Ten years of the iPhone: Redefining a generation of technology

It was on January 9 2007 that the late Apple founder and chief executive Steve Jobs announced the technology giant was to reveal “an iPod, a phone and an internet communicator” in one product - starting the smartphone era.

Since then, Apple has sold more than one billion iPhones around the world and has become one of the wealthiest companies ever.

In the years since that announcement, Apple has introduced 11 new generations of iPhone, redesigning the device on several occasions, as well as altering the screen size and introducing an overall larger version of the phone with the iPhone 6 Plus in 2014. It was the first iPhone to feature a screen over five inches.

The iPhone introduced concepts such as predictive text, touch screens and touch ID security. It also created a new focus for software developers rather than desktop or laptop technology.

Such has been the success of the iPhone that as an individual business the revenue generated by the phone alone has exceeded that of some of its rivals, including Microsoft and Google.

Analysts have referred to the device as a “cultural icon” and most modern smartphones have been inspired by the iPhone in some form.

Samsung, Google and HTC have all developed smartphones, potentially squeezing the popularity of the iPhone, as has the increase in higher-quality budget and mid-range devices that undercut the iPhone and others on price.

Despite this, the next version of the iPhone, which is expected to be unveiled in September, has already been rumoured to feature a larger screen that covers the majority of the front of the device.

The demand for iPhone products has sparked the creation of the App Store, which launched in 2008 and has since been at the heart of the creation of a large number of hugely successful mobile app businesses, including the likes of Angry Birds, Uber and Deliveroo.