IPhone (1st generation)

{{Main|History of the iPhone}}

In 2000, Apple CEO Steve Jobs envisioned an Apple touchscreen product that the user could interact with directly with their fingers rather than using a stylus.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} The stylus was a common tool for many existing touchscreen devices at the time including Apple's own Newton, launched in 1993. 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 with removing the physical keyboard and mouse. The same as was common at the time for tablet computers, human machine interfaces, and point of sale systems. Jobs recruited a group of Apple engineers to investigate the idea as a side project.{{Cite news |last=Cohen |first=Peter |date=January 9, 2007 |title=Macworld Expo Keynote Live Update: Introducing the iPhone |publisher=Macworld |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/1054764/liveupdate.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724134128/https://www.macworld.com/article/1054764/macworld-expo/liveupdate.html |archive-date=July 24, 2018}} When Jobs reviewed the prototype and its user interface, he saw the potential in developing the concept into a mobile phone to compete with already established brands in the then emerging market for touch screen phones.{{Cite AV media |url=http://allthingsd.com/20100601/d8-video-steve-jobs-on-the-origins-of-the-ipad/ |title=D8: Steve Jobs on the iPhone's Origin |date=June 2, 2010 |publisher=All Things Digital |time=0:20 |access-date=June 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525110502/http://allthingsd.com/20100601/d8-video-steve-jobs-on-the-origins-of-the-ipad/ |archive-date=May 25, 2011 |url-status=live |people=Walter Mossberg; Kara Swisher}} The whole effort was called Project Purple 2 and began in 2005.{{Cite news |last=Murtazin |first=Eldar |date=June 20, 2010 |title=Apple's Phone: From 1980s' Sketches to iPhone. Part 3 |publisher=Mobile-review |url=https://mobile-review.com/articles/2010/iphone-history3-en.shtml |url-status=live |access-date=September 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427132119/https://mobile-review.com/articles/2010/iphone-history3-en.shtml |archive-date=April 27, 2019}} Apple purchased the "iphone.org" domain in December 1999.{{Cite news |date=December 18, 2006 |title=Timeline of Apple "iPhone" Rumors (1999-Present) |language=en |work=Fierce Wireless |url=https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/timeline-apple-iphone-rumors-1999-present |url-status=live |access-date=January 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130131909/https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/timeline-apple-iphone-rumors-1999-present |archive-date=January 30, 2022}}

Apple created the device during a secretive and unprecedented collaboration with Cingular Wireless, now part of AT&T. The development cost of the collaboration was estimated to have been $150 million{{Cite magazine |last=Vogelstein |first=Fred |date=January 9, 2008 |title=The Untold Story: How the iPhone Blew Up the Wireless Industry |url=https://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/magazine/16-02/ff_iphone |url-status=live |magazine=Wired News |publisher=Condé Nast Publications |pages=3–4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509154531/http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/magazine/16-02/ff_iphone |archive-date=May 9, 2008 |access-date=January 10, 2008}} 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.{{Cite news |last=Lewis |first=Peter |date=January 12, 2007 |title=How Apple kept its iPhone secrets |publisher=CNNMoney.com |url=https://money.cnn.com/2007/01/10/commentary/lewis_fortune_iphone.fortune/index.htm |url-status=live |access-date=January 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210110636/http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/10/commentary/lewis_fortune_iphone.fortune/index.htm |archive-date=December 10, 2008}}{{Cite magazine |last=Vogelstein |first=Fred |date=January 9, 2008 |title=The Untold Story: How the iPhone Blew Up the Wireless Industry |url=https://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/magazine/16-02/ff_iphone |url-status=live |magazine=Wired News |publisher=Condé Nast Publications |pages=1–4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509154531/http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/magazine/16-02/ff_iphone |archive-date=May 9, 2008 |access-date=January 10, 2008}} 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".{{Cite web |last=Farber |first=Dan |date=January 9, 2007 |title=Jobs: Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/jobs-today-apple-is-going-to-reinvent-the-phone/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719225803/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/jobs-today-apple-is-going-to-reinvent-the-phone/4249 |archive-date=July 19, 2010 |access-date=June 20, 2010 |website=ZDNet "Between the Lines" blog}} 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."{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/mwsf07/ |title=Macworld San Francisco 2007 Keynote Address |date=January 19, 2007 |publisher=Apple, Inc. |place=San Francisco |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222223204/http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/mwsf07/ |archive-date=December 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |people=Jobs, Steve }}

