How Did the iPhone Start the Smartphone Explosion?

Five years ago we still had smartphones. Blackberry, Nokia, and Palm led a smartphone race that was largely regulated to the corporate world. And then on January 9, 2007, something happened - the iPhone was introduced. Suddenly the world went from having cell phones to having computers in their pocket.

The iPhone itself was a technological marvel. From its innovative touch screen to the seamless integration of iTunes, the iPhone simply outclassed its competition. But the real victory was in Apple’s decision to create an operating system that easily supported third party applications.

Not only did Apple provide an easy way to onboard applications, but they also gave developers a well documented software development kit (SDK) to create the applications, and a market to deploy them. Currently there are over 200,000 iPhone applications on the market.

The embrace of the third party application changed the face of mobile devices. Three and a half years later, Blackberry has given up its spot as the top smartphone OS, Nokia only maintains a stronghold in India, and Palm has virtually disappeared. Now Apple and Android rule the smartphone market, their success largely driven by their application markets. And the smart phone isn’t just for the corporate world anymore - it is quickly becoming the standard among new phone purchases.

How did the iPhone start the smartphone explosion? By giving us more than just a phone. They gave us a computer.  And the mobile world hasn’t been the same since.