Apple has made a name for itself over the years with the various technological products that the company presents to the world. From the IPhone to the MacBook Pro, Apple has been one of the biggest competitors in the phone and laptop industries. The most notable product from Apple, for most people, has been and continues to be the IPhone.

The first IPhone was released on June 29^th, 2007 after Steve Jobs introduced it to the world in January of the same year. For many, this was the first look into the world of a smartphone. This was not the case by any means, however, with the first smartphone being released in 1992 by IBM. Although it was not the first smartphone, it was the first smartphone of the modern generation. Apple reinvented what a phone looked and felt like. Its performance was revolutionary and it changed the way other companies designed their phones for years to come. Even today, ten years later, there are phone companies that draw on the original IPhone design. One of these companies is Apple itself.

There is always a problem when it comes to new releases with technology. Companies never want to stray to far from their roots for fear of losing customers because they are not used to the new interfaces. People tend to not like change so, therefore, many companies will stick close to the original design of a product. This way companies do not lose customers simply because the customer does not understand or want the newest and latest product. This creates restrictions on what companies are willing to do with their products. The newest product may be the most efficient and technologically advanced but it may be too overwhelming for the general public. This is where Apple comes into play.

In September of 2016, just a few short months ago, Apple released its newest IPhone. The IPhone 7 did not seem to change much from previous models. Of course, there always seems to be an improvement in screen, camera, and battery capabilities with any new phone that hits the market. This is absolutely necessary to keep up with all of the other companies that produce phones constantly. There is one major issue though, with the new IPhones that flood the market every year. They aren’t that different from the last one. Even from a standpoint of sticking to your roots, Apple seems to barely budge from the original design.

The biggest feature that IPhones had before every other phone on the market was Siri, the voice activated assistant. Since then there have not been any blockbuster new features or new interface design upgrades to the IPhone. After acquired Siri in 2010, it was the newest part of the phone industry. Apple did not create Siri; Siri existed in 2007 and was created by a company named SRI International. The acquisition of Siri allowed Apple to become a company that outranked all the others. So why is it that Apple is starting to be caught up to by other companies?

Other companies are gaining ground from a tech standpoint because Apple has release 15 variations of the IPhone since the first in 2007. Other companies, while releasing many phones every year, have many different options as opposed to Apple where it is the IPhone or nothing. This could cause issues for IPhone in the coming years. While IPhones are easy to use and they are familiar to consumers, the lack of innovation could be troublesome for Apple. There are people who will stick with Apple throughout the years simply because it is an IPhone and that is just as good a reason as any to stick with the phone. Its what they know and like. At the end of the day, its just a phone and it comes down to personal preference. Apple has created a great phone that can do things that were unimaginable a decade ago. The IPhone’s value was unmatched when it was first released and now it is time to create a phone again that will be unmatched.

2017 marks the 10^th anniversary of the IPhone and the IPhone 8 will be release in a few short months. If Apple is strategic in this release, the new IPhone will introduce never-before seen features and Apple will be propelled, once again, to the outright leader in the phone industry.