When Apple launched its first mobile telephone in 2007, George Bush was still President of the United States, Spain were still nearly-men in international football and Robbie Williams still scoffed at the notion of a reunion with Take That.
The late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs officially announced the iPhone on January 9, 2007, with the touchscreen smartphone going on sale on June 29 of that year.
At the time, Apple was fresh from revolutionising the MP3 market with the iPod, helping to shift the firm from tech geek's best friend to a true household name.
But this rise really took on new vigor after the release of the iPhone, with demand for the handset setting Apple on the path to become one of the most valuable companies in the world.
It is worth noting that Apple's share price hit a then high of $97.80 (?62.77) with the announcement of the first iPhone in 2007, but after five generations of the handset - the iPhone, iPhone 3G (2008), iPhone 3GS (2009), iPhone 4 (2010) and iPhone 4S (2011) - the stock now stands at a staggering $573 (?367.75), valuing Apple at almost $550 billion (?353 billion).
The arrival of the iPad tablet computer in 2010 certainly boosted Apple's fortunes, but it is the iPhone that remains the firm's biggest money spinner.
According to Strategy Analytics, Apple has shipped 250m iPhones to date, collectively generating $150 billion (?96.3 billion) in revenue. The firm sold a staggering 35.1m of the handsets in the second quarter of this year alone.
? PA Images / Paul Sakuma/AP
? PA Images / Richard Drew/AP
Billions more has been earned from the iTunes App Store since it was launched in mid-2008, offering a range of apps and services that have changed the way people live their lives; across entertainment, socialising, productivity, gaming - and, of course, communication.
Alongside Apple, other companies have got very rich off the iPhone, including the photo-sharing app Instagram, which was recently snapped up by Facebook for $1billion (?641.8 million) after less than two years in business.
Fans have shown their devotion to the iPhone in rather usual ways, including an Australian businessman ordering a $3 million (?1.9 million) diamond-encrusted case for his iPhone and Tony Grafton from Essex even marrying his handset - called iRene - in 2010.
But it's not all been plain sailing as there have been various troubles along the way, including the famed 'Antennagate' controversy with the iPhone 4 in 2010 and even instances of handsets spontaneously catching fire last year.
As Apple prepares to launch the next generation of the iPhone later in the year, we recap some of the greatest moments so far in the story of this iconic technology product.
Steve Jobs ushers in a new era by unveiling the first Apple iPhone during his keynote address at MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, January 9, 2007.
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Copyright: PA Images Paul Sakuma/AP
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