On January 9, 2007, Apple’s legendary co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the world’s first iPhone at the Macworld Conference in San Francisco. He understood that such presentations required a lot more than numbers and specifications; they required drama.
Google Maps on iPhone
So, when the tech visionary, who was also the co-creator of the device, got to the demonstration of Google Maps on the iPhone, he pulled up a map of San Francisco, zoomed in, and then searched for coffee shops.
On the gigantic screen behind him, the Starbucks logo popped up. Jobs pressed the logo, and in front of a packed hall of journalists, developers, and gadget nerds, he called the store.
A Starbucks employee picked up, and Jobs said: “Yes, I’d like to order 4,000 lattes to go, please.” The hall erupted with laughter.
Steve Jobs’ wizardry
It was meant to be a joke, but it became one of the most memorable moments in the history of Apple presentations.
That one prank not only illustrated that the iPhone could look up businesses and dial them, but it also demonstrated Jobs’s ability to infuse humour into technical wizardry.
Of course, that was not the end of the story. The Starbucks store in San Francisco was now the focus of the attention of the world. People who were fans, geeky people, and pranksters began calling the Starbucks store and asked for “4,000 lattes.” Jobs made the joke into a mini legend.
The iPhone launch
This event came on a day which also metamorphosed Apple. The iPhone, as the company said, combined three products — a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and an internet communications device.
It was a path-breaking innovation which changed the world of telecommunications forever. With email, web browsing, searching and maps, all available on a device that had a large multi-touch display, the iPhone mesmerised users. What fascinated them more was that they could control the iPhone with just their fingers.
While introducing the revolutionary product, Steve Jobs, who was also the CEO of Apple, said, “iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone.”
He added, “We are all born with the ultimate pointing device — our fingers — and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse.”
The first model of the iPhone was commercially launched later that year, on June 9. Since then, the iPhone has come a long way, with the current Apple CEO Tim Cook launching the iPhone 17 series just last month.
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