APPLE

Historic date: January 9, 2007 Steve Jobs changed the concept of mobile telephony with the first iPhone

A symbol of smartphones, Apple launched its first iPhone 15 years ago. The official announcement of the product took place on January 9, 2007, but the US market launch came later, on June 29 of that year.

In Brazil, the first to arrive was the second version, the iPhone 3G, in 2008. Today, a total of 33 series of iPhones have reached consumers' hands - the most recent of them (iPhones 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max) were released in 2021.

"Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone," said Steve Jobs, the company's co-founder, during the iPhone presentation. In front of an enthusiastic audience, he described the device, at first, as a combination of iPod, telephone and Internet communication device. Comparing the iPhone to other smartphones that were on the market at the time — BlackBerry, Moto Q, Nokia 62 and Palm Treo — Jobs emphasized the new device's interface, which, unlike the others, did not have a button keyboard. “What we want to do is create a product that will take the leap, that is much smarter than any other mobile device, and super easy to use,” he said.

In addition to being a pioneer in the niche, one of the factors that sustained the brand's relevance over the years was the creation not only of new products, but of an entire digital ecosystem.

“The iPod isn't just the device, it's linked to iTunes. Just as the iPhone does not come alone, it is linked to the iOS operating system and all the applications that come with it”, says Christian Perrone, head of Law and GovTech at ITS (Instituto de Tecnologia e Sociedade) Rio, who studies the impact and the future of technology in Brazil and in the world.

In a digital ecosystem, companies create a network of integrated products and services that “talk” to each other, which can optimize processes for companies and bring more convenience to consumers. In the case of Apple and other technology-oriented companies, software plays an important role as agents of these interconnected digital environments.

“The smartphone is the body, and the software is the soul”, says Camila Ghattas, who studies technological macro-revolutions and works with trend forecasts.

She considers that Apple has smartphones as commodities, and that they are nothing more than a large platform that houses infinite software, designed to meet any type of demand. The quality of these software, according to Ghattas, is another element that guarantees the company's relevance. “Apple had the ability to bring the smartphone to market smarter. It already had better hardware than the others, but what made it smarter was thinking about the software, the ecosystem,” she points out. “Hardware alone would not be as relevant without software functionality.”

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