The iPhone decade

Apple's device has ushered in a civilisational change

On January 9, 2007, the late Steve Jobs climbed onto the stage at the annual MacWorld Conference in San Francisco and held up a device he described as “An iPod. A Phone. And an Internet communicator”. It was the first iPhone. In retrospect, it could also be described as the first modern smartphone. Even though that device now seems primitive so many versions later, it heralded a civilisational change across the globe. In essence, the iPhone was a miniaturised computer. It allowed voice communication and seamless synchronisation with other networked devices. It had a touchscreen with multiple icons, a simple