Six weeks prior to the iPhone's release, the plastic screen was replaced with glass. This was after Jobs was upset when he saw that his keys scratched the prototype in his pocket. The fast switch led to a bidding process for a manufacturing contractor that was won by Foxconn, which had just opened up a new wing of its Shenzhen factory complex specifically for this bid.{{Cite news |last1=Duhigg |first1=Charles |last2=Bradsher |first2=Keith |date=January 21, 2012 |title=Apple, America and a Squeezed Middle Class |language=en |work=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829184015/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html |archive-date=August 29, 2018}} Apple partnered with Corning on the glass.{{cite web | last=Bajarin | first=Tim | title=How Corning's Crash Project For Steve Jobs Helped Define The iPhone | website=Fast Company | date=2017-11-10 | url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40493737/how-cornings-crash-project-for-steve-jobs-helped-define-the-iphone | access-date=2025-04-21}}

File:IPhone First Generation 8GB (3677961514).jpg

Six out of ten Americans surveyed said they knew before its release that the iPhone was coming. 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, both requiring a 2-year contract. Thousands of people were reported to have waited outside Apple and AT&T retail stores days before the device's launch;{{Cite web |date=July 25, 2007 |title=Apple Inc. Q3 2007 Unaudited Summary Data |url=https://images.apple.com/pr/pdf/q307data_sum.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529133618/http://images.apple.com/pr/pdf/q307data_sum.pdf |archive-date=May 29, 2008 |access-date=June 6, 2008 |publisher=Apple Inc.}} many stores reported stock shortages within an hour of availability.{{Cite news |last1=Hart |first1=Kim |last2=Valle |first2=Sabrina |date=June 30, 2007 |title=Hype Meets Reality At iPhone's Debut |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/29/AR2007062901080.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012204641/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/29/AR2007062901080.html |archive-date=October 12, 2008}}{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Bobbie |date=June 30, 2007 |title=iPhone causes big Apple swarm in Big Apple storms |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jun/29/usnews.apple |url-status=live |access-date=February 1, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831124543/http://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jun/29/usnews.apple |archive-date=August 31, 2013}}

Sales to the European market started in November 2007,{{Cite web |date=2007-10-31 |title=Apple to limit European launch of iPhone in 2007 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/technology/apple-to-limit-european-launch-of-iphone-in-2007-20070705-m7h.html |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}} first in Germany, followed by Britain and then France.{{Cite news |date=2007-11-10 |title=Apple iPhone debuts in UK stores |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7085643.stm |access-date=2023-10-24}} Reports suggested that these launches were met with less enthusiasm.{{Cite web |title=Apple's iPhone a tougher sell in Europe? |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/apples-iphone-a-tougher-sell-in-europe/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=CNET |language=en}} In France it was sold by Orange for 649 euros.{{Cite web |last=Blodget |first=Henry |title=Apple (AAPL) iPhone Sales in France 1/10th Early U.S. Pace |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/2007/12/apple-aapl-iphone-sales-in-france-below-110th-us-pace |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} The iPhone was released in Austria and the Republic of Ireland on March 13, 2008.{{Cite web |title=O2 confirms iPhone launch in Ireland |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/189525/ireland-3.html |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Macworld |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2008-03-13 |title=iPhone Launches in Austria and Ireland |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2008/03/14/iphone-launches-in-austria-and-ireland/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=MacRumors |language=en}}

