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Road to iPhone X: The evolution of Apple's smartphone

14 of 16 NEXT PREV
  • Steve Jobs reveals the first iPhone

    Steve Jobs reveals the first iPhone

    The iPhone has become a staple of the smartphone industry, time and time again setting the bar for Apple's competitors. Although Apple has, at times, been caught playing catch up.

    While the basic form factor and subtle iOS nuances are still present, the iPhone has certainly evolved over the past 11 years. Stroll down memory lane as we look at how the iPhone has changed.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple/Getty Images

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • The original, and an instant classic

    The original, and an instant classic

    On January 9, 2007 Steve Jobs took the stage to announce the first iPhone. It was a smartphone unlike anything we'd seen before with multi-touch gestures, fun animations (remember the first time you saw the iPod app's album cover view?), a 2-megapixel camera, visual voicemail, and a true web browser.

    The iPhone shipped with 4, 8, or 16 GB of storage -- a big number at the time. It lacked 3G service, relying on 2G, or EDGE. It also lacked picture messaging along with copy-and-paste.

    iPhone OS, as it was called at the time, lacked the App Store, with Apple instead insisting on web apps as the future of mobile computing.

    The original iPhone was very clearly a first generation device.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • iPhone 3G

    iPhone 3G

    Ditching the half-metal, half-plastic back of the original iPhone, Apple introduced the iPhone 3G in June 2008 with a rounded plastic back.

    The iPhone 3G's curved back fit into the palm of your hand and was available in black or white.

    Aesthetics aside, the iPhone 3G was much cheaper than the original iPhone, and included support for 3G service (as the name implies) and GPS.

    Perhaps the biggest announcement to change the overall course of how we view and use smartphones was the introduction of the App Store alongside the iPhone 3G.

    Still missing, however, was MMS support along with copy and paste.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • And thus the "S" moniker is born

    And thus the "S" moniker is born

    Released in June 2009, the iPhone 3GS was the first time we saw Apple use the same overall design two years in a row, going to a tick-tock release schedule.

    Despite its identical appearance, the 3GS was full of internal changes. A faster processor, 3-megapixel camera and, more importantly, it was the first iPhone to offer video capturing with the camera.

    To accompany a better camera and video capabilities, Apple also added MMS support to iPhone OS 3 in addition to copy and paste.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • Does this look familiar?

    Does this look familiar?

    Before Apple had a chance to announce the iPhone 4 in June of 2010, Gizmodo found itself with a prototype of the then unannounced phone, and published a detailed look at it.

    With the iPhone 4, Apple used a glass back, a stainless steel frame that doubled as an antenna, a front-facing camera (a first for the iPhone!), and a completely new type of display Apple dubbed a "Retina display."

    This was also the first time we saw Apple use its own A-series processors to power an iOS device.

    Of course, Apple bumped internal specs across the board with a faster processor, improved graphics, and more storage.

    With the addition of a front-facing camera, Apple introduced FaceTime, its video calling solution.

    Another notable fact about the iPhone 4 is that with it, Apple and AT&T's exclusivity deal in the US was finished. Apple launched a CDMA version in February 2011, adding Verizon Wireless as a carrier partner.

    However, not all was well with the iPhone 4. Remember Antenna-gate? The device was plagued with reception issues thanks to the frame doubling as the antenna, meaning you would lose reception if you held it just right. Hence the "You're holding it wrong" meme was born.

    Apple eventually gave every iPhone 4 owner a free case or bumper after Steve Jobs cut a family vacation in Hawaii short to hold an emergency press conference to address the issue.

    It was a rare moment to see Apple on its heels, defending a product after a few years of looking like it could do no wrong.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • iPhone 4S

    iPhone 4S

    Breaking from the yearly June release schedule of a new iPhone, the iPhone 4S was released in October of 2011.

    In fact, it was announced one day prior to Steve Jobs' passing, on October 5.

    Using the same design as the iPhone 4, Apple focussed on software and internal hardware improvements.

    Using Apple's A5 chip and shipping with iOS 5, the iPhone 4S was the first iPhone with Apple's personal assistant, Siri.

    iOS 5 also included iMessage, Apple's messaging platform.

