The iPhone turns ten!

The iPhone turns ten! 

The first iPhone went on sale on June 29th ten years ago in 2007, this essentially kicked off the era of the new smartphone. Apple had created a real buzz around this new mobile device which caused huge crowds of people queuing outside Apple stores to buy this new-fangled device.  

It is funny to believe that the first incarnation of the iPhone didn’t have app functionality, 3G or even the facility of copy and paste – but it was a revolution in the mobile phone world.

Technology writer David Pogue wrote in The New York Times that “…even in version 1.0, the iPhone is still the most sophisticated, outlook-changing piece of electronics to come along in years”

Gamechanger

Since its initial launch in 2007, the iPhone has almost doubled in prices (despite having a hefty price tag way back when) , it has almost doubled in screen size and is one of the most popular and most used smartphones all over the world (with Apple selling 212 million in 2016 alone)

Over the last ten years, we have seen subsequent releases from the original iPhone (known at the Apple iPhone) followed by the iPhone 3G which arrived one year later in 2008, this was largely identical to the first iPhone but had 3G (3G!) 

One year later, the big brother of the 3G came along in the guise of the iPhone 3GS – Apple had taken the 3G iPhone and had double the RAM and improved its processing capabilities. 

Facetime

Fast forward one year to 2010, when Apple took the combination of power and design to the next level with the iPhone 4.  Here a retina display was introduced as was a forward-facing camera of which you could enjoy a feature called Facetime!

Apple followed up with the iPhone 4S which was considered to be one of the best smartphones of its time.  Despite being of a similar spec to the iPhone 4, the 4S was also faster and had the bonus of having Siri as a personal assistant.

Faster Technology

The iPhone 5 was the first mobile phone released with Steve Jobs at the helm (after he had sadly passed away in 2011) Apple took things to the next level with faster technology and a larger 4-inch display yielding a 1136 x 640 resolution. It was very positively received thanks to its style and performance.  The iPhone 5C and the 5S quickly followed in 2013 – were they any significant changes? Not really – The 5C was essentially the same as the iPhone 5 but came with a plastic body, whereas the iPhone 5S demonstrated more changes such as introducing Touch ID in lieu of the home button.

Larger screens

In 2014, the iPhone 6 was release and we saw an increase in size to a 4.7-inch screen with 326ppi, the 6 was also the first Apple iPhone to incorporate Apple Pay too. This was closely followed by the iPhone 6S in 2015, where improvements were made to the iPhone’s battery and overall performance, an enhanced camera and the (much larger!) iPhone 6S Plus which had a whopping 5.5 inches display.

For Apple fans who didn’t have the budget to go for the latest iPhone 6, Apple released the more cost effective Apple iPhone SE, is was a solid, cheaper version of the original iPhone 5 models but had some functionality from the iPhone 6.

Headphone jacks

The last iPhone release was the iPhone 7 and this release resulted in mild controversy when Apple took the decision to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack. However, despite this, the iPhone 7 remains a state-of-the-art smartphone. With the iPhone 7 Plus also being deserving of its many accolades.

Evolution

We have seen the iPhone evolve over the last ten years, with every release promising bigger and better functionality and aesthetics. If we look at how far the iPhone has ‘grown’ in the last ten years, you will see that the iPhone 7 is around 256 times more powerful than the original iPhone with regards to its processing capabilities.  If this can be achieved in the iPhone’s first decade, what could be made possible during the second decade?

The future

What can we expect from our smartphones in the next ten years? The iPhone 8 is due to be the next Apple release and initial rumours are proving to be very interesting! Have we reached a technological wall or is there still more to come? Could we see greater use of AI and wearable technologies?  Could we be linking these wearable technologies such as AR glasses that means that your iPhone is used primarily for powering these technologies and is used less than a traditional smartphone is now.

Reference: PocketLint

Image Credit: Stuff

Town & Country Communications are the experts in providing affordable and reliable business mobile phone deals, business phone systems and merchant services. As a family-run business with over 20 years of industry experience, our knowledgeable team can analyse your existing communication contracts and find you the lowest prices with the best possible service.