Publish Date: Nov. 12, 2007
Cover Story: Invention of the Year: The iPhone
How TIME Covered the News: In retrospect, it seems like a no-brainer: Apple’s dominance in the music player (iPod) and computer (iMac) markets fueled its next product expansion: the mobile phone. In June of 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs released the iPhone, sparking a frenzy among Apple fanatics and endless press coverage. A few months later, the iPhone was singled out as the year’s most prominent invention, when it took center stage on the cover of TIME:
“Most high-tech companies don’t take design seriously. They treat it as an afterthought. Window-dressing. But one of Jobs’ basic insights about technology is that good design is actually as important as good technology. All the cool features in the world won’t do you any good unless you can figure out how to use said features, and feel smart and attractive while doing it. “