Apple’s First iPhone Launched In The U.S. 17 Years Ago Today, With Off-Duty Police Officers Hired To Prevent Theft At The Company’s Physical Outlets

Steve Jobs officially unveiled the first iPhone on January 9, 2007, with its development rumored to have kicked off in 2005 under a highly secretive collaboration of Apple engineers and designers. While the press and everyone else present during the grand unveiling was in complete awe of the device showcased by Jobs, it took several months for the company to actually bring it to retail outlets across the United States. Thankfully, the first release in the country happened on January 29, and we take a stroll down memory lane and look back at an event that transpired 17 years ago, which changed the course of an entire industry.

Despite its ludicrous starting price of $499 at the time, thousands of customers were waiting outside Apple’s retail outlets to grab the first iPhone

The first iPhone’s release would not have been possible without Apple signing a deal with Cingular Wireless, which is now a part of AT&T. The development cost was said to have cost $150 million, with Apple possessing the liberty to develop the iPhone’s hardware and software by its talented teams. However, nearly a month and a half before its release, the handset’s plastic screen was replaced by glass, as the prototype in Steve Jobs’ possession was easily scratched by his keys, gravely upsetting him. With Foxconn handling the manufacturing, all the pieces were in the right place.

On January 29, 2007, the first iPhone arrived in the United States, starting from $499 for the 4GB storage version and $599 for the 8GB variant. In retrospect, that was a massive sum to splurge over a smartphone, but the price did not prevent thousands from waiting for hours outside of Apple’s retail outlets to pick up one of these. The iPhone surged in popularity with such ferocity that reports were quickly doing the rounds, stating that stock ran out within the first hour of availability. Thousands of potential buyers also increased the risk of theft, which is why Apple stationed off-duty police to guard the stores at night.

After all, the company was well aware of the PlayStation 3 launch, and the absence of security personnel resulted in burglaries. The first week saw approximately 270,000 iPhones sold, and after just 74 days, the technology giant shipped the one-millionth unit. By October 2007, the iPhone became the fourth best-selling handset in the United States, and to get more customers excited, a 16GB storage was introduced on February 5, 2008, for $499, which was the original price of the 4GB model. Finally, the first model was discontinued later that year, with the device cementing its position as a commercial success by garnering more than six million sales.

As most of you know, the rest is history. Apple is currently prepping its iPhone 16 launch later this year, with the four models sporting specifications and features that dwarf the original model by miles. However, if the first one had not materialized, our future would not have looked like it does at right now.