iPhone history in brief: Ahead of iPhone 15 launch, check out the changes since 2007
05.09.2023 - 15:11
/ tech.hindustantimes.com
In 2007, Apple cofounder and then-CEO Steve Jobs introduced the first-ever iPhone to the world. It was described as a single device that houses the iPod, an internet communicator, and a mobile phone. Today, it is much more than that. It is a powerful computer that can handle high graphics gaming, and video streaming, make payments, detect if your car underwent a crash, and much more. But how did it evolve into this stunning piece of technology that still continues to innovate and stand out from its competitors? Ahead of the iPhone 15 launch, we take a look at the entire history of the iPhone.
Launched during the Apple event after the iconic “One More Thing” phrase that has come to mark Apple events, the original iPhone was a revelation. The 2007 iPhone introduced one big change when compared to the regular “smartphones” of the era – a large touchscreen interface, that could be controlled without a Stylus. It also came without the keypad and just a single Home Button on the front.
It also brought the concept of mobile apps. However, it was not till the iPhone 3G that the App Store came to the iPhone. It had a single rear camera on the device and a 1400mAh battery with a 30-pin charging port, which became iconic at the time.
The smartphone may not feel like much in today's time, but back in the day, it was easily the most attention-grabbing tech product available. But the next year, Apple delivered some features that still continue to be a big part of the modern iPhone.
Even though the original iPhone was innovative, it was not perfect. It was an entirely new product-category in itself and Jobs knew there was a big scope for improvement. Jobs' answer to the problem was 3G. It offered 2-3 times the speed compared to EDGE and it was merciful on the battery life. And Apple decided to make 3G the heart of the second-generation iPhone. So much so that they skipped the number two and named the product iPhone 3G.
But probably the most historic feature that the iPhone 3G received was the App Store. The original iPhone was launched without any third-party apps. But iPhone 3G changed the game with Apple's own third-party application platform which would go on to become the single biggest rival of Google's Android-based Play Store. It also got a price drop from $399 for the original iPhone to $199 for the iPhone 3G.
As a result, it became extremely popular and sold one million units in just the first weekend compared to 74 days for the first-generation iPhone.
The iPhone 3GS improved on the optimization of apps and focused on making the phone smarter. It ran iPhone 3.0 operating system (an early version of iOS). Apple billed it as a device that was twice as fast as its predecessor. The base variant saw another price drop