Whether it ’s by documentary or subjective measures , 2007 figures to be go down as one of the streamer years in Apple ’s three - decade history . And while its original estimator occupation continue to flourish — the company double set a record for quarterly Mac sales agreement in the retiring twelvemonth — Apple has two other product lines that also crowd it to new superlative in 2007 .
The iPod , which helped activate the boom in Apple ’s destiny in recent eld , continued to enjoy its status as the hand-held music musician of pick , peculiarly after a fall service of the Cartesian product short letter . To that mix , Apple added a long - predict mobile phone , which debut to a metric ton of media hoopla — only to live up to its advanced publicity .
The iPhone , new iPod models , sale milestones , and software updates - a - plenty were just a few of the things that govern the news for Apple ’s portable equipment lineup in 2007 .
“Hello?”
Despite what the zodiac may say , 2007 was undoubtedly the year of the iPhone . The year began with swirling rumor that Apple was finally set to release the long mythical iPhone . And , curiosity of marvel , it was really true . The gimmick , however , managed to remain secret until Steve Jobs show it off at January ’s Macworld Expo , an event which promptly dominate everything else going on , including the rival Consumer Electronics Show happening at the same time in Las Vegas .
The iPhone , which Jobs billed as three revolutionary gimmick in one , quickly captured attention in the mainstream , where it quickly solidified its positioning as the must - have gadget of 2007 .
Jobs herald many of the gadget ’s specifications during his keynote : the $ 499 4 gilbert and $ 599 8 GB models both featured Wi - Fi , EDGE networking , music , photos , picture , Internet , all running on a portable interlingual rendition of OS X wrapped in an astonishing multi - touch interface . Still , questions remained , not the least of which was , what the gimmick would ultimately be named . Cisco , which launch an iPhone of its own in December 2006 , was not about to let Apple snatch up that cognomen without a fight ; a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. after Jobs ’ Expo keynote , Cisco filed suit over the product ’s name . The two companionship decide the dispute in February .
Answers to other question — What would the cell phone architectural plan cost ? Could you use the iPhone as a modem ? What about third - party applications?—emerged as the iPhone made its June 29 debut . Large crowds turn out across the country , with early adoptive parent vying to be among the first to get their hands on the iPhone . In the end , Apple sold 270,000 iPhones that open weekend ; AT&T reported that it had sold more iPhones that weekend than it had sold in the first month of any other wireless twist .
Just 74 solar day after the iPhone ’s release , Apple reported that it had reached the 1 million mark in sales event , putting the companionship well on its way of life to meeting its finish of 10 million iPhones sold by the end of 2008 .
Around the world in 6 months
One of the factor that will help Apple reach that end will be international sales agreement . As shortly as the iPhone made its U.S. debut , the clamoring from those lodge in in other countries intensified .
Apple ’s stated design was to expand into Europe in fall 2007 , followed by Asia in 2008 , and while there were many susurration about which land that meant , there was no solid news until September , when Apple announced partnership with O2 in the United Kingdom and T - Mobile in Germany . In October , France became the fourth country when Apple struck a deal with mobile provider Orange . As we move into 2008 , rumors extend unabated for Apple ’s passel in state including China , Japan , and Australia ; there remains no intelligence to date for U.S. neighbor Canada and Mexico .
It’s a lock
Perhaps the most controversial event surrounding the iPhone was the undivided kinship between Apple and AT&T. When buying iPhone , consumers had to concur to use AT&T as the exclusive service supplier , signing a two - year contract with the telecom giant .
To nobody ’s surprise , efforts to untether the machine from Apple ’s cellular partner began in earnest as soon as the phone was released . Thefirst major developments came in early Septemberwhen a number of commercial and undecided seed ventures began to release applications to disassociate the iPhone and AT&T.
The payoff unfeignedly number to a head when Apple release the 1.1.1 package update for the iPhone . In the days before dropping the update , Apple fired a warning shot , suggest that there was the electric potential for iPhones that had been unlocked to become inoperable once the software update was apply . This ignited a passionate argument amongst iPhone users on whether or not it was within Apple ’s rights , but as hackers eventually come up ways to regenerate bricked iPhonesandhack the novel software versions , the furor finally died down .
Meanwhile , a brief fuss uprise across the Atlantic whentelecom provider Vodafone sue T - Mobile , say that its exclusive deal with Apple in Germany was against the law . T - Mobile briefly offered a more expensive unlocked version of the iPhone in Germany , but a court eventually uphold the company ’s mint with Apple , and the unlocked choice was apace send away . Meanwhile in France , Orange was want to deal an unsecured translation of the iPhone in France due to that nation ’s laws , also at a significant agio from the locked model .
The price is wrong
Another iPhone controversy arose from Apple ’s desire to stoke holiday sales of its nomadic gimmick . At the same September event that introduced new iPods ( which we ’ll search in groovy depthbelow , Steve Jobs declare a $ 200 price cutting off on the 8 GB iPhone ; Apple also dropped the 4 GB manakin . “ We desire to make iPhone even more affordable for even more masses this vacation time of year , ” the Apple CEO announce .
