The Evolution of the Apple iPhone
Last year the iPhone celebrated a decade of evolution – a device that was launched to global fanfare and disbelief in equal measure. At the time stood on a San Francisco stage at MacWorld 2007 Steve Jobs outlined how the iPhone would change the telecommunications sector forever…
“An iPod a phone and an Internet communicator. An iPod a phone … are you getting it? These are not three separate devices this is one device and we are calling it iPhone. Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone and here it is”.
Steve Jobs closed out his speech by saying “The iPod in 2001 changed everything about music and we’re gonna do it again with the iPhone in 2007”. And how right he was proven to be. Today in 2018 Apple have sold in excess of 1.2 billion smartphones and remains the proud owner of the world’s best-selling smartphone ever – the iPhone 8.
A decade on from that 2007 launch and Apple is frantically chasing the new global leaders – Samsung a brand that propelled itself into consumer consciousness with the Note. As it stands this firebrand which has fiercely protected their market lead since 2011 hold 21.9% in market share compared to Apple’s 15.2%.
Here we document the twists and turns of the original smartphone manufacturer – exploring the innovations the missteps and the resounding successes that led Apple to where they are today.
The flagship iPhone: The iPhone 1
Released: Jan 9 2007
Screen”: 3.5”
Camera: 2MP
Ram: 0.1 gb
Memory: 16 gb
Battery: 1400 mah
The iPhone 1 was nothing short of ground-breaking. The model which launched with a price tag of $499 for the 4GB model and $599 for the 8GB model was met with much praise and went on to sell 6.1 million handsets.
“Despite some flaws and feature omissions the iPhone is on balance a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer”.
- Walt Mossberg writing for the Wall Street Journal’s technology column
Yet there were critics out there – most of whom talked about the never-before-seen price ranges. And there were more outspoken critics too such as the then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer…
“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance. It’s a $500 subsidized item”.
iPhone 3G/3GS
Released: Jun 8 2009
Screen”: 3.5”
Camera: 3MP
Ram: 0.25 GB
Memory: 32 GB
Battery: 1219 mAh
12 months after the launch of the flagship iPhone the 3G handset hit the shelves providing for faster connection to 3G-based networks. This model also featured the very first GPS tool – something that Steve Jobs once again correctly foresaw as being a huge future-success.
“Location services is going to be a really big deal on the iPhone. It’s going to explode”.
iPhone 4
Released: Jun 7 2010
Screen”: 3.5”
Camera: 5MP
Ram: 0.5 GB
Memory: 32 GB
Battery: 1420 mAh (7.00h 3g talk time)
The fresh-faced and fully made-over iPhone 4 arrived in 2010 alongside the brand new iOS4. This model brought FaceTime and the very first high-res ‘Retina’ screen. Price points were by now far more accessible for the masses – available at $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model.
iPhone 5
Released: Sep 12 2012
Screen”: 4”
Camera: 8MP
Ram: 1 GB
Memory: 64 GB
Battery: 1440 mAh (8h 3g talk time)
This time around the iPhone was under pressure – with Samsung holding 30.6% market share as compared to Apple’s 24.1% in 2012 Q1.
Their answer to this was the iPhone 5 which featured a 4-inch screen and was announced by Tim Cook as the faster slimmer version of the iPhone 4S. Cook also said that it would be the most significant iPhone model since the flagship iPhone 1 was launched five years previously and the sales figures certainly seemed to back this up with…
Two million units sold in the initial 24 hours of pre-order and…
iPhone 5S/5C
Released: Sep 10 2013
Screen”: 4
Camera: 8MP
Ram: 1 GB
Memory: 32 GB
Battery: 1507 mAh (10h 3g talk time)
For the first time in iPhone history this release saw two models launched – the higher-end 5S (which was available in gold alongside the iconic white and black colours) and the iPhone 5C. There was a $100 price difference between the two with the 5S boasting a more robust 64-bit A7 SoC Touch ID and a shiny new range of fitness apps.
iPhone 6/6 Plus
Released: Sep 9 2014
Screen”: 5.5”
Camera: 8MP
Ram: 1 GB
Memory: 128 GB
Battery: 2915 mAh (24h 3g talk time)
Following in the footsteps of 2013 2014 once again saw the introduction of two models – the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. Both models featured sharper more refined cameras as well as NFC-ready communication.
iPhone 6S/6 Plus
Released: Sep 9 2014
Screen”: 5.5”
Camera: 8MP
Ram: 1 GB
Memory: 128 GB
Battery: 2915 mAh (24h 3g talk time)
The 6S and the 6 Plus arrived in a whirlwind – introducing an innovative feature known as 3D Touch which differentiated actions for slightly different touches. The iPhone 6/6 Plus also featured an upgrade to its 12-mp camera that was now 4-k video capable.
The 6S bagged sales of four million within its first three days of release and went on to sell a total of 60+ million units.
iPhone 7/7 Plus
Released: Sep 7 2016
Screen”: 4.7”
Camera: 12MP
Ram: 2 GB
Memory: 256 GB
Battery: 1960 mAh (14h 3G talk time)
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus brought along better battery life an improved camera and full water protection (for the first time ever the iPhone could survive a fall into the toilet). However the iPhone 7 also saw the audio jack disappear which meant that users had to use the Apple earbuds or use an adapter. And it’s fair to say that this move was pretty controversial (to say the least)…
“It's a bold move from Apple – although calling it 'courageous' during the launch event was a bit much and has led to some warranted memes – and one that could shake up the headphone industry.
For others… it'll be an inconvenience as they'll need to attach the short white dongle to the 3.5mm jack on the end of their headphones in order to plug them into the Lightning port”.
iPhone 8/8 Plus
Released: Sep 12 2017
Screen”: 4.7”
Camera: 12MP
Ram: 2 GB
Memory: 256 GB
Battery: 1821 mAh
The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus had significant facelifts this time around showcasing smart aesthetics in glass and aluminium. The models also featured a Retina HD display and wireless charging while the new A11 processor was described as a marvellous feat of engineering offering industry-leading performance by Ars Technica.
At this point price ranges had been revolutionised. Consumers were spending more than ever before on their smartphones and despite the $699 launch price the iPhone 8 flew off the shelves - and still accounts for around 40% of all current Apple iPhone sales).
iPhone X
Released:
Screen”: 5.8”
Camera: 12MP
Ram: 3 GB
Memory: 256 GB
Battery: 2716 mAh
The iPhone X was Apple’s biggest launch in its history. Purposefully re-designed with their decade in the industry in mind the handset featured an edge-to-edge super retina display biometric security (in place of the Touch ID and Home button) Animoji and its fastest ever processer – which Apple touted as running 600 billion operations per second. The model was also given a new enclosure of glass and stainless steel.
The iPhone X started at $999 for the 64GB version and $1149 for the 256GB model. Ouch. Yet consumers lapped it up – with frantic scenes in shops around the world.
Combined with the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus the iPhone X accounts for sales of 1 million handsets each and every day.
Mobile Madhouse stock a wide range of cases and accessories for all major iPhone devices.