Speaking of the Original iPhone Introduction Five Years Ago

Jason Snell:

The memory that sticks with me, in fact, is that I was temporarily dumbstruck by the sheer feel of the device. I was testing it while sitting with a couple of Apple executives as well as an Apple PR handler. The idea was that I could try out the device while also asking them questions. As I used the iPhone, I found it very difficult to speak questions or even listen to the answers. The iPhone was so unlike anything I’d ever handled. The brightness of the screen and the density of its pixels were shocking; the weight of the small slab was strangely comforting.

It was all in shocking contrast to my phone at the time, a Palm Treo. I hated it. Every time I went somewhere, I asked myself, “Do I need to bring my phone with me?” If I could avoid it, I wouldn’t bring it along. The iPhone would be the first phone I’ve owned that I wanted to keep in my pocket at all times.

Here’s the phone that was in my pocket as I watched that keynote five years ago.

★ Monday, 9 January 2012