Apple releases iPhone 3G in Vancouver

Apple announced its new iPhone7 this week, with features that have garnered kudos and criticism in equal parts.

Smartphoneusershave become used to powerful tools available in the palm of their hand, butit wasn't that long ago that the iPhone was heralded as a revolutionary new device that left thousands in awe.

The first iPhone was launched in Canada in 2008, a year after its release in the U.S.The 3G was the first of its kind to combine a phone,internetaccess, theiTunesplatform, and a multitude ofappsto choose from.

That year inVancouver, thousands lined up for hours and slept in the streetsto purchase one of the new devices as they continue todo today.

Other aspects of the launch also appear to have remained the same not surprisingly,one of the biggest stories to come out of the launch of the device was the cost of a phone plan.

Rogers was the only carrier offering the device eight years ago. The company firstlistedthe cost of itsthree-year plan at $100 per month, but it eventually responded to public outcry and dropped the price to $30 for six gigabytes of data.

Rogers' software was so overloaded with the demand, it took the first Vancouver customer more than an hour to get his device activated.