If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- Have you ever wondered why the story of your iPhone begins in the dangerous depths of a Bolivian mine and ends in a top-secret laboratory?
- Did you know that many of the iPhone’s most iconic features weren't actually invented by Apple, but were adapted from forgotten military tech and obscure inventors?
- Are you curious about the high-stakes 'Project Purple' and the extreme lengths Apple engineers went to while building a device that would change the world forever?
Listen to The One Device — Free Audiobook
Loading player...
Key Takeaways from The One Device
- Discover why Steve Jobs wasn't the sole visionary behind the iPhone, and learn about the secret team of Apple engineers who actually pioneered its multitouch interface.
- Uncover the hidden human cost behind modern consumer technology, including the harsh realities of South American mines and Chinese mega-factories.
- Trace the surprising century-old history of mobile devices, starting from a 1910 Swedish car phone to IBM's bulky 1990s smartphone.
- Understand how the 1970s oil crisis inadvertently sparked the creation of the iPhone's battery by pushing scientists to develop stable, rechargeable lithium-ion technology.
- Learn why Apple initially viewed the iPhone camera as an afterthought, and how it evolved from an inferior two-megapixel lens into an indispensable 200-part module.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from The One Device
Mind Map
The One Device
Origins & True Inventors
Beyond Steve Jobs
Historical Precursors
Core Technologies
Lithium-Ion Battery
Camera & Selfies
Siri & AI
The Human Cost
Mining Raw Materials
Factory Exploitation
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 8
Who initiated the early development of the iPhone's multi-touch and user interface technology?
The One Device — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: The iPhone transformed technology, and its story goes far beyond Steve Jobs.
Chapter 3: The first mobile phone is a hundred years old, but cell phones only took off in the 1980s.
Chapter 4: The iPhone’s rechargeable battery exists thanks to long years of research and experimentation.
Chapter 5: The selfie has been around for ages, but the iPhone’s camera made it mainstream.
Chapter 6: Early versions of the iPhone’s AI technology were developed decades earlier.
Chapter 7: The raw materials inside your iPhone bring immense human suffering.
Chapter 8: The components inside your iPhone are built by exploited laborers.
The One Device Summary & Overview
The One Device (2017) lays out the history of what may be the most important piece of technology on the market: the Apple iPhone. From an interview with an IBM engineer to the frightening depths of a Bolivian mine, Merchant takes us everywhere and explains how the iPhone was born and what it means for the world.
Who Should Listen to The One Device?
- Tech geeks and gadget nerds
- Lovers of technological history
- iPhone users
Books Similar to The One Device
Readers who enjoyed this also liked these titles.
The Idea Factory
★ 4.4 / 5 • 37 ratingsBell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation
Becoming Steve Jobs
★ 4.4 / 5 • 147 ratingsThe Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader
Losing The Signal
★ 3.7 / 5 • 11 ratingsThe Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry
Dogfight
★ 4.5 / 5 • 22 ratingsHow Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution