A brief history of the iPhone

Steve Jobs called the first iPhone “magic.” It was a customary bit of showmanship from Apple’s late-founder, but a decade after that announcement, it’s difficult to overstate the profound impact the smartphone has had on the mobile industry.

The first iPhone was met with cautious excitement by many in the press — after all, where did the company get off thinking it could replace a physical keyboard with a touchscreen? But all these years later, the device still serves at the template for a majority of modern smartphones. In the intervening decade, the company has redefined the category time and again, starting the following year, when Apple revolutionized mobile software with the introduction of the App Store.

Here’s a quick look back at the ups and downs of a decade of iPhone, starting with a little bit of pre-history.