I used to be so jealous of characters in "Zoey 101" because they all had super high-tech Sidekick phones and I wanted to be cool like them. As middle school started, I was so envious of all those who had Razor flip phones because I wanted to feel the power of dramatically slamming it shut in a fit of rage. Shows like "iCarly" and "Victorious" gave a preview to the beauty of the iPhone through the invention of the Pear Phone, and from there, I was hooked on the idea of having unlimited information in the palm of my hand.

I got my first phone in 6th grade and I quickly felt my self-confidence rise as I graduated from that one embarrassing email account I made in 4th grade to text messages. It was fun in the beginning, but one can only stay so occupied with a short contact list and limited internet access.

The day I got my first iPhone was the happiest day of my life. I used up my entire data plan in 4 days. The amount of freedom in the palm of my hand was impalpable. There are so many things that are taken for granted with smartphones that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Thank you for allowing me to pretend like I have a text in order to avoid someone I don't want to see. Thank you for letting my plan out my dream wedding with the use of one app. Thank you for giving me access to dating profiles just so that I could gawk at attractive men. Thank you for introducing me to a world of constantly searching for wifi in random coffee shops and stores in the mall. Thank you for answering every question that I've ever asked. Thank you for allowing me to customize your exterior with random colors and textures. Thank you for giving me 'read receipts' so that I can see who is avoiding me and so that others can see the same from me. Thank you for fitting 700 pages of a book into one device instead of wasting paper for a hardback version. Above all, thank you for providing me with a camera that captures more than a mere outline of an image.

It has become inevitable that technology is taking over the world. Laziness is solved with the click of a button. Some say technology is making us less intelligent because every question can be accessed through a simple Google search. Contrarily though, there is such a wide range of resources on an single iPhone that the possibilities are endless. Life is faster, life is simpler, and life is easier.

The first iPhone was released in 2001. In just fifteen short years it progressed from a small touch phone device to a high-tech multi-purpose innovation of a lifetime. I cannot wait to see how different and advanced the gadget will be in the year 2021. iPhones are the foundation of our society and they will continue to be the basis for human life as the world continues to progress.