Apple operates the App Store and introduced the iPhone in 2007.
Apple unveiled the first iPhone on January 9, 2007, and released it in the United States on June 29 of that year. The device combined a mobile phone, widescreen iPod, and internet communicator in one product controlled through a multitouch screen.
The App Store opened on July 10, 2008, with 500 applications. It created a formal distribution and payment system for third-party iPhone software and helped turn smartphones into broad software platforms.
The iPhone is often confused with Android phones when people discuss mobile app stores. Apple operates the App Store for its platforms, while Google operates Google Play for Android. Apple's integrated hardware, operating systems, services, and developer ecosystem became a central part of its enormous market value.