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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

It was state of the art when Steve Jobs showed it off a decade ago, in a simpler time.

Scott Stein
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Scott Stein
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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

We all first met the original iPhone 10 years ago when Steve Jobs took the stage at Macworld Expo. He called the device "revolutionary and magical" -- sure, he had a vested interest in the thing, but it really was quite a gadget for its time.

Slideshow published Jan. 9, 2017.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

The Macworld Expo appearance was just the prelude. The iPhone didn't go on sale for almost six months. When it arrived in late June, here's how the CNET review summed it up: "Despite some important missing features, a slow data network, and call quality that doesn't always deliver, the Apple iPhone sets a new benchmark for an integrated cell phone and MP3 player."

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

This was back in the heyday of standalone music players. Apple made sure to describe the iPhone as, in part, a "widescreen iPod" you could control with "just a flick of a finger."

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

The price of the original iPhone: $499 for the 4GB model and $599 for the 8GB version.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

The original iPhone used a 3.5 mm headphone jack when many phones at the time where using smaller 2.5 mm ports or proprietary adapters for headsets.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

My, how the iPhone has grown over the years. That first one had just a 3.5-inch screen.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

When CNET's Scott Stein dug his 2007 iPhone out of storage, it was sticker-covered and missing a few pixels. But 10 years later, it still turns on, and it still (mostly) works. He couldn't get it to accept a SIM card, so it was a Wi-Fi-only affair. But spending a few days with the original iPhone made him realize just how different that early phone world was -- and how much current tech we take for granted.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

The iPhone was smaller back in the day, but its adapter was much, much larger.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

Going all-touchscreen was an amazing feat in 2007, so much so that people gathered around to see it for themselves. The iPhone's basic touch language is still the same 10 years later.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

The original iPhone felt comforting and solid. iPhones now feel wide and fragile by comparison.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

Those curved sides are familiar: they're a bit like the Apple Watch, but on a larger scale.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

The entry-level 2007 model packed a mere 4GB of storage, and $100 more got you 8GB. Apple's iPods at the time were 60GB and more.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

In those days, no flash, no selfies, no video.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

With the camera in the original iPhone, you couldn't zoom, even digitally. You couldn't edit photos. You could do this: snap a shot, and send it to someone -- via email.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

The 2007 iPhone next to the iPhone 7 Plus.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

The original iPhone needed to plug into a Mac to update software or transfer music or back up data. It didn't sync information to iCloud -- or "Mobile Me," as its precursor was called. It wasn't independent. It was a wireless, phone-connected iPod.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

Look at the Apple Watch. It's small, bulbous and a little limited. Is this thing going to be what the iPhone once was?

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

The old iPhone works with new headphones.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

Nowadays, everything's connected. We're inundated with communication. To be disconnected is a fantasy, or an anxiety.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

So now the iPhone enters its second decade. Where does it go from here? In the future, what surrounds the iPhone will be more important than the phone itself.

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Apple's original iPhone 10 years later

In the meantime, thanks in part to the gadget Apple launched in 2007, our lives and our phones have become virtually indistinguishable.

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