    To fix the antenna woes of its predecessor, Apple adjusted the frame of the phone to prevent how it's held from impacting reception.

    Sprint began selling the iPhone with the release of the iPhone 4S, leaving T-Mobile as the lone major US carrier without Apple's smartphone at the time.

    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • iPhone 5

    iPhone 5

    In September 2012, Apple unveiled the iPhone 5.

    Sharing a similar design to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5 was anything but the same.

    Apple replaced the glass back found on previous models with aluminum, increased the screen size from 3.5 inches to 4 inches, and did away with the 30-pin connector in favor of the now standard Lightning connector.

    The iPhone 5 was the first iPhone to support LTE.

    In March 2013, T-Mobile began selling the iPhone 5.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • iPhone 5S

    iPhone 5S

    In September 2013, Apple announced the iPhone 5S.

    For the first time, the iPhone line would have more than the standard black and white colors users had come to expect from the company. A new gold option was a hit, with orders taking weeks to fill. Apple also changed the name of the colors, to silver (with a white faceplate), and space gray (with a black faceplate).

    The iPhone 5S was the first iPhone to launch with a Touch ID home button, capable of reading a fingerprint to unlock the device and approve App Store purchases.

    Alongside the launch of the iPhone 5S, Apple design Jony Ive's team unveiled a completely redesigned iOS 7.

    Gone was the skeumorphic design that was commonplace since the original iPhone, replaced instead with a "flat" design with new app icons, and more animated interactions.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • Add even more color to the lineup

    Add even more color to the lineup

    Bucking the trend of releasing one iPhone model a year, Apple announced the iPhone 5C alongside the iPhone 5S.

    The iPhone 5C was a colorful, less-expensive model available in a myriad of bright colors.

    Internally, the iPhone 5C was identical to the iPhone 5.

    Until the iPhone 5C, Apple had discounted previous iPhone models and positioned them as entry-level models.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • Going big -- finally

    Going big -- finally

    After years of pressure, resistance, and skepticism in September 2014 Apple announced two iPhone models, both of which grew in size. Android smartphones had larger screens for years prior.

    The iPhone 6 shipped with a 4.7-inch display, while the iPhone 6 Plus measured 5.5 inches.

    Both models featured a more rounded look and feel. Two antenna lines adorned the back of the phone, and the power button was moved from the top of the phone to the right side. Due to its thinner design, the 8-megapixel camera now protruded from the back of the phone.

    For the first time, Apple included an NFC chip in the iPhone, however it limited its use to its own mobile payment service, Apple Pay.

    Shortly after release the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were wrapped up in another "gate." Dubbed "Bendgate," widespread reports and numerous YouTube videos surfaced showing how easy it was to bend the phones, rendering them useless.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • Do you like pink?

    Do you like pink?

    With the announcement of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Apple continued its tick-tock release schedule.

    From the outside, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S lineup look practically identical, save for the new pink -- or as Apple calls it Rose Gold -- color option. This brought the total number of iPhone colors to four: space gray, silver, gold, and rose gold.

    With the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Apple introduced 3D Touch, a second generation Touch ID sensor, and a 12-megapixel camera.

    3D Touch is a combination of software and hardware working together to determine how hard a user is pressing on the display of the phone. Using varying degrees of pressure, a user can bring up different menus or preview content such as links or photos in the Messages app.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • A retro iPhone

    A retro iPhone

    Breaking from a yearly iPhone announcement, in March of 2016 Apple held a special event where it announced the iPhone SE.

    In a conversation I had with Apple's director of marketing, Phil Schiller, at the event, Schiller told me the "SE" stood for "Special Edition."

    The new iPhone looks identical to the older iPhone 5S, and is a smaller alternative to the bigger iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.

    It's also priced lower, making it an ideal device for first time smartphone buyers and for emerging markets such as India.

    Internally, the iPhone SE is a mishmash of parts from the iPhone 6S and and the iPhone 5S, lacking 3D Touch and the second-generation Touch ID sensor.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • So long, headphone jack

    So long, headphone jack

    In September 2016 Apple introduced the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

    Both devices look very similar to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S, however new color schemes and camera modules go a long way in differentiating the new models from predecessors.

