Apple introduced its original iPhone 2G during the Macworld conference in San Francisco on January 9.
From feature phones to touch phones with stylus-based input, to full touch, and dual display smartphones, technology has rapidly evolved over the past decade. Sailing through the historical records of Apple, 12 years ago, Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone during the Macworld conference in San Francisco on January 9, 2007. The smartphone then went on sale on June 29 later that year.
It is actually funny to watch the launch event again, given that the technology world has completely changed and has touched several milestones. Since then, we have witnessed more developed and enhanced generations of the iPhones, including the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4, the iPhone 5, the iPhone 5S/5C, the iPhone 6/6 Plus, the iPhone 6S/6S Plus, the iPhone 7/7 Plus/SE, the iPhone X/8/8 Plus and finally the latest iPhone XS/XS Max/XR.
Additionally, one cannot deny the fact that every new iPhone in the market carve new benchmarks and set new trends in the industry, which rivals from the Android universe blindly adopts. Of course, all the iPhones are too pricey; however, you are guaranteed a smooth overall performance, great cameras, speedy software, and support from Apple. Here’s a look back through the iPhones.
Note: This article was originally published in BGR India.
1. Apple iPhone
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The iPhone 2G was priced at $499 (approximately Rs 35,183) for the 4GB variant and $599 (approximately Rs 42,233) for the 8GB variant. It was just a basic smartphone, that was offered in a 3.5-inch diagonal display with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels, and a 2-megapixel rear camera. Apple was praised to bring in the then-new multi-touch features; however, the smartphone was then too expensive.
2. Apple iPhone 3G
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Next year, Apple launched the iPhone 3G, that offered faster 3G based networks, coupled with more storage, built-in GPS and location service with a cheaper price tag. Apple introduced the App Store with iPhone 3G along with third-party app support. It ran on iOS 2 update.
3. Apple iPhone 3Gs
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Then, in 2009, at WWDC, the Cupertino giant launched the iPhone 3GS. The design of the smartphone was identical to its predecessor, but the latest one was much faster and ran iOS 3.0. It was twice as fast as its predecessor and wallet-friendly too. It was the time when Apple used to charge for major updates, and you would end up paying $9.99 for it. The iOS 3 update introduced camcorder feature in the camera app to let you record videos, and Apple also added cut, copy and paste option for text.
4. Apple iPhone 4, iPhone 4s
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In 2010, Apple flaunted a redesigned iPhone 4 with glass back on June 7. It ran on iOS 4. With the launch of the phone, Apple also introduced the FaceTime video chat. The good thing was the price tag was the same as its predecessor. The device featured a high-resolution ‘Retina’ display with a resolution of 640×960 pixels. Later, the company unveiled iPhone 4S, that was built around a dual-core chipset, that powered the iPad 2. With the iPhone 4S, Apple also introduced the iOS 5 update which got features like Siri, iMessage, iCloud and more.
5. Apple iPhone 5
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In 2012, the iPhone 5 marked its presence in the world, which Apple claimed as the much faster and slimmer upgrade of its predecessor. This was the first smartphone from Apple to sport a 4-inch display with a resolution of 640 x 1136 pixels. Apple also introduced Apple Maps with the phone, and it replaced Google Maps as default app.
6. Apple iPhone 5s, iPhone 5C
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In 2013, Apple launched two smartphones, including iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. The last one was less expensive and reskinned version of the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5S packed a faster 64-bit A7 chipset, Touch ID and a new motion data processor.
7. Apple iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus
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In 2014, the iPhone 6 saw the light of the day with a 4.7-inch display, while the bigger version iPhone 6 Plus flaunted a 5.5-inch display along with Touch ID security. Both the smartphones were built around the A8 SoC and offered upgraded cameras. The units supported NFC technology, that enabled access to the Apple Pay network, turning into digital wallets.
8. Apple iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus
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In 2015, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus debuted with a powerful A9 chip and a 12-megapixel sensor with the 4K shooting capability (leveraging advance pixel tech). Apple also introduced the new touch technology called 3D touch. There was also a 5-megapixel FaceTime camera, design to capture better selfies. The front camera setup was assisted by a Retina Flash.
9. Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus
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In 2016, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were launched, that seemed identical to its predecessor. The only difference was the addition of a new powerful A10 Fusion quad-core chipset and dual rear cameras. Unfortunately, Apple also eliminated the audio jack, which created big controversy.
10. Apple iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus
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In 2017, the Cupertino giant flaunted its brand-new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus with a new glass and aluminum design, Retina HD display, A11 Bionic chip featuring a 6-core CPU and newly designed GPU. The smartphones feature an improved 12-megapixel camera with a larger sensor, new color filter, deeper pixels along with 4K shooting capability and 1080p slo-mo. The iPhones also support wireless charging. Apple also redesigned stereo speakers, that delivered deeper base.
11. Apple iPhone X
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Apple also showed off its most expensive iPhone X with a redesigned glass and a stainless steel enclosure, edge-to-edge Super Retina display, 5.8-inch OLED display, supporting Dolby Vision, HDR 10 and True Tone tech. Apple eliminated Touch ID and Home button and introduced Face ID, which leverages Tru Depth camera system made up of a dot projector, infrared camera and flood illuminator.
Apart from enabling the Face ID, the True-Depth front camera also supported auto image stabilization and Portrait mode. The device packs a dual 12-megapixel f/2.4 rear camera sensor, supporting OIS. The new powerful A11 Bionic neural engine can perform up to 600 billion operations per second, as per Apple and aids Face ID, Animoji and other features. The smartphone also supports wireless charging. It comes with a starting price of Rs 91,900 for the 64GB variant.
12. Apple iPhone XR
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In 2018, Apple launched iPhone XR, featuring an aluminum and glass design along with improved water resistance, Liquid Retina display, 7nm A12 Bionic chip, coupled with a second-gen neural engine. On the imaging front, Portrait mode with depth control is available on the TrueDepth camera for shooting selfies, which supports Memoji and Face ID. There is also a 12-megapixel f/1.8 rear camera sensor with a wide angle lens, that has a new sensor and improved software algorithms for quick focus and better portrait shots. The Apple iPhone XR price starts at Rs 76,900 for the 64GB storage variant.
13. Apple iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max
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Apple also launched the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max with all screen design, Super Retina OLED displays, improved scratch/water resistance, TrueDepth camera system, faster Face ID, 12-megapixel dual rear camera system, wider stereo sound, dual SIM support, second generation neural engine A12 Bionic chip, coupled with bigger displays. The Apple iPhone XS Max comes with a starting price of Rs 109,900 for the 64GB variant, while the iPhone XS starts at Rs 94,050.