In Canada, Rogers Wireless announced in April 2008 that a deal was reached with Apple to bring the iPhone to the Canadian market.{{Cite web |date=2008-05-01 |title=TheStar.com {{!}} Business {{!}} Apple's popular iPhone coming to Canada |website=Toronto Star |url=http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/419503 |access-date=2023-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501092726/http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/419503 |archive-date=May 1, 2008 }} The original iPhone was eventually not released in Canada in favor of the second-generation iPhone 3G.{{Cite web |date=2008-07-11 |title=Canadians line up for Apple's iPhone 3G |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canadians-line-up-for-apple-s-iphone-3g-1.308004 |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}

File:First iPhone Macworld 2007 DSCF1286.agr.jpg

The iPhone's main competitors in both consumer and business markets were considered to be the LG Prada, LG Viewty, Samsung Ultra Smart F700, Nokia N95, Nokia E61i, Palm Treo 750, Palm Centro, HTC Touch, Sony Ericsson W960, Sony Ericsson C905 and BlackBerry.{{Cite web |last=Shah |first=Dhiram |date=February 27, 2007 |title=Top 5 competitors to the iPhone |url=http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/top_5_competitors_to_the_iphone.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024192420/http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/top_5_competitors_to_the_iphone.php |archive-date=October 24, 2018 |access-date=October 24, 2018}}{{Cite web |last=Olandres |first=Abe |date=June 19, 2007 |title=iPhone vs. Blackjack vs. N95 vs. Treo 750 vs. BC 8300 |url=https://www.yugatech.com/mobile/iphone-vs-blackjack-vs-n95-vs-treo-750-vs-bc-8300/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024192341/https://www.yugatech.com/mobile/iphone-vs-blackjack-vs-n95-vs-treo-750-vs-bc-8300/ |archive-date=October 24, 2018 |access-date=October 24, 2018}}{{Cite web |last=Cellan-Jones |first=Rory |date=June 29, 2007 |title=Apple iPhone faces serious rivals |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6253704.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218082057/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6253704.stm |archive-date=December 18, 2018 |access-date=December 4, 2018 |website=BBC}}{{Cite web |last=Waters |first=Darren |date=November 7, 2007 |title=Who's afraid of the iPhone? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7081636.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830223022/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7081636.stm |archive-date=August 30, 2017 |access-date=October 26, 2018 |website=BBC}}

The iPod Touch, a touchscreen device with the media and internet abilities and interface of the iPhone but without the ability to connect to a cellular network for phone functions or internet access, was released on September 5, 2007. At the same time, Apple significantly dropped the price of the iPhone 8 GB model from $599 to $399 (still requiring a 2-year contract with AT&T) while discontinuing the $499 4 GB model.{{Cite press release |title=Apple Sets iPhone Price at $399 for this Holiday Season |date=September 5, 2007 |publisher=Apple |url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/09/05Apple-Sets-iPhone-Price-at-399-for-this-Holiday-Season/ |access-date=January 20, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114045219/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/09/05Apple-Sets-iPhone-Price-at-399-for-this-Holiday-Season/ |archive-date=November 14, 2019}} After receiving "hundreds of emails" upset about the price drop, Apple gave a $100 store credit to early adopters.{{Cite web |last=Jobs |first=Steve |title=To all iPhone customers |url=https://www.apple.com/hotnews/openiphoneletter/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070908223628/http://www.apple.com/hotnews/openiphoneletter/ |archive-date=September 8, 2007 |publisher=Apple}}

A 16 GB model was released on February 5, 2008, for $499, the original launch price of the 4 GB model.{{Cite press release |title=Apple Adds New iPhone & iPod touch Models |date=February 5, 2008 |publisher=Apple |url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2008/02/05Apple-Adds-New-iPhone-iPod-touch-Models/ |access-date=January 20, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426171058/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2008/02/05Apple-Adds-New-iPhone-iPod-touch-Models/ |archive-date=April 26, 2019}} Apple released an SDK on March 6, 2008, allowing developers to create the apps that would be available starting in iPhone OS version 2.0, a free upgrade for iPhone users. On June 9, Apple announced the iPhone 3G, which began shipping July 11,{{Cite press release |title=Apple Introduces the New iPhone 3G |date=June 9, 2008 |publisher=Apple |url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2008/06/09Apple-Introduces-the-New-iPhone-3G/ |access-date=January 20, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501035135/http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/06/09iphone.html |archive-date=May 1, 2011}} with the original iPhone discontinued four days later.

