The first iPhone: What the critics said 10 years ago

Apple released its iPhone to the public on June 29th 2007, to the delight of both critics and fans. Finally, Steve Jobs’ newest toy would see its official release and cease dominating the tech headlines. Ten years later, however, not much has changed.

A decade later and the iPhone is in more consumers’ hands than any other phone. When it released on June 29th 2007 the first iPhone was sold for $499, and within three months Apple would sell 1.5 million more.

Not everyone was so excited about the iPhone though. Here’s former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer outright dismissing the product as an expensive gadget:

Take special notice of Ballmer’s response to the question “how do you compete with Apple?” at the 1:00 minute mark.

PC World decided that it wasn’t a device for everyone:

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So should you buy an iPhone? Sure, if you want to own a beautifully designed phone/Internet device/music player and are willing to put up with some occasionally exasperating problems. Everyone else, especially those who already rely on a PDA phone for messaging, should probably wait.

A review from Geekanoids shows just how awkward people were with the new technology. Check the 2:00 minute mark for a demonstration on the touch-screen that has the reviewer awkwardly trying to pinch the screen – a gesture that seems perfectly intuitive ten years later:

Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal said he’d never reviewed a product with more hype behind it than the iPhone. He mentioned that it had an ‘enormous’ three and a half inch screen. Mossberg praised the web browser as well declaring it the best he’d ever seen on a phone.

The lack of a keyboard or stylus wasn’t going to stop it from being the ‘it’ device of the year in 2007. Once the phone released six months of hype came to a head:

Anyone who waited in line for an iPhone ten years ago will get a bit of nostalgia remembering the device that, arguably, changed smart phones forever.

Thanks for the memories iPhone. A decade ago today you entered our lives – and the critics are still talking.