In 2005, Apple CEO Steve Jobs conceived an idea of using a touchscreen to interact with a computer in a way in which he could directly type onto the display, instead of requiring a stylus which was common on existing technology of the time. He decided that the device would require a triple layered capacitive multi-touch touch screen, a very new and advanced technology at the time.
This helped out with removing the physical keyboard and mouse, the same as a tablet computer. Jobs recruited a group of Apple engineers to investigate the idea as a side project.
When Jobs reviewed the prototype and its user interface, he saw the potential in developing the concept into a mobile phone. The whole effort was called Project Purple 2 and began in 2005.
Apple created the device during a secretive and unprecedented collaboration with Cingular Wireless, now AT&T Mobility. The development cost of the collaboration was estimated to have been $150 million over a thirty-month period. Apple rejected the "design by committee" approach that had yielded the Motorola ROKR E1, a largely unsuccessful collaboration with Motorola. Instead, Cingular Wireless gave Apple the liberty to develop the iPhone's hardware and software in-house.
The original iPhone was introduced by Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007 in a keynote address at the Macworld Conference & Expo held in Moscone West in San Francisco, California. In his address, Jobs said, "This is a day, that I have been looking forward to for two and a half years", and that "today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone." Jobs introduced the iPhone as a combination of three devices: a "widescreen iPod with touch controls"; a "revolutionary mobile phone"; and a "breakthrough Internet communicator".
Six weeks prior to the iPhone's release, the plastic screen was replaced with glass, after Jobs was upset that the screen of the prototype he was carrying in his pocket had been scratched by his keys.
The iPhone was released in the United States on June 29, 2007 at the price of $499 for the 4 GB model and $599 for the 8 GB model. It was later made available in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, and Austria in November 2007.
Did you know that there isn't an iPhone 2? Apple created the first generation iPhone and the one that came after that was all about that 3G internet connectivity. So the number 2 was skipped. What about the iPhone 9? Well, Apple skipped over that as well and right into the iPhone X. The tech giant has released a total of nineteen iPhones over the years, including iPhone S and iPhone Plus models, and, of course, the latest iPhone 11 line.
Here is a complete look at iPhone evolution, starting when Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPhone.
Can you believe 16 GB is all you could put on the original iPhone? Granted there wasn't nearly as much data to put on the iPhone yet and certainly no App Store. But you had access to the internet on a screen you could actually see it on. And it could only handle 128 MB of memory. The camera was 2.0 mega pixels— so, terrible. But a phone with a camera! Holy moly!
As far as internal specs go, the iPhone 3G wasn't much different than the original iPhone. But now there was an App Store! This iPhone got its moniker for its 3G connectivity, which meant access to internet you could actually use without wanting to throw the iPhone across the room.
Apple introduced the 32 GB storage option with the iPhone 3GS. Clearly introducing the App Store changed things quickly. Between photos, music, and apps, 16 GB just wasn't going to cut it. The camera got an upgrade to 3 MP and added video recording. Apple also added Voice Control, although we’d have to wait a couple more years before the introduction of Siri.
Now we’re getting somewhere. The iPhone 4 was the first iPhone to have a front-facing camera. Little did Apple know, selfies would take over the world. The iPhone 4 also got a Retina display. With 512 MB memory, it was equipped to handle a lot more than even the iPhone 3GS, which only had 256 MB of memory. You can see the technology was beginning to look a little more familiar, but 32 GB was still the maximum amount of storage the iPhone could hold.
Talk about a huge difference between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S: the camera went from 5 MP to a whopping 8 MP. Now that’s an upgrade. Apple also introduced the 64 GB storage option but kept the memory at 512 MB. Video could then be recorded in 1080p. Oh I can’t forget— hello, Siri! Apple sold four million units of the iPhone 4S in its first week.
Apple sold 5 million units of the iPhone 5 in its first week. The camera stayed the same but memory was boosted all the way up to 1 GB. You thought 3G was cool? Psh, the iPhone 5 had LTE connectivity. Hello internet everywhere. Apple also introduced the Lightning connector with the iPhone 5. And for the first time, the screen got bigger! All previous generations' displays were 3.5 inches but the iPhone 5 was 4 inches.
Between the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c, Apple sold nine million units in the first week of sales. The iPhone 5c was meant to be slightly more affordable and had a plastic shell. It was available in four different colors, but not too much else was different. The iPhone 5s, on the other hand, introduced Touch ID, dual flash, and slow-motion video. Plus it included the M7 motion coprocessor, which opened a new realm of possibilities and also helped save battery life.
Apple tends to make larger leaps between the original model and the S edition than it does from the S edition to a new model. The iPhone 6's internal specs were very similar to those of the iPhone 5s. The biggest difference was having a significantly larger screen and offering an even larger size called 6 Plus. The Retina display became HD and the option to get an iPhone with 128 GB of storage became available. But the amount of memory was the same and the camera didn't see a megapixel upgrade. But it didn't matter—Apple sold 10 million units in the first week.
Well not everything, it basically looked the same. But inside, Apple upgraded the iPhone 6s quite a lot. The camera made a huge leap forward going from 8 MP to 12 MP. The memory was also doubled from 1 GB to 2 GB. After the iPhone 6 had some bending issues (#bendgate), Apple gave the iPhone 6s 7000 series aluminum to make sure that never happened again. Last but not least, 3D Touch was introduced.
