January 9th 2007... Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs took the stage at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, and announced a revolutionary device to the excited crowd. Part computer, part cell phone, part internet device, and part iPod, the new iPhone took everyone by surprise. There was only one catch, though. The iPhone wouldn't make its debut in stores until that June.

Over the months that followed, the iPhone's buzz continued to build. Eager consumers couldn't wait to get their hands on the new device, and on June 29th, 2007 their long wait was finally over. Lines formed around AT&T and Apple retail stores, as units sold out and the iPhone became one of the most sought after devices to ever hit the marketplace. iPhones turned up on auction sites, selling for far more than the retail price, but eventually Apple's supplies were able to fill the demand for the new phone, and the iPhone became a favorite for millions.

With the iPhone's quick success, early critics who had predicted its failure soon had to eat their words. The iPhone had turned the cell phone industry on its ear. Not only had the iPhone proven it would be a major contender in the wireless market, but its popularity continued to grow. Faced with a new competitor that was proving to be very formidable, other cell phone manufacturers found themselves scrambling to incorporate similar features into their products, features many of them had previously said would never be accepted by the masses. These so-called iPhone-killers, still found themselves struggling, as they were merely poor imitations of a new breed of device that had already dominated the marketplace.

As promised in its initial January 2007 announcement, new software updates added new features and functionality to the device, and satisfied users found themselves enjoying the iPhone even more. Though it still had its critics, who complained about some of the features it lacked, the iPhone still packed enough features into a single device that the market it was targeted for could easily get around any of the device's shortcomings. Not one to let the competition get the better of them, however, Apple heard the complaints of its critics and users, and decided to do something about it.

On March 6th, 2007, Apple announced the iPhone SDK, a software development kit that would allow third-party developers to create programs that could be purchased and installed directly to the iPhone. This new announcement thrilled iPhone users and third-party developers alike, promising a whole slew of new applications that would expand the iPhone's capabilities even further. Not forgetting about its critics in the corporate world, Apple also announced added security and support for Microsoft Exchange, two things the iPhone would need in order to penetrate the business sector dominated by RIM's Blackberry device. It was good news to hear for corporate users who had been hoping to be able to use an iPhone in their business environments, and the world was told to wait again, until June of 2007, to hear more.

As thousands downloaded the iPhone SDK, and began developing new programs for Apple's upcoming App Store, people looked forward to the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference where Steve Jobs was expected to announce further details of a new iPhone software update as well as a widely rumored hardware update to the device itself.

On June 9th, 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs proved the rumors to be true. Not only were further details and release dates for the iPhone 2.0 software update announced, but previews of a few new software applications were featured, as well Apple's new MobileMe service, designed to replace and update its .Mac service. Near the end of Jobs' keynote address, the iPhone 3G was announced as the new version of the widely successful device Apple had released almost a year prior. Not only would the new iPhone have 3G capability, it would also feature GPS, and be priced at $199 and $299 for 8GB and 16GB models, making the new iPhone even more appealing and more affordable to consumers. Though some hardware features people had hoped to see were still missing, the new iPhone still promised to pack in enough features to make the device more than worth the money, almost guaranteeing that Apple sales goals would be reached without any problem.