Ten years ago, Apple started a revolution in technology.
The iPhone brought the smartphone to the masses and, in doing so, transformed five key industries—personal computing, telecommunications, film and TV, gaming, and healthcare.
Apple upended the PC market by creating a mobile computer that could fit in a customers’ pocket (i.e. not a laptop). Since its release, PC sales went from 400 million per year to about 290 million, according to Time.
With mobile computing came the need for data, which shifted the telecommunications business away from traditional landlines. Instead of minutes, companies like AT&T and Verizon now offer bundles around entertainment and information.
That in turn led streaming services to become an answer to the market for mobile video delivery created by the iPhone. Since 2007, film and television studios have expanded their offerings to include some form of downloading or streaming option.
The iPhone also expanded the boundaries of the gaming market to customers that would’ve never purchased a console. Time reports Pokemon Go was downloaded 750 million times compared to the Mario franchise’s lifetime sales of 500 million.
Apple’s phone also has offered people a wealth of information about their health that they never had before, which can easily be shared with doctors and insurance companies. This sector was really the last to be affected and it’s only just beginning. Who knows where it will go over the next ten years?
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