Steve Jobs once launched a prototype iPhone to impress a room full of journalists

Mention Steve Jobs and most people will imagine him in his blue jeans and black turtleneck, performing on stage at one of Apple’s events, a iPhone in the hand. But for me, the name recalls the memory of Original black and silver iPhone leaving Jobs’ hand, soaring through the air and hitting the ground with a snap in a room full of reporters.

It was months before the iPhone went on sale, shortly after Jobs unveiled the revolutionary smartphone in January 2007. Jobs visited the Wall Street Journal headquarters, then in Manhattan’s World Financial Center, to give more than two dozen editors and reporters a glimpse of the device. It was there that he asked about the gadget, someone questioning its durability.

Jobs’ response: tossing the preview model he was holding up in the air towards the center of the room, eliciting a small hiccup, then fell silent as it hit the floor (carpet).

Memory emphasizes lengths The works are gone in order to make an impression. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Jobs’ death, players in the tech industry began to pay homage by sharing stories and memories of the tech powerhouse, a visionary who turned many industries upside down and changed the way we interact with our mobile devices. It was mine.

As a New York-based telecom reporter, I’ve rarely had the chance to attend Apple events, including the MacWorld where Jobs unveiled the iPhone. But my pace meant that I was invited to attend this private session with other editors and reporters of the Journal.

Jobs spent a good part of the session answering general questions about Apple. I will not share what was discussed at the meeting – it was confidential and Jobs insisted that everyone not only turn off and put away their recorders, but also put away their notebooks and pens. Everyone did, eager to see the device.

It wasn’t until he released the iPhone that he was asked about its durability, which prompted the launch. While the phone in his hand was more polished than the original buggy prototype he showcased at MacWorld, now knowing how problem-prone those early units were, his nonchalant throw is even more impressive. Imagine how disastrous it would have been if this iPhone had broken down or died out in front of so many reporters.

The phone, of course, survived unscathed – that carpeted floor is probably the saving grace. His team handed out a handful of other test units that we can play with. Imagine two dozen disguised, professional journalists breaking into small groups and circling phones like school kids around new toys, then moving around to swipe, pinch and otherwise test this then revolutionary capacitive touchscreen.

The iPhone impressed them, just as it did to the public a few months later when it hit the market in June. The device, of course, revolutionized the mobile industry, bringing smartphones into the modern era and injecting a chic element that made them desirable. It remains one of the most revolutionary technologies in history.

The iPhone created the annual phenomenon of fans lining up on launch day at Apple stores and carriers for the latest release. Despite the pandemic, there were even queues outside some Apple stores this year for the iPhone 13. For many, the image of Jobs holding one iteration of the iPhone after another on stage in front of thousands of people is an indelible memory.

But forever etched in my mind is the image of Jobs in that mid-sized boardroom, standing in front of a group of reporters seated around a U-shaped table, taking a calculated risk to impress us – the epitome of the way he ran Apple.