In 2007 Steve Jobs entered the stage with an iPhone that hardly worked – he was saved by a plan that did not allow any deviations

If you know this story, you may be wondering what jobs went through your head at that moment – we do it too. (Image: Apple.com)

In order to see the next big presentation of Apple, we will probably still have to wait until 2026, because as Apple announced in March, the new version of Siri will be delayed. This time you wanted to avoid such a narrow box as in 2007?

What was in 2007? The presentation of the first iPhone. But what some may not know yet: that the revolutionary device that Steve Jobs performed so confidently was hardly functional at the time (via New York Times).

The narrow line to success: The golden path

The engineers were faced with an enormous problem shortly before the presentation by Steve Jobs: The iPhone prototype was full of mistakes:

• Songs only partially played
• Videos tended to freeze
• The system could crash if actions were not carried out in an exact order
• The limited memory led to the restart of too many simultaneous operations

The solution? A golden path – A precise sequence of actions that jobs had to strictly observed during the presentation. So he was not allowed to show what the device could and had a precise schedule in his head.

As backup, several identical devices were available on the stage, which he could exchange if his model got stuck. The exchange was said to take place without the spectators noticed something.

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In order to make the demonstration smoothly, the Apple engineers also used other numerous tricks:

• Special hardware extracted the screen signal directly from the iPhone for projection
• The WiFi software was modified to operate on Japanese frequencies-outside the US standard area. So disorders were avoided.
• AT&T installed a mobile transmission mast for a stable connection
• The demo devices constantly showed five reception bars, regardless of the actual signal

Apple Intelligence: then as now?

According to an Apple expert, the upcoming new Siri could suffer from problems similar to the iPhone in 2007.

In the WWDC 2024, Apple announced the integration of Apple Intelligence in addition to the redesign of Siri-a AI system that should understand and process personal data such as concert tickets, hotel bookings or calendar entries.

However, like back then, the reality of the vision seems to be behind. The influential Apple expert John Gruber indicated that some of the functions presented may not yet exist.

Would you have thought that the Apple co-founder tricked? Tell us in the comments below!