Steve Jobs didn’t invent the iPhone — who really did?

The first iPhone on a branded docking station. Photo: still from video/YouTube

The first iPhone revolutionized the concept of the mobile phone, yet its authorship is often attributed to Steve Jobs alone. In reality, the device was the result of a team of engineers and designers, and Jobs himself initially doubted the project's success.

SlashGear writes about this. 

Truth behind the myth of the sole creator of the iPhone

In the early 2000s, Apple experimented with MP3 players and clamshell designs to expand their capabilities. According to the book The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone" by journalist Brian Merchant, iPod "father" Tony Fadell, engineer Andy Grignon, and Vice President Michael Bell played a key role in shaping the concept of the new phone. They ensured that, rather than gradually improving existing devices, the company created something radically new.

Steve Jobs did not learn about the idea right away and was unenthusiastic about it. He was deterred by agreements with operators like Verizon and AT&T, as well as doubts about mass audience interest. The turning point came when Bell called Jobs. After a long conversation, Jobs allowed Bell to continue working. This resulted in the presentation of the iPhone at MacWorld 2007 in San Francisco.

Steve Jobs with the first iPhone in his hands. Photo: Flickr

The first iPhone sold millions of copies in just a few months, and subsequent models — the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4 — only strengthened its success. Before his death on October 5, 2011, Jobs helped Apple release the iPhone 4S, and he participated in the early development of the iPhone 5, which was released after his death.

Although Jobs made significant contributions to popularizing the device, it would be incorrect to call him the sole creator of the iPhone. Dozens of specialists worked on the revolutionary phone, and without them, the legendary 2007 presentation might not have happened.

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