The iPhone SE had all the awesome internal specs of the iPhone 6s in a small package and without 3D Touch. But overall, the iPhone SE was introduced as a more affordable option that people really loved.
Apple finally dropped the 16 GB base model option, with iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus base models starting at 32 GB of storage and going up to 256 GB. Apple also introduced a new shiny Jet Black color.
The iPhone 7 Plus proved to be more popular than previous Plus models due to its new dual camera, which made a significantly improved zoom feature possible, and Portrait mode, a software update that let iPhone 7 Plus users take impressive photos using Depth of Field. Perhaps the most controversial feature of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus was the one Apple removed: the headphone jack. The new iPhones shipped with EarPods that plugged into the Lightning port and an adaptor for traditional headphones. Apple introduced its wireless AirPods at the same event it announced it was eliminating the headphone jack.
The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus introduced us to wireless charging with the glass cover on the back on the iPhone. The camera was awesome, with upgraded tools for editing and filtering our images. The true-tone display improved the viewing experience by automatically reducing blue-light exposure. Users eventually (mostly) got used to not having a headphone jack and began adapting to the wireless lifestyle.
Speaking of awesome cameras, the iPhone X included an extra front-facing camera that let us take amazing selfies in Portrait mode. Sure, other iPhones let us take cool looking photos, but the iPhone X included Portrait mode for the front-facing camera and we fell in love at first aperture.
Skipping right over the iPhone 9, Apple announced the XS and XS Max at its September 2018 event in the Steve Jobs Theater. These models were well named, as they were definite upgrades along the lines of the iPhone X. Both models had the front-facing camera to for Portrait-mode selfies. The displays were edge to edge and it all looked great with the Super Retina HD display. The biggest upgrade might be the smallest; the A12 bionic chip increased the processing power while decreasing battery drain.
The iPhone XR was also announced at the September 2018 event, but wasn't available right away. Because it was the cheaper of the new models, quite a few people decided to wait for the XR to be available. These iPhones were smaller than the XS and XS Max (but still bigger the 7 and 8 Plus). The display was not as crisp as the XS and XS Max, but with the Liquid Retina HD display the difference wasn't too noticeable. This model also had the front-facing camera and came in way more colors than the XS or XS Max.
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| Apple’s iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max |
The iPhone 11 is the least expensive of Apple's annual line, but still has enough new features to be in the running for 2019's most popular iPhone. The device features a 6.1 inch Liquid Retina display, and comes in six crisp colors. The most exciting addition may be the second camera on the back of the 11, both 12 MP, and offering wide and ultra wide lenses.
iPhone 11 Pro, September 20, 2019
For Apple customers looking for a smaller phone with a top-of-the-line display, the iPhone 11 Pro is for you. The 5.8-inch Super Retina XDR display is Apple's most crisp, and clear to date. This phone features not two, but three, 12 MP HDR camera lenses, offering wide, ultra wide, and telephoto lenses. The color options are more muted than the iPhone 11, but there's always the option to add a flashy case!
iPhone 11 Pro Max, September 20, 2019
Apple's largest and most expensive phone of 2019 is the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The display is Apple's Super Retina XDR, as with the 11 Pro, but sized at 6.5-inches. The Pro Max features the same,three-lens camera setup as the 11 Pro, as well as the same color choices, making size nearly the only difference between the devices.
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| iPhone 9/SE2 |
iPhone has gone through a lot of changes, from a 16 GB web-browser to a 512 GB all-in-one camera, work space, and entertainment center.
Apple just reported strong iPhone sales for the last quarter of 2019 and even with all that success, there are Apple users who would still love to have a smaller iPhone with a home button. Rumors of a successor to the iPhone SE have been going on for years, but this year’s rumors about a possible iPhone 9 (with the design of the iPhone 6, 7, and 8) have been abundant.
The iPhone SE from 2016 was Apple's first budget phone and a new version of it called the iPhone 9 or iPhone SE 2 might be coming out this spring.
Apple iPhone 9 smartphone to runs on iOS v11 operating system. The phone is powered by Octa core processor. It has 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage.Apple iPhone 9 smartphone has a OLED display. The screen has a resolution of 750 x 1334 pixels and 294 ppi pixel density. On camera front, the buyers get a 7 MP Front Camera and on the rear, there's an 12 MP + 12 MP camera with features like Digital Zoom, Auto Flash, Face detection, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, Touch to focus. It is backed by a 2050 mAh battery. Connectivity features in the smartphone include WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Volte, NFC and more.
When the original iPhone SE was announced, it was a huge surprise. It came out six months after the launch of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus with similar specs, but had the call-back looks of the beautifully blocky iPhone 5S. When the iPhone SE went on sale, Apple had trouble keeping up with the demand. The phone was such a hit, it cost $399, the lowest price for any "new" iPhone. Even four years ago that was still cheap for Apple, considering the new iPhone 6S started at $649.
While the "SE" most certainly stood for "special edition" for many it meant "small edition." A year before, Apple released the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and at the time they were the largest iPhones ever. In comparison, the iPhone SE was absolutely tiny, and small phone lovers became enamored instantly.
In order for the iPhone 9 to be a success it needs to recapture some of that original iPhone SE mojo. With the iPhone XR and 11, Apple proved it can create phones packed with value. And yet with Apple's focus on services like Apple Arcade and Apple TV Plus, the timing couldn't be more perfect for a budget iPhone, whether it's called an iPhone 9 or iPhone SE 2.
Image Credits: Youtube / Greg Wyatt