widescreen iPod with touch controls and internet device with mail, the Safari browser, search and maps. It had a 2-megapixel camera, quad-band GSM with EDGE, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0. The 4 GB model was to cost 499 dollars, the 8 GB model 599 dollars, from June 2007 in the US, exclusively with the carrier Cingular.
Jobs called fingers “the ultimate pointing device” and the interface the most revolutionary since the mouse. The iPhone ran a variant of Mac OS X; programs from other vendors could not be installed at first. That only changed with the App Store in July 2008.
Ideas
- A large touchscreen replaces keyboard and stylus.
- One device can merge several device categories.
- Control over software is part of the business model.
- The browser made the mobile web usable in the first place.
Insights
- The iPhone shifted power from carriers to device makers: Apple controlled the device, the software and later the distribution of apps.
- For admins this started a new task: mobile devices that need mail, calendar and VPN but cannot be managed like PCs.
Facts
- Unveiled on 9 January 2007 at Macworld in San Francisco.
- 3.5-inch screen, 2-megapixel camera, quad-band GSM with EDGE, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0.
- Prices: 499 dollars for 4 GB, 599 dollars for 8 GB, US sales start in June 2007.
References
Critique
- The press release does not mention the limitations of the first model: no 3G, no third-party programs and the tie to a single carrier.
Remarks
- Apple still keeps the press release in its newsroom.
Recommendations
- Integrate mobile devices into the company network via device management rather than personal credentials.
- With services for mobile devices, think from the start about updates and the end of device support.
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