That news was n’t well - get by other adopters of the iPhone , some of whom stood in course for hours to buy a $ 599 phone that , just two months by and by , could be had for $ 399 . Apple chance itself the mark of scathing unfavorable judgment from many sources , fromSteve Wozniakto a New York woman who really filed suit over the price cut . In a move to stay the indignation , Jobsposted an open letter on Apple ’s site that offered a $ 100 store creditto all who had paid the higher price for the iPhone .
New iPods all around
liken to the medium rage surrounding the iPhone , Apple ’s iPod course had a relatively quiet , though no less successful class . For most of the year , the batting order sound unaltered , make unnecessary for a chromatic facelift to the iPod shamble in January that added pink , dark , green , and orange tree models to the introductory silver . Just like the leaves , however , those colouring material were out of party favour by the fall when Apple revise them yet again , adding a red mannikin that donated part of its issue to Polymonium caeruleum van-bruntiae as well as a purple version and slenderly paler green and blue models . But the shamble ’s changes were all strictly decorative : the 1 GB capacity , simple intent , and $ 79 Leontyne Price point remained the same .
modification issue forth much more dramatically to the other existing iPod models in the fall , when Apple held a September press effect with the cryptic tagline “ The beat go on . ” rumor abounded that the phrase was a reference to The Beatles and meant the Fab Four would finally show up on the iTunes Store — but those expect for the Liverpudlian quartet were only to be disappointed yet again .
rather , that outcome introduced the latest iPod nano . Shorter and nester than its forerunner , it boasted video - playing capability and the first major revise to the iPod ’s user interface . Apple even carry off to cram all of that functionality into a package that managed to out - slim the earlier second - generation modelling . uncommitted in the same 4 gibibyte and 8 GB capacity as the 2 G iPod nano , the 3 gramme nano did n’t add much in the way of repositing to the nano line , despite being able to play back video on its sharp 2.5 - inch CRT screen .
Also introduced at the same time as the nano was the gadget ’s big brother , the iPod classic . mean to replace the fifth - generation iPod , the classic disport a black or silver case , while feature the same new cheap user interface as the third - multiplication nano . It also remain the supertanker of the iPod card , with intemperate drive capacities of 80 GB and 160 GB .
While the first run was plague by a figure of quality issues , including loops of crashes and a slow user interface , many of these glitch were presently ironed out in a software package update .
Can touch this
The nano and classic were n’t the only iPods introduced in September . Steve Jobs uncover an entirely new model — one that had been anticipated ever since Apple ’s handheld gadget added video playback . The new model was a widescreen iPod that Apple dub the iPod touch .
uncommitted in 8 GB and 16 GB models , the iPod touch sensation bid many of the same feature as the iPhone , only without the phone capabilities . It offered the same widescreen display and multi - touch interface , though it lacks the loudspeaker system , microphone , and earpiece of the iPhone — and , as it turns out , a numeral of seemingly arbitrary software features too . While Safari was present , there was no Mail coating , and though you could view event in the Calendar app , you could n’t ab initio append or edit those fitting ( that feature was finally added as a bugfix by reading 1.1.2 of the touch ’s computer software , released in November ) .
Some early versions of the iPod trace also ran into a job with their displays in which they parade a “ negative black ” effect that made video recording almost unwatchable , an issue resolved by the 1.1.1 software system update .
Hackers, unite
The iPod touch and iPhone quickly became dearie for both those software program developer face to attempt their hand at the hottest gadget around and consumers who were n’t quenched with the feature of speech that Apple had built in . Initially Apple tell developer to make Web - ground apps for its handheld devices , but many software system makers prefer to compose native code , even if there was n’t an easy or logical direction to get it onto the iPhone .
hack hit a high point in recent August withthe foundation of Installer.app , and installing the vast number of useable apps only became easier with sequential update . Until , that is , Apple released the 1.1.1 iPhone computer software update , which locked out the existing method of installing third - party applications . That set off another round of hacks to restore third - political party apps to the iPhone and iPod touch .
The hacking games figure to come to a stop in 2008 , once Apple releases the prognosticate iPhone Software Development Kit in February .
Milestones met
The iPhone was n’t the only gimmick out of Cupertino to reach a meaning sales mark in 2007 . In April , Apple announced that the 100 millionth iPod was sold , some five - and - a - half age after the music player ’s debut .
The past class also saw the end of some familiar theoretical account . Despite the “ classic ” sobriquet , the new full - size iPod notice the demise of the iPod ’s iconic white exterior . It was n’t the only fatal accident of 2007 , however : the Special Edition U2 iPod ’s beat did n’t go on preceding September either . Finally , Apple ’s foray into the bookshelf securities industry from the premature class , the iPod Hi - Fi , shuffle off this deadly coil as well , descend prey to the plethora of other lineament iPod - compatible talker systems on the market . Inexplicably , the $ 99 leather cases stick in at the same time as the Hi - Fi remain useable from the Apple Store .
Get ready for 2008
How does Apple travel along up such a busy class on the iPhone and iPod fronts ? count for the iPhone to remain in the headlines , as its global mien cover to boom and a newfangled edition featuring high-pitched - speed 3 gramme technology appear sometime during the twelvemonth . ( iPhone partner AT&T promised a 3 thou iPhone in 2008 . )
As for the iPod , expect more of the same from the industry ’s leading euphony player . At this time last class , we saw very little rationality to expect the iPod to loosen its grip on the hearts and minds of consumer ; that seems especially truthful as we head into 2008 .
