When Steve Jobs launched the Apple iPhone in his keynote speech back in January 2007 the technology world was amazed, excited and revolutionized at once. Touch screen computing was not necessarily a new phenomenon but this provided people to use this technology ever day.
The real benefits of the iPhone beyond it's technological impact was the applications that could be run on it. This was a savvy marketing move by Apple. By allowing developers to build apps for the phone and then sell them, they effectively created a marketplace through which to drive additional revenues to Apple – they take a percentage of the cost of the app with apps ranging from $ 0.99 to $ 100's.
These apps took full advantage of the iPhone's technology providing everything from GPS and tracking applications to translation guides and where to get the cheapest deal on the high street. There is also the abundance of 'humorous' apps like fart applications that act as a virtual woopee cushion.
The iPhone is also a great multimedia device. Whilst the initial camera was broadly mock as being behind the times, being able to review pictures, and more recently video on a wide screen is really impressive. Beyond it's function as a phone it is also an iPod allowing you to listen to music on the go and watch videos on it's glorious screen. The true value of the iPhone is in the wide number of features and functions it provides. From a phone to an mp3 player this piece of technology provides everything under one unit. A truly remarkable piece of technology!