--- description: Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to the world on Jan. 9, 2007 title: Apple iPhone Introduced 8 Years Ago: 8 Stories to Celebrate With image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbdaa68ac65600700/698779202dce016c9e9dcdf1/jobs.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Technology](/tag/technology/) ## Technology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 8 Ways to Celebrate the iPhone's Birthday  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Jan 9, 2015 6:47 PM CUT  Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveils a new mobile phone on Jan. 9, 2007 in San Francisco Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveils a new mobile phone on Jan. 9, 2007 in San FranciscoTony Avelar—AFP/Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Jan 9, 2015 6:47 PM CUT On Jan. 9, 2007, Apple introduced a device that would, in the words of Steve Jobs, “reinvent the phone.” “And we are calling it,” he said, “iPhone.” Here are eight way to celebrate the eight years of iPhone-dom that followed — with bonus points if you’re reading them on your phone: **Read TIME’s first article about the iPhone:** Shortly after Jobs’ announcement, the magazine took a look at what the future held for the device. “Apple’s new iPhone, which will be available in June, could do to the cell-phone market what the iPod did to the portable-music-player market: crush it pitilessly beneath the weight of its own superiority,” wrote Lev Grossman. “This is unfortunate for anybody else who makes cell phones, but it’s good news for those of us who use them.” _Read the story_ [_here_](http://time.com/vault/issue/2007-01-22/spread/56/ "undefined") **Take a quiz to see how well you know the iPhone:** This quiz marked the seventh anniversary of the first iPhone sold, and you can still use it to see how much you know about the device. And no asking Siri for help! _Take the quiz_ [_here_](http://time.com/2935071/apple-iphone-birthday-quiz/ "undefined") **Explore an interactive timeline of iPhone history:** Click through from the first phone sold to the millionth, and beyond. _Learn more_ [_here_](http://time.com/2934526/apple-iphone-timeline/ "undefined") **See why TIME named the iPhone the invention of the year:** The phone had only been on the market for a few months — and much of the world remained unconvinced that it was worth the fuss — when it landed the cover of TIME under the heading “Invention of the Year.” _Read the story_ [_here_](http://time.com/vault/issue/2007-11-12/spread/66/ "undefined") **Watch the iPhone evolve:** See Jobs’ original announcement and track the phone’s growth though a half-dozen iterations, and from an idea to an everyday essential. _Watch the video_ [_here_](http://time.com/3309916/iphone-6-apple-evolution/ "undefined") **Discover what an iPhone is really worth:** TIME’s Michael Schuman did the math, and discovered that, in 2011, countries around the world benefit economically from the existence of the iPhone. _Read the story_ [_here_](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2069042,00.html "undefined") **Browse photos of mobile-phone history:** See how we got from the field telephones used in World War I to the ubiquitous hand-held devices of today. _Look at the gallery_ [_here_](http://time.com/3259694/mobile-phone-history/ "undefined") **Consider what’s up next:** In a late 2014 cover story, Lev Grossman and Matt Vella consider how the Apple watch can continue what the iPhone started, bringing us into a world that’s “Never Offline.” _Read the story_ [_here_](http://time.com/3326576/never-offline/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3661809/iphone-birthday/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3661809/iphone-birthday/"},"headline":"8 Ways to Celebrate the iPhone's Birthday","datePublished":"2015-01-09T18:47:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:04:07.963Z","description":"Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to the world on Jan. 9, 2007","url":"https://time.com/3661809/iphone-birthday/","keywords":["Technology","Tech","Apple","Steve Jobs","iPhone"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbdaa68ac65600700/698779202dce016c9e9dcdf1/jobs.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbdaa68ac65600700/698779202dce016c9e9dcdf1/jobs.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"iPhone","caption":"iPhone","creditText":"Tony Avelar—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/technology/","name":"Technology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3661809/iphone-birthday/","name":"8 Ways to Celebrate the iPhone's Birthday"}}]}] ```