For me it is hard to remember life before the iPhone. Friday, July 29th 2012, marked 5 years since the first iPhone went on sale. I remember the day clearly, I got off work and told my wife that I was going to see what was going on at the AT&T store. At $600 it was not really an impulse buy, but I ended up coming home with two (I did return one the next week).

So how did I celebrate the iPhone’s birthday? I didn’t do anything special, I just did what I do every single day… I made sure that my iPhone was never more than a foot away from me, I checked mail, I sent texts, played games, got some new apps, took some pictures/videos, browsed the web, and even talked on the phone.

When Apple announced the iPhone in January of 2007 no one knew what to think, it was a whole new direction for Apple in a relatively new market. 5 short years later it has completely changed the cell phone industry. Both in design and what we use our phones for. Don’t believe me? Check out the picture below for a before and after picture.

Or read this article from the LA Times with some great comments from some big names in tech from 2007 before the iPhone was released.

Or read this article on RazorianFly with a great infographic.

Or watch this great video CultofMac put together about the last 5 years for a quick history lesson.

I hear a lot of discussion in the tech world about how human years translate into tech years. All I can say is in 5 years the iPhone has grown up and made a difference…

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