Apple began developing a phone in 2004 under the codename Project Purple, assembling a team of about 1,000 people led by Tony Fadell, Scott Forstall and Jony Ive. Steve Jobs pushed the project away from a tablet and toward a phone. Apple built the device in secret with Cingular Wireless, which gave Apple unusual freedom to design hardware and software in-house. Jobs unveiled the first iPhone on January 9, 2007, and it went on sale on June 29 at US$499. Its multi-touch screen and four buttons set a new standard for the modern smartphone.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.