    The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are available in black, jet black, silver, gold, and rose gold.

    The iPhone 7 Plus has two rear-facing cameras and a new depth of field feature, setting it apart from the standard iPhone 7.

    Apple sparked controversy with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus by doing away with the 3.5mm headphone jack.

    Apple announced completely wireless earbuds, called AirPods, alongside the iPhone 7 as an alternative to the lack of a headphone jack.

    Included in the box with each iPhone 7 is a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter and a pair of Lightning headphones.

    The iPhone 7 line also did away with 16 GB of storage, something critics and users had been asking for for years. The iPhone 7 has 32 GB, 128 GB, or 256 GB of storage.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • The glass back returns

    The glass back returns

    In September 2017, Apple changed things up a bit. The company skipped the iPhone 7S moniker, altogether.

    The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus look much like the iPhones of the past few years, but now have a glass back. The change came about thanks to the addition of wireless charging to the iPhone.

    That's right, starting with the iPhone 8 you can place the phone on any Qi compatible charging pad and it will charge.

    Apple only released two storage options for the iPhone 8: 64GB or 256GB.

    Either device is available in silver, gold, or space gray.

    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • The future

    The future

    What set 2017 apart for Apple's iPhone lineup was the announcement of a third phone, the iPhone X (pronounced ten).

    The iPhone X got rid of the home button and fingerprint sensor, replacing it was a facial recognition system called Face ID.

    The display now stretches from the bottom of the phone all the way to the top, getting rid of the ugly "chin and forehead" that added bulk to previous iPhones.

    In fact, the iPhone X has a larger display than the iPhone 8 Plus, measuring 5.8-inches, yet it is smaller than the iPhone 8 Plus overall.

    There's now a notch along the top of the screen that makes room for the facial recognition system.

    The all-glass back is also compatible with wireless charging, and the dual rear-facing cameras are improved.

    Portrait Mode not only works with the rear cameras, but also with the front-facing camera for better selfies.

    The iPhone X starts at $999 for 64 GB of storage, with a 256 GB device priced at $1,149.

    Silver and space gray are your the only color options,

    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

  • The next 10 years

    The next 10 years

    It's amazing how much the iPhone has changed throughout the years. From a small, slow, yet capable phone to something that's on par with computers in terms of processing power.

    Where will it go from here? Only Apple knows. ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has some ideas.

    Hardware

    • Lenovo's X1 Titanium Yoga is the thinnest ever ThinkPad
    • Intel's flagship Rocket Lake-S processors pack a big performance boost
    • HP updates home office line-up with Elite Dragonfly G2 and Folio headlining
    • Best security keys in 2021
    • Dell launches monitors, Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision devices aimed at work's new normal
    Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

    Photo by: Apple/Getty Images

    Caption by: Jason Cipriani

14 of 16 NEXT PREV
Jason Cipriani

By Jason Cipriani | January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST) | Topic: Mobility

  • Steve Jobs reveals the first iPhone
  • The original, and an instant classic
  • iPhone 3G
  • And thus the "S" moniker is born
  • Does this look familiar?
  • iPhone 4S
  • iPhone 5
  • iPhone 5S
  • Add even more color to the lineup
  • Going big -- finally
  • Do you like pink?
  • A retro iPhone
  • So long, headphone jack
  • The glass back returns
  • The future
  • The next 10 years

Let's take a trip down memory lane as we look at how the iPhone has changed over the past 10 years.

Read More Read Less

The glass back returns

In September 2017, Apple changed things up a bit. The company skipped the iPhone 7S moniker, altogether.

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus look much like the iPhones of the past few years, but now have a glass back. The change came about thanks to the addition of wireless charging to the iPhone.

That's right, starting with the iPhone 8 you can place the phone on any Qi compatible charging pad and it will charge.

Apple only released two storage options for the iPhone 8: 64GB or 256GB.

Either device is available in silver, gold, or space gray.

Published: January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST)

Caption by: Jason Cipriani

14 of 16 NEXT PREV

Related Topics:

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Jason Cipriani

By Jason Cipriani | January 30, 2018 -- 13:10 GMT (05:10 PST) | Topic: Mobility

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