Everything the iPhone replaced

When the iPhone was announced 10 years ago, it reinvented the phone. But in doing so, it has taken the place of so many other products.

As part of Cult of Mac’s collaboration with Wired UK to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, we’ve taken a look at everything the iPhone replaced in 2007. Check out the video below to see how much changed thanks to one device.

iPod/MP3 players

Back in 2007, Apple was only really known to creatives due to the Mac, and to everyone else through the iPod. The iPod and MP3 players in general were B-I-G. Everyone had one. The iPod helped turn around Apple’s fortunes in the early 2000s, and introduced the tech company to new customers. By cannibalizing it with the iPhone, Apple pulled the trigger before another company could.

Blackberry/Mobiles

Before the iPhone, Blackberry was the mobile device everyone wanted. You could browse the internet and access email using a real, no-fooling keyboard. Although there was concern over whether the iPhone’s virtual keyboard would make it a worthy replacement, ultimately its then-huge 3.5-inch touch screen made it the best phone for browsing the web, answering your emails and listen to your music.

SatNav/GPS

Long before Apple Maps arrived, the iPhone launched with Google Maps. Okay, so it didn’t have turn-by-turn options for whilst driving, but this was the beginning of the end for many GPS and Satellite Navigation units. If you’ve already got your phone on you, which has the ability to provide maps, why do you need yet another device to give you directions?

These days, unless it’s built into your car, nobody really buys them.

Calculator

The first calculator made by Texas Instrument practically cost as much as an iPhone when it was released back in ??. Today, it’s just one app of many. It’s not quite so much fun to turn it upside down to spell out rude words, though.

Voice Recorder

Yup, there’s an app for that too. Ten years ago, we used dedicated voice recorders to record lectures, keep audio diaries, or just about anything that required an audio record. Though you can still find voice recorders for sale, the iPhone and its stock voice memos app pretty much killed sales on recorders.

Alarm Clock/Radio

Since you’re probably the type that checks messages first thing in the morning, you probably rise and shine to your iPhone, thanks to its native alarm clock app and selection of soothing chirps, chimes and other sounds. No more jarring buzz or being startled awake by a frenetic trumpet solo because you set your radio clock to the jazz station.

Point and shoot Cameras

This is arguable the industry disrupted most by the iPhone. Once Apple began fine tuning the quality of its camera, beginning with the iPhone 4s, sales of cameras — particularly points-and-shoots — plummeted as more and more people began to see themselves as creative photographers. The iPhone eliminated the need for technical knowledge. The camera’s software does that heavy lifting.

The iPhone combined with photo editing apps to easily add style filters, while social media platforms like Instagram has changed the way we interact with the world. We not only participate in our lives, but we must also record it in pictures and videos that we then instantly share with family and friends.

Many professional photographers are integrating the iPhone into their work and the camera continues to be an iPhone feature with unlimited growth. For the last two years on Flicker, more pictures were shot with an iPhone than Canon or Nikon.

Handheld games consoles

Before the iPhones, handheld games consoles were everywhere. Gameboys, Sony PSPs and of course, the Nintendo DS. Okay, so the App Store technically wasn’t available until 2008, but with the ability to play mobile games through Safari, and the app store only round the corner – handheld games consoles began to become less popular. Even to this day, there less common to see on a bus or a train, everyone sits there on their iPhones.

Notepads/Address Books/Calendars

You can still find notebooks, address books and calendars in analog form, but the iPhone and its many apps makes those things seem quaint. There are memo apps, the voice recorder app and even a quick email to yourself to jot down reminders. The address book is probably closest to extinct thanks to the Contacts feature on the phone – the iPhone after all is a phone – which gives spaces for two different numbers, email plus a notes section that could be used to jot down details, like Twitter handles.

The calendar app or having your phone sync with Google calendar reminds you of all your appointments, though if you just are trying to remember the date, your iPhone home screen is good for that.

Newspapers and Magazines

With the iPhone being a great way to surf the web, more and more people began reading their news online. And nowadays publications are create mobile apps for readers to catch up on the news. Because you can zoom in with a simple thumb-and-index-finger gesture on the iPhone screen, reading a newspaper can be even less of a strain on the eyes than trying to focus on 9 point type. Apple also got in on the news business with its own app, allowing users to curate based on interests.