In its first week, Apple had sold 270,000 iPhones domestically.{{Cite web |last=Ray |first=Bill |title=Europe too cynical for iPhone |url=https://www.theregister.com/2007/12/06/iphone_europe_sales/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.theregister.com |language=en}} Apple sold the one millionth iPhone 74 days after the release.{{Cite press release |title=Apple Sells One Millionth iPhone |date=September 10, 2007 |publisher=Apple |url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/09/10Apple-Sells-One-Millionth-iPhone/ |access-date=January 20, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919131725/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/09/10Apple-Sells-One-Millionth-iPhone/ |archive-date=September 19, 2020}} Apple reported in January 2008 that four million were sold.{{Cite news |date=2008-01-16 |title=Apple says has sold 4 million iPhones |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-macworld-iphone-idUSN1551882120080116 |access-date=2023-10-24}} As of Q4 2007, strong iPhone sales put Apple no. 2 in U.S. smartphone vendors, behind Research In Motion and ahead of all Windows Mobile vendors.{{Cite web |date=2008-02-05 |title=iPhone with 28% of U.S. Smartphone Marketshare for Q4 2007 |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2008/02/05/iphone-with-28-of-u-s-smartphone-marketshare-for-q4-2007/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=MacRumors |language=en}}

As of October 2007, the iPhone was the fourth best-selling handset in the U.S., trailing the Motorola RAZR V3, the LG Chocolate, and the LG VX8300.{{Cite web |title=The iPhone Versus The RAZR |url=https://www.forbes.com/2007/10/25/iphone-razr-motorola-apple-tech-cx_ew_1025iphone.html |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Forbes |language=en}}

Compared to the United States,{{Cite web |last=Ray |first=Bill |title=Europe too cynical for iPhone |url=https://www.theregister.com/2007/12/06/iphone_europe_sales/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.theregister.com |language=en}} European sales were "sluggish".{{Cite web |last1=Mickalowski |first1=Kyle |last2=Mickelson |first2=Mark |last3=Keltgen |first3=Jaciel |title=Apple's iPhone Launch: A Case Study in Effective Marketing |url=https://www.augie.edu/sites/default/files/u57/pdf/jaciel_subdocs/iPhone.pdf}} Although Apple partners called its British weekend launch successful, The Register called it a "flop".{{Cite web |last=Orlowski |first=Andrew |title=Tumbleweeds outnumber punters, as iPhone's First Night flops |url=https://www.theregister.com/2007/11/11/iphone_uk_flop/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=www.theregister.com |language=en}} According to an analyst, iPhone per-capita sales were one quarter that of the United States{{Cite magazine |last=Beschizza |first=Rob |title=Claim: iPhone Sales Already Waning in UK |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2007/11/iphone-sales-al/ |access-date=2023-10-24 |issn=1059-1028}} and it was reportedly outsold by LG Viewty.{{Cite web |date=2007-12-21 |title=LG Viewty Outsells Apple iPhone in Europe |url=http://www.dialaphone.co.uk/blog/?p=943 |access-date=2023-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221171226/http://www.dialaphone.co.uk/blog/?p=943 |archive-date=December 21, 2007}} In France, the device had reportedly sold 30,000 units in its first week, which was three times as many that were sold in Germany numbering 10,000.{{Cite web |date=2007-11-09 |title=T-Mobile says over 10,000 iPhones sold at German launch |url=https://appleinsider.com/articles/07/11/09/t_mobile_says_over_10000_iphones_sold_at_german_launch |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=AppleInsider |language=en}}

The original iPhone was discontinued on July 15, 2008; total sales volume came to 6,124,000 units.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

