Steve Jobs Once Tossed the Original iPhone Across a Room to Impress Journalists

Tuesday marks 10 years since Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away, and those who met him have begun to share stories about his life.

steve jobs holding iphone 4
CNET's Roger Cheng today recounted his memory of Jobs visiting The Wall Street Journal's headquarters in New York to offer him and a small group of other reporters an early look at a prototype iPhone, shortly after the device was unveiled in 2007.

Cheng revealed that when one reporter asked about the iPhone's durability, Jobs reacted by tossing the prototype he was holding into the air toward the center of the room, resulting in a small gasp followed by immediate silence as the device hit the carpeted floor. Cheng said the iPhone survived unscathed, adding that the move was the kind of calculated risk that Jobs was known to take as a showman.

"The memory underscores the kind of lengths Jobs went to in order to make an impression," wrote Cheng. "Imagine how disastrous it would've been if that iPhone had broken or shut down in front of so many journalists."


Jobs famously introduced the original iPhone as if it were three separate products: a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a breakthrough internet communications device. The crowd at Macworld San Francisco erupted with cheerful applause upon realizing that Jobs was referring to a single device.

Jobs passed away October 5, 2011 at the age of 56. Apple maintains a Remembering Steve page on its website with messages from people all over the world.

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...

Top Rated Comments

edolecki Avatar
49 months ago
I basically owe my career to this man and his company. I won’t lie, I cried that entire evening when I heard the news. Rest easy Steve.
Score: 64 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WaffleBoi_15 Avatar
49 months ago
“Original iPhone”

uses a pic of the iPhone 4
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sciomar Avatar
49 months ago
Love him or hate him, he was a true visionary whose influence spanned further than just tech. A lot of companies wouldn't be what they are today (or even exist) without this man.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
abowlby Avatar
49 months ago
Golly does time fly. Those old Jobs keynotes were like major sporting events for us nerds. If you watch the OG iPhone announcement you can see someone down front literally stand up and fist pump when Jobs says “these are not 3 separate products…”

Heres to the crazy ones.

Edit: Someone pointed out in the comments that the fist pump occurs when Steve mentions the "phone" component specifically, which is correct. My memory needs an upgrade ;)
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Analog Kid Avatar
49 months ago

"Imagine how disastrous it would've been if that iPhone had broken or shut down in front of so many journalists."
It would be almost as bad as throwing a steel ball at the "armor glass" window of your fancy new pickup truck and having it shatter. Twice.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
krspkbl Avatar
49 months ago
it's insane just how important the iphone was. if you had to pick a single product that changed human lives (in the last couple decades) it's the iphone. i don't want to sound like an insane apple fanboy but seriously... where would the world be if smartphones didn't become popular and apps didn't exist in their current form.

i'd like to see that alternative timeline just out of curiosity. i know there were "smartphones" before iPhone but there just weren't the same. iPhone really kicked it off. that thing blew my mind when it came out. an ipod that could make calls and go on the internet? i remember going into an apple store after school and calling my dad "i'm using an iphone!" lol
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)