iPhone turns nine

iPhone

Today marks the 9th anniversary of the iPhone going on sale for the first time. I worked at an Apple Store way back then, and wrote about the launch a few years ago:

We saw them before the rounded the corner. There were hundreds of people, lined up in the Friday afternoon heat. News vans were pulled up to the sidewalk, and the guys who had been camping out for 72 hours sure looked happy. We put up the additional barriers, and I got a bunch of high-fives and questions about the iPhone while heading back around the building.

That night was madness, but what’s really impressive is how much the iPhone has changed our world. Today, almost everyone I know carries a smartphone. We walk around with pocket computers hooked up to the entirety of the Internet. They can shoot amazing photos and take 4K video. I can video chat with my kids and play games on the same device.

It’s only been nine years, but I can’t imagine going back.