iPhone 3G and the App Store
Apple launched the iPhone 3G with 3G connectivity and the App Store, transforming the iPhone from a device into a platform.
On July 11, 2008, Apple released the iPhone 3G alongside the App Store, which launched with 500 applications. The iPhone 3G added faster cellular connectivity and GPS, but the real revolution was the App Store — a curated marketplace where third-party developers could distribute software directly to iPhone users. Within nine months, over 25,000 apps were available and users had downloaded over one billion apps. The App Store created an entirely new economy: indie developers could reach millions of users overnight, and categories from gaming to productivity to health were transformed. The model was so successful that Google, Microsoft, and others quickly followed with their own app stores.
More in Science & Technology
Cambrian Period
The Cambrian explosion saw the rapid diversification of most major animal phyla, fundamentally transforming life on Earth.
~570 BCEBirth of Pythagoras
Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and philosopher, was born on the island of Samos.
~340 BCEAristotle's Contributions to Science and Philosophy
Aristotle made groundbreaking arguments for a spherical Earth and laid the foundations of logic, science, and Western philosophy.
c. 300 BCELibrary of Alexandria Founded
The most famous library of the ancient world was established in Egypt.