Five years of iPhone

As the iPhone and iPad become an ever bigger and more important tool for physicians - including pathologists - it is interesting to ponder five years of iPhone:

Five years ago today, Steve Jobs unveiled the new iPhone at Macworld Expo. The company has since delivered five generations of new hardware and iOS software as its mobile competitors have scrambled to defend their positions and take share back.

Jobs started his keynote with the words, "We're going to make some history together today...  This is a day I've been looking forward to for two and a half years.".

"Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything. One is very fortunate if you get to work on just one of these in your career. Apple has been very fortunate that it's been able to introduce a few of these into the world. In 1984 we introduced the Macintosh. It didn't just change Apple, it changed the whole industry. In 2001 we introduced the first iPod, and it didn't just change the way we all listened to music, it changed the entire music industry," Jobs said.

"Well today, we're introducing three revolutionary new products! The first one is a widescreen iPod with touch controls," Jobs said to applause. "The second is a revolutionary new mobile phone," he added to even more fervent applause. "And the third is a breakthrough internet communications device," to which the audience continued to applaud with less certainty.

"So, three things," Jobs said, repeating each of the three. He then repeated all three again, as his backdrop animated between an iPod icon, a Phone icon and the Safari icon. "Are you getting it?" Jobs asked. "These are not three separate devices! This is one device. And we are calling it iPhone. Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone. Here it is."

At this point, five years later, to say the iPhone has changed everything is nearly an under-statement; not only are iPhones and iPads everywhere, but the technology has influenced a huge industry of competitors including Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Phone, RIM's Blackberry, Nokia, and Palm (now HP) just to name a few.  Tablets have become by far the fastest growing segment of the computer industry.  Where will be in five years?  Hard to say, but we can be sure iPhones and iPads are here to stay, and will become ever more promiment in Healthcare applications.