The iPhone has come a long way since it debuted on June 29, 2007.
Seventh anniversary ... The late Apple CEO Steve Jobs demonstrates the new iPhone at MacWorld Conference & Expo on January 9, 2007.
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| Units sold | 500 million[1] |
| Operating system | iOS |
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| Storage | 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 GB flash memory |
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| Website | www.apple.com/iphone |
| This article is part of a series on the |
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But seven years is a long time in technology. The original iPhone is practically antique compared to today’s smartphones, and Apple has a big job ahead to reclaim the top spot in the market despite a potential seven-year itch.
Apple’s first foray into mobile phones began with an announcement in January 2007 in which co-founder Steve Jobs energetically introduced a touchscreen device that worked “like magic,” ignored “unintended touches” and, unlike other phones of the time, did not use a stylus.
The iPhone was launched at a time when fewer than one billion people used mobile phones, compared to more than 6 billion today.
Apple’s first phone went on sale in the US on June 29, 2007 but, without a worldwide release, took 74 days to sell one million handsets — a crawl compared to last year’s iPhone release that saw 9 million handsets sell in three days.
While it was not the most advanced phone of its time in some ways, failing to offer video recording, an autofocus camera, or even cut and paste for text, it offered a fresh way to interact with phones.
Its 3.5-inch touch-sensitive screen, though tiny by today’s standards, quickly captured attention of phone users.
Telsyte managing director Foad Fadaghi said a “revolution” of the mobile industry soon followed.
“(The iPhone) showed that an easy-to-use interface with a large touchscreen would be the dominant model for future smartphones,” he said. “It’s interesting that the changes caused an entire industry to rethink how it produces phones.
“Even Android changed its direction. It was going down the path of BlackBerry, creating a keyboard-centric operating system and they scrapped it and started again.”
But years into this revolution, Apple may be facing a seven-year itch.
Google Android-based smartphones made up 78 per cent of the worldwide market last year, according to Gartner, followed by Apple iOS with 15 per cent.
Samsung led the pack with 31 per cent of smartphone sales, while Apple held down second place.
But Mr Fadaghi said Apple phone sales were still growing, even though its share of the market was dropping.
He said the launch of a smart accessory, like the rumoured iWatch, and a handset with a larger screen could win Apple more customers in its seventh year as a phone maker.
“Those days when they were the only show in town were completely different from market conditions today,” he said.
“But because of the high level of satisfaction around Apple products, it’s unlikely that existing Apple users will desert the brand.”
Apple iPhone by the numbers
Launch day: June 29, 2007
iPhone sales since launch: 536 million
iPhones sold in 2007: 1.3 million
iPhones sold in 2013: 150 million
Biggest selling iPhone: iPhone 5S
Apple apps available: 1.2 million
Apple app downloads: 75 billion
Weekly visits to App Store: 300 million
10 things your phone can do — 2014 v 2007
Now: Choose from more than 1.2 million apps
2007: Imagine what an ‘app’ might look like
Now: Capture print-worthy images with autofocus, optical zoom
2007: Capture grainy, fixed-focus, two-megapixel images
Now: Download apps quickly with 4G connectivity
2007: Download websites eventually with 2G connectivity
Now: Record, edit and upload video clips to social networks
2007: Record several grainy, two-megapixel images successively
Now: Go unnoticed in a pocket with a body less than 7mm slim
2007: Squeeze inside a pocket with a body 1.16cm thick
Now: Send photo messages to distant friends
2007: Ask friends to crowd around your phone’s 3.5-inch screen
Now: Pinpoint your location and deliver turn-by-turn street directions
2007: Find your approximate location and display maps
Now: Cut and paste text from one app to another
2007: Type the same text in two apps
Now: Store up to 64GB or more with a memory card
2007: Store up to 8GB
Now: Go a day without a power point
2007: Go a week without a power point
iPhone's 7th anniversary - the handset in numbers
294 million - The number of active smartphones currently running Apple's iOs, according to a study released in February 2013. 798 million reportedly run Android and 45 million run Windows Phone.
2003 - The year that Apple started working on Purple, the iPhone's original name during development. A whole building at the company's Cupertino headquarters was devoted to the device's development; it was known as "purple dorm".
9:42 - The time always displayed on the iPhone when it is featured in adverts. According to former Apple executive Scott Forstall, this is because the company's keynotes are designed to reveal the main product after 40 minutes.
31pc - In the Czech Republic, an unlocked iPhone 5 sells for $847.60 (£515), 31 percent more expensive than the US price for the same device.
$10 billion - The total spent by customers on Apple's App Store during 2013.
373pc - The iPhone 5S has 727,040 pixels; 373pc more than the first-generation model, which had 153,600 on its 3.5inch screen.
28 - The number of different iPhone models, including network-specific variations.
291,250 - The number of jobs created by the iOs app economy, according to Apple.
891 - The number of times that Apple products were mentioned in television programmes during 2011. The iPhone, iPad and iMac also received nearly eight minutes of screen time in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, worth an estimated $23 million (£14 million).
iPhone 6 to be cheaper than iPhone 5S?
Eyeing Apple's upcoming iPhone 6? Here's some good news for you, as latest news reports in Chinese media claim that iPhone 6 with 4.7 inch screen may be priced cheaper than the company's current top model iPhone 5S.
According to technology website Laoyaoba.com, the 32GB variant of iPhone 6 will cost CNY 5,300 (approximately $850), while the corresponding iPhone 5S model is officially priced at CNY 6,088. The 64GB iPhone 6 model is said to cost CNY 6,300 ($1,010), lesser than the CNY 6,888 price tag of the 64GB iPhone 5S.
Going by these prices, it is likely that the 16GB iPhone 6 will be cheaper than the 16GB iPhone 5S, which costs CNY 5,288. However, there are rumours that Apple would not launch a 16GB variant at all this year.
Along with the 4.7-inch iPhone, Apple is also expected to venture into the phablet segment with a 5.5-inch handset. Chinese website Feng.com has said that it will offer 128GB storage option, along with 32 and 64GB; there will be no 16GB variant in this model as well. So far Apple has only offered 128GB storage in iPads only.
According to earlier reports, iPhone 6 will hit the shelves on September 19 this year. The 4.7-inch model is said to run on the 64-bit A8 processor and pack 2GB RAM, 13MP camera, solar charging, better battery and faster Wi-Fi. The Touch ID fingerprint sensor is said to get more features in the next model, mainly focussing on health.
According to technology website Laoyaoba.com, the 32GB variant of iPhone 6 will cost CNY 5,300 (approximately $850), while the corresponding iPhone 5S model is officially priced at CNY 6,088. The 64GB iPhone 6 model is said to cost CNY 6,300 ($1,010), lesser than the CNY 6,888 price tag of the 64GB iPhone 5S.
Going by these prices, it is likely that the 16GB iPhone 6 will be cheaper than the 16GB iPhone 5S, which costs CNY 5,288. However, there are rumours that Apple would not launch a 16GB variant at all this year.
According to earlier reports, iPhone 6 will hit the shelves on September 19 this year. The 4.7-inch model is said to run on the 64-bit A8 processor and pack 2GB RAM, 13MP camera, solar charging, better battery and faster Wi-Fi. The Touch ID fingerprint sensor is said to get more features in the next model, mainly focussing on health.
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