Fifteen years ago today, Steve Jobs introduced the world to the iPhone.
From its humble beginnings as a bulky device dismissed by naysayers for being too expensive for mass markets, to something many people can't imagine living without. It feels like yesterday we were celebrating the 10th anniversary. Speculation for the next iteration of the device has already begun, but let's take a moment to remember the past and celebrate the device's 15th birthday.
The very first phone.
Steve Jobs introduced the idea of the iPhone by saying it was a touch screen iPod that could make calls and also have the internet. The world would forever be changed by a measly 4GB of storage and a price tag of $499.
15 years ago today, it was introduced at the MacWorld expo. The images are from the same source.
The love for the iPhone begins in 2008.
The 3G version of the iPhone.
The first generation of the iPhone was about introducing the concept, but the second generation came with many of the features that are now used on a daily basis.
Imagine a price of only $199 for an Apple product. The images are from the same source.
"Twice as fast, at half the price"
The 3GS of the iPhone.
The third generation of the phone introduced an early iteration of voice control, a camera that was the gold standard of this feature for many years to come, and baseline storage of 16GB for $199.
The first iPhone to be sold in South Korea was the 3GS. The images are from the same source.
New problems come with a new design.
The iPhone 4 is new.
It's hard to imagine a phone without a front-facing camera, but thanks to the iPhone 4, we don't have to. The rounded edges of the previous models were a departure from this one. The design came at a cost. The internal placement of the antenna made it difficult to reception the network. An official statement from Apple was made after many complaints of a yellowish color on the new retina display.
By this point, Jobs was battling cancer and his appearance was noticeably thinner. The images are from the same source.
The world says goodbye to Steve Jobs.
The 4S of the iPhone.
Apple introduced several new features that still impact the way we interact with technology, such as the new virtual assistant, called "Siri." Steve Jobs died of cancer a day after the release of the iPhone 4s.
Tim Cook is the new CEO. The images are from the same source.
This year's big reveal is a lightning port.
The iPhone 5 is new.
This year's iPhone was thinner, lighter and had a lightning port instead of the 30-pin dock connection. People wondered about the future of Apple without Steve Jobs.
The lightning port on the iPhone 5 is more powerful than on the iPhone 4. The images are from the same source.
Apple is experimenting with a two-tiered model.
Both the 5c and 5s are phones.
This was the first year that Apple introduced two new phones. The new camera features of the iPhone 5s include Burst Mode and Slo-Mo videos, as well as the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the home button. The 5s had the same features but was made of plastic. Concerns about Apple without Jobs were reignited after the iPhone 5s and 5c failed to impress investors.
The Apple Store in Palo Alto, CA has an interesting color choice for the iPhone 5c. The images are from the same source.
The iPhone goes big.
Both the iPhone 6 and the Plus are new.
With the 5c and 5s also on the market, there were now four different models of the iPhone, which would become commonplace as Apple continued to release new models. The larger iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were a big hit in Chinese markets. We were introduced to Apple Pay and the Health app by Apple.
Going bigger was a global success for Apple.
The hearts of the young people are captured by rose gold.
Both the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus are new.
For a few years now, the annual iPhone events have revealed less innovative features and more all-around improvements. The rose gold color option was the most ground-breaking option this year.
The rose gold colors of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. The images are from the same source.
The headphone jack was removed in the year.
There are two types of phones: the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus.
The removal of the headphone jack caused an uproar. It's a miserable compromise that adds a bouncy white phallus to your otherwise sleek iPhone, as Mashable accurately described. It was very bad.
The senior VP of marketing introduces a controversial accessory. The images are from the same source.
You can use your face to open your phone.
There are two types of phones: the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus.
The removal of the home screen button was one of the changes made to the iPhone X. If this was too much of a change for Apple users, there was also the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus that had a more classic design.
The home screen button is gone from the iPhone X, but the notch is still present. The images are from the same source.
All-around upgrades are enough to please everyone.
The phones are: iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone XR.
The 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch screens of the iPhone Xs and Xs Max are larger than the 5.8-inch screens of the previous generation.
The iPhone Xs and the iPhone Xs Max are introduced. The images are from the same source.
Let's add another lens.
The iPhone 11 Pro is a Max version.
The three-lens design of the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro was a joke, but it received favorable reviews and is still considered a good buy for several generations later.
The three-lens design of the iPhone 11 creates amazing images despite some jokes. The images are from the same source.
The iPhone will get 5G in 2020.
The phones are: iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
This was supposed to be the first iPhone with built-in 5G, but it was a marketing ploy since 5G isn't useful yet. Apple released a mini version of the standard size, but it did not sell as well as the larger version.
There are two ends of the size spectrum of the phone. Credit: Shutterstock.
It doesn't really matter if the iPhone jumped the shark or not.
There are three types of phones: iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The all-around improvements to battery life, camera, and battery life have made the iPhone 13 a hit, despite its hefty price tag, and criticisms that the tech giant has been coasting for a while. The world will be watching to see what Apple comes up with.
The lineup of the iPhone 13 is amazing. Credit:
Here's to 15 more for the birthday phone.
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