2007 - drop the computer - spots of time

Below is a chronological timeline of the year's defining moments, featuring key quotes from Steve Jobs, followed by my own personal thoughts and reflections on experiencing this historic era firsthand.

January 9, 2007 — Macworld San Francisco 2007

Steve Jobs delivers what is widely regarded as the greatest product introduction of all time. He teases the audience by announcing three revolutionary devices: a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a breakthrough internet communications device. He famously repeats the list until the crowd realizes it isn't three separate machines, but one single device: the original iPhone. Jobs states the interface technology is so advanced it is "literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone.""literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone."
The hardware streaming box teased the previous year is officially launched as Apple TV for $299.
To reflect its massive new digital product focus, Jobs announces that after 30 years, "Computer" is officially being dropped from the corporate name—Apple Computer, Inc.

There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we’ve always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very, very beginning. And we always will.

June 11–15, 2007 — WWDC 2007 (San Francisco)

Steve Jobs reveals that the upcoming iPhone will not run traditional third-party software plug-ins. Instead, he tells a deeply frustrated developer audience that they can build "Web 2.0 applications" that run inside the mobile Safari browser framework. This controversial decision triggers an immediate developer backlash and fuels the underground iPhone jailbreaking movement.

The full Safari engine is inside iPhone. And so, you can write Web 2.0 applications that look and behave exactly like native apps on the iPhone. And guess what? There's no SDK required!

June 29, 2007 — The iPhone Goes on Sale

The original iPhone officially hits retail shelves at 6:00 PM local time across the United States. Thousands of consumers camp out on city sidewalks for days outside Apple and AT&T storefronts. The media circus validates the device's immense cultural velocity as it moves 270,000 units in its opening weekend alone. The 4GB model drops at $499, while the 8GB configuration costs $599.

August 7, 2007 — Apple Special Desktop Event (Cupertino)

Apple completely redesigns its flagship consumer desktop line by launching the Aluminum iMac. Ditching white polycarbonate entirely, the new machine wraps its computing architecture inside a premium, professional-grade bead-blasted aluminum and glass frame.
The desktop input environment is overhauled with the release of the ultra-thin, low-profile Apple Wired Keyboard, machined from a single slab of anodized aluminum.

Today we are introducing the new iMac, and it is stunning. We are moving away from the white plastic and adopting professional materials: gorgeous anodized aluminum and professional-grade glass. It is incredibly thin, completely recycling-friendly, and it brings a whole new level of elegance to the desktop.

September 5, 2007 — "The Beat Goes On" Media Event (San Francisco)

To capture the momentum of multi-touch software architecture before the holiday shopping season, Apple launches the iPod touch. Stripping out the cellular radio and phone components of the iPhone, it brings a full widescreen media canvas and native Safari Wi-Fi browsing to mainstream music consumers.
The standard portable lineup is refreshed with the 3rd-Generation iPod nano (affectionately nicknamed the "Fatty" nano due to its wide, short screen built to support video playback) and the iPod classic, which caps off the traditional hard-drive spinning lineage by packing a massive 160GB of storage.
Steve Jobs addresses massive consumer outrage regarding a sudden $200 price cut to the 8GB iPhone just two months after launch by issuing a public apology and distributing $100 store credits to all early adopters.

The iPod touch is one of the seven wonders of the tech world. It is incredibly thin—just 8 millimeters. But it’s not just a great music and video player. Because it has Wi-Fi and Safari built right in, it is a breakthrough mainstream internet computer that fits right in your pocket. It is the perfect companion device.

What is there left to say about the greatest product introduction of all time? While I wasn't at the Moscone Center in person on January 9, 2007, I was glued to the screen, watching the keynote live from my apartment in Orlando, Florida. But looking back, a fascinating piece of history gets completely overshadowed by the iPhone's debut. Following the tantalizing "iTV" teaser from the previous autumn, the Apple TV was officially unveiled at that exact same event. I often wonder how many people immediately forgot it even existed the moment Steve Jobs uttered the words "a revolutionary mobile phone"—but I certainly didn't.

Right alongside the iPhone, my defining memories of this era revolve around coming home from work and powering on that first-generation silver Apple TV. At that point in time, I had completely abandoned traditional cable, opting instead for a pristine, high-speed internet connection. My setup was an early cord-cutter's dream: I left my matte black MacBook powered on and online 24/7, serving as a dedicated media server that downloaded television shows and movies in the background.

More than just commercial media, I was deeply invested in the podcasting explosion, subscribing to dozens of audio and video podcasts. During those years, Leo Laporte’s This Week in Tech (TWiT) was the cultural equivalent of my father’s Sunday New York Times—an absolute, unmissable weekly ritual. The Apple TV was the missing link, freeing all of that digital content from the confines of my laptop display and allowing me to consume everything from the comfort of my living room couch.

Nearly two decades later, that habit has barely changed. Today, I still have an Apple TV hooked up to every single screen in my home. And honestly, outside of the addition of YouTube—which eventually replaced the need for manual podcast syncing—the core behavior remains exactly the same: it is still the central hub I use to consume music, movies, and television shows.

When the iPhone launch date finally arrived on June 29, I committed completely, planting myself in line a staggering 24 hours before the doors were scheduled to open. Luckily, I didn’t have to pull the entire marathon alone; my friend Nick split the shift with me, arriving first thing in the morning to take over the spot so I could head back to my apartment and catch a few hours of much-needed sleep.

By the time the countdown hit zero, we were technically fifth in line, but through some chaotic stroke of luck, we ended up being the very first customers to walk out of the Apple Store at The Mall at Millenia with iPhones in hand. There is actually still a video up on YouTube to this day that perfectly captures the exact moment we walked through those glass doors and emerged victorious with the future of computing.

So yes, I absolutely love my iPhone. It earned its title as the greatest technology product of all time. But while few people would ever think to include the Apple TV on that same legendary list, I definitely would.