iPhone celebrates 10 years but “the best is yet to come”

Today, the 9th of January 2017, marks 10 years since Apple introduced the first iPhone ever — though the actual device was put up for sale on the 29th of June 2007. In a press release commemorating this momentous occasion, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the “best is yet to come”.

In a short blurb that’s also available in Apple’s newsroom, the company took a brief look back at their historic iPhone while talking about how the world has been changed by this revolutionary device.

“It is amazing that from the very first iPhone through to today’s newest iPhone 7 Plus, it has remained the gold standard by which all other smartphones are judged. For many of us, iPhone has become the most essential device in our lives and we love it,” said Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Philip Schiller.

“iPhone is how we make voice and FaceTime calls, how we shoot and share Live Photos and 4K videos, how we listen to streaming music, how we use social media, how we play games, how we get directions and find new places, how we pay for things, how we surf the web, do email, manage our contacts and calendars, how we listen to podcasts, watch TV, movies and sports, and how we manage our fitness and health. iPhone has become all of these things and more. And I believe we are just getting started.”

Tim Cook also echoed that they’re just getting started with the iPhone — the most important device in Apple’s lineup — and that’s a bold claim. Especially considering how little the iPhone has “innovated” between the last two iPhone generations.

That said, I’m still holding out hopes for Apple because they have revolutionised the way we use our mobile devices before, so it’s entirely possible that they’ll do it again. The biggest question is ‘when?’ and if they can do it before someone else does.

At the launch of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, I saw many a fan say that the reason for the similarity between it and the iPhone that came before was because Apple was saving something big for the iPhone’s 10th Anniversary. That’s this year’s iPhone.

Colloquially referred to as the iPhone 8 (however accurate that naming scheme is), this iPhone was supposed to have all the innovation we thought we’d see in the iPhone 7. Stuff like an edge-to-edge OLED display, a new 10nm processor, a hidden Touch ID, home button and earpiece for a true bezel-less display. In fact, some even claim it could have a curved display and wireless charging too.

Although that sounds tantalising, you should take it with a grain of salt because we’ve heard a lot of these claims before the iPhone 7 was launched too. And not much of what we heard materialised.

What do you hope to see on the next iPhone? Let me know in the comments below. If you’re an iPhone user, drop a comment and let me know what your first iPhone was too!