When Apple announced the iPhone in 2007, it rocked the world. Today we can still feel the influence of the game-changing device.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since the original iPhone hit store shelves. In that time, smartphones have gone from luxury devices to an essential for everyday life. Here’s a look back at the biggest ways the iPhone changed the world forever.

1. It Was the First Modern Smartphone

When the very first iPhone debuted, it took the world by storm. But contrary to popular belief, the iPhone wasn’t the world’s first smartphone. Whether it was Blackberry, Palm, or Sony Ericsson, other manufacturers had already been producing PDAs and smart devices for years.

While the iPhone wasn’t the world’s first smart device, it was definitely the first modern smartphone. At the time of its release, other manufacturers were still releasing flip phones and devices with slide out keyboards. But the iPhone’s design was a complete 180. As a true tribute to minimalism, the original iPhone had a flat design that only featured a single button on the front.

Even when compared to other touch screen phones of its day, the original iPhone was revolutionary. Instead of being operated with a clunky stylus, the iPhone was designed to be used with just your fingertip. Allowing the user to use the phone naturally and intuitively.

The original iPhone’s design was revolutionary then, and 15 years on, the latest phones from Apple are still an evolution of the first iPhone design.

2. It Put the Internet in Our Pockets

These days, it’s hard to imagine a world where we don’t start our day by checking iPhone notifications and scrolling through our social feeds. But before the iPhone, the way most people accessed the internet was through their home computer. Simpler times for sure.

Without the iPhone, it would have been impossible for the internet to make such a big impact on our lives. Imagine having to go home and log into a computer every time you wanted to check your email, or having to use your laptop every time you wanted to search something online. Life just wouldn’t be the same.

These days, we’re constantly connected to the web. We’re so connected in fact, that many people even get physically uncomfortable when they’re separated from their phone or lose cell service.

For many people, especially in developing countries, the smartphone may have been the first device they owned that could access the web, or it might have been their first exposure to the internet at all. The iPhone paved the way for more people than ever to have access to the internet.

3. It Turned All of Us Into Photographers

When the original iPhone launched, it shipped with a 2MP rear camera. That’s it. No telephoto lens, macro lens, or wide angle to be found. The original iPhone didn’t even have a selfie camera. It couldn’t even record video.

But it was a big deal at the time.

To put that into perspective, the Motorola Razr V3, which many people considered the king of phones, only had a 0.3 megapixel camera. The camera that shipped on the original iPhone was a huge leap forward. Today we’re used to being able to take high quality pictures and videos anywhere we go. But imagine how different the last decade would have been without selfies, without food pictures, or without Instagram.

Putting a camera into everyone’s pocket did more than entertain us, it also shaped world events. From having live coverage of major events to being able to record interactions with law enforcement, since the iPhone’s release there have never been more photos and videos circulating the world.

4. It Shaped Modern Social Media

Social media today is dominated by phones. Although you can log into most social media platforms from a computer, the vast majority of people access social media through mobile devices.

If you were on Myspace or Friendster, you know social media existed before the iPhone, but it wasn’t social media as we know it today. People weren’t posting live or hourly updates, most people were logging on once a day, or even once a week. Can you imagine how much different Twitter would be if people had to drive home and log into their computer every time they wanted to tweet? Would Instagram even exist if people didn’t have the ability to snap photos anywhere and upload them just seconds later?

Although the iPhone isn’t the only way to access social media, it’s still the most popular. Many people’s first exposure to social media was from an iPhone, and more than a few social media platforms started life as apps created for the iPhone. So whether you’re a social media addict or have sworn off it completely, there’s no question that modern social media wouldn’t exist without the iPhone.

5. It Made Apple the World’s Most Valuable Company

Before the iPhone, Apple was doing OK. After a slump in the 90s that almost ended in bankruptcy, Steve Jobs had started to turn the company around. By 2006, Apple was riding a wave of success from products like the iPod and iMac. But it still wasn’t the giant that it is today.

All of that changed when Apple launched the iPhone.

Jobs knew that future success for Apple was going to come through innovation and new products, not just capitalizing on past successes. And he was right. The iPhone sold 270,000 units in just the first 30 hours of sales. Fast-forward to today and Apple is the largest company on Earth by market cap. And the iPhone is Apple’s biggest seller by far.

The World Will Never Be the Same

Smartphones have not been without their fair share of criticism, but no one can deny the impact of the phone that started it all. The iPhone made us more connected than ever and fueled a wave of innovation that put a smartphone into everyone’s pocket.

For better or worse, the iPhone has changed the world forever.