When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007, the internet was typically tethered to a desk. You had to use your bulky desktop computer to get online, and as soon as you walked away, you were offline again. But the development of smartphones — along with the rollout of broadband internet, greater access to WiFi, and data plans — ensured people could always be online.
At the time, Apple’s pitch focused on how the device would enable users to read their emails, browse the web, and listen to music on the go. Compared to everything we use our phones for now — from ordering food to finding our way through new cities — Apple’s initial pitch sounds quaint. Once the vast realm of the internet went mobile, it started infiltrating all parts of our lives. Today, 97% of Americans report having a smartphone and 58% believe they use them too much.
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