Apple iPhone Turns 10: Yes, It Was That Revolutionary

Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone 10 years ago today. Smartphones are now commonplace, but it's easy to forget just how revolutionary the iPhone was when Jobs unveiled the device.

When iPhone launched, critics suggested that corporate IT departments and channel partners wouldn't support the smartphone. But those critics underestimated the "consumerization" of IT, and they didn't anticipate the BYOD (bring your own device) trend.  I could write a few thousand words about how the iPhone revolutionized consumer and corporate IT.

Instead, simply take a look at this video of Jobs launching the iPhone on January 9, 2007. And consider this: The original launch didn't even involve the Apple App Store. Here's 14 minutes from that keynote:

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: iPhone Reaction

Now, contrast Jobs' clarity -- touch computing merged with iPod, iPhone and Internet capabilities -- with the initial reaction of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer:

Admittedly, it's easy to pick on Ballmer for missing the iPhone wave. But he wasn't the only one to miss the inflection point.

Fast forward to present day, and some would argue that Apple itself is a victim of its own success -- consumed by minor iPhone upgrades and unable to create the next big IT market... But that's a blog for another day.

For today, it's all about recalling that the iPhone -- and the resulting app store -- truly triggered one of the biggest IT revolutions of all time...