Apple created the iPhone, which was introduced in 2007.
Apple announced the original iPhone on January 9, 2007, and released it in the United States on June 29 of that year. The device combined a mobile phone, an iPod-style music player, and an internet communicator with a multi-touch interface. Its design helped accelerate the shift toward smartphones controlled primarily through touchscreens.
The App Store arrived in 2008, allowing outside developers to distribute software directly to iPhone users. Over time, the iPhone became the central product in Apple’s hardware ecosystem and supported additional businesses such as services, accessories, and wearable devices.
The iPhone was not the first smartphone, and Apple was not the first company to sell an internet-connected mobile phone. Its importance came from the combination of hardware, software, interface design, and an expanding developer ecosystem.