Happy 5th Birthday, iPhone

There was a time (2007) when the ubiquitous device did not exist
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 27, 2012 10:38 AM CDT
Happy 5th Birthday, iPhone
The new Apple iPhone is seen Friday, June 29, 2007 in New York.   (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

On June 29, 2007, the first iPhones were sold. This week marks the five-year anniversary of the iconic Apple device, and the tributes are pouring in:

  • In Business Insider, Henry Blodget "gawk[s] in awe at how it has changed the world." Let's see, not only has it "made Apple the most valuable and profitable company in the world" while destroying or severely harming several other large companies, it has also created a completely new industry and managed to stay ahead of its many competitors. "It seems safe to [say] that never in history has a single product been so astoundingly successful so fast and had such a radical impact on the world," he writes.

  • In the Wall Street Journal, Thomas Hazlett recalls the initial condemnation of the iPhone by some—including a law professor who called it the "iPhony," only to give in and buy one in 2008. Clearly the iPhone survived, and thrived, after those attacks, and "the novelty has not worn thin" since. Consumers are still eating the phones up, as evidenced by this staggering stat: While Apple sells only 9% of all cellphones, it accounts for a whopping 73% of profits in the industry.
  • Another amazing stat, from CNET: A new, appropriately timed, study shows that total iPhone revenue has hit $150 billion, and 250 million of the gadgets have sold, confirming that it "has been a sales juggernaut since its launch," writes Don Reisinger.
(More iPhone stories.)

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