June 29, 2007

iPhone goes on sale

Apple began selling the iPhoneApple's smartphone line — touch-first mobile computing and the App Store ecosystem since 2007. in the United States on June 29, 2007 — six months after its Macworld introduction.

What it was for

IPhoneThe iPhoneApple's smartphone line — touch-first mobile computing and the App Store ecosystem since 2007. put a capacitive touchscreen, mobile SafariApple's web browser — built on WebKit for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS., and eventually the App StoreApple's marketplace for iOS apps — centralized distribution and in-app purchases on iPhone. in millions of pockets. Developers pivoted to mobile-first web design, native iOSApple's mobile operating system — runs iPhone and iPad with a sandboxed app ecosystem. SDKs, and responsive CSSCascading Style Sheets — the language for layout, color, and typography on web pages.. Mobile traffic overtook desktop on many sites — all tracing to this product reaching consumers.

Companies

  • Apple

Why it's here

The iPhoneApple's smartphone line — touch-first mobile computing and the App Store ecosystem since 2007.'s retail launch turned a keynote demo into the defining smartphone platform for developers.

Why it mattered

It made mobile web and native app development mandatory skills for mainstream software teams.

What it solved

Phones offered poor mobile browsing; users needed a pocket computer with a real web browser and touch UIUser interface — the parts of software people see and interact with..

Media

  • IPhone
    ImageIPhone

    Rafael Fernandez, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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