The original iPhone received largely positive reviews. Only four writers were given review models of the original iPhone:{{Cite web |last=Slivka |first=Eric |date=June 25, 2017 |title=Original iPhone's First Four Reviewers Reminisce About Getting Their Hands on It for the First Time |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2017/06/25/pogue-iphone-reminisce/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304054735/https://www.macrumors.com/2017/06/25/pogue-iphone-reminisce/ |archive-date=March 4, 2018 |access-date=March 3, 2018 |website=www.macrumors.com}}{{Cite web |date=June 25, 2017 |title=It had us at "Hello": The iPhone turns 10 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-iphone-turns-10/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022174346/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-iphone-turns-10/ |archive-date=October 22, 2018 |access-date=December 4, 2018 |website=www.cbsnews.com}} David Pogue of The New York Times,{{Cite news |last=David Pogue |author-link=David Pogue |date=June 27, 2007 |title=The iPhone Matches Most of Its Hype |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/technology/circuits/27pogue.html?ex=1340596800&en=d00bbea4b9e0ece6&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink |url-status=live |access-date=March 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303225808/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/technology/circuits/27pogue.html?ex=1340596800&en=d00bbea4b9e0ece6&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink |archive-date=March 3, 2018}} Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal,{{Cite news |last=Walt Mossberg |author-link=Walt Mossberg |date=June 27, 2007 |title=Testing Out the iPhone |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118289311361649057.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831043159/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118289311361649057.html |archive-date=August 31, 2013}} Steven Levy of Newsweek,{{Cite news |last=Steven Levy |author-link=Steven Levy |date=June 26, 2007 |title=First Look: Test Driving the iPhone |work=Newsweek |url=http://www.newsweek.com/first-look-test-driving-iphone-102625 |url-status=live |access-date=March 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920134932/https://www.newsweek.com/first-look-test-driving-iphone-102625 |archive-date=September 20, 2022}} and Ed Baig of USA Today.{{Cite news |last=Ed Baig |author-link=Ed Baig |date=June 26, 2007 |title=iPhone Review |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2007-06-26-iphone-review_N.htm |url-status=live |access-date=March 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629012206/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2007-06-26-iphone-review_N.htm |archive-date=June 29, 2007}} The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal published positive, but cautious, reviews of the iPhone, their primary criticisms being the relatively slow speed of the AT&T's 2.5G EDGE network and the phone's inability to connect using 3G services. The Wall Street Journal{{'}}s technology columnist, Walt Mossberg, concluded that "despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer."{{Cite news |date=July 3, 2007 |title=iPhone rush despite mixed reviews |work=The Australian |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/iphone-rush-despite-mixed-reviews/story-e6frgalx-1111113871271 |url-status=live |access-date=February 1, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320001752/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/iphone-rush-despite-mixed-reviews/story-e6frgalx-1111113871271 |archive-date=March 20, 2012}} Time magazine named it the Invention of the Year in 2007.{{Cite magazine |last=Grossman |first=Lev |date=October 31, 2007 |title=Invention Of the Year: The iPhone |url=http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1678581,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615155450/http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0%2C8599%2C1678581%2C00.html |archive-date=June 15, 2008 |access-date=June 6, 2008}}

The British publication Mobile Phones UK (later S21) reviewed the iPhone upon its local launch in November 2007 and gave it a rating of 5 out of 5, having been "blown away" by the phone's user interface. However the review was lambasted by many readers who felt that it was unbalanced. Taking the feedback on board, the site revised the rating to a final 3 out of 5, commenting "With hindsight, 5 stars was wrong."{{Cite web |date=2007-12-06 |title=Review: Apple iPhone |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206014741/http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/apple-iphone.htm |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Mobile Phones UK}} Another UK-based publication, Mobile Gazette, wrote that "Although it has many good points, the list of bad points is equally impressive." It also added "Although the iPhone sold well in the US, when it finally hit Europe sales were not as high as expected, to an extent because European consumers could understand the drawbacks due to a more competitive marketplace."{{Cite web |title=2007 in Review: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Mobile Gazette - Mobile Phone News |url=https://www.mobilegazette.com/2007-review-07x12x12.htm |access-date=2023-07-16 |website=www.mobilegazette.com}}

The iPhone was the first of the long-running iPhone line of products that continue to this day, which have been extremely successful and helped Apple to become one of the world's most profitable companies. The first generation iPhone's successor, iPhone 3G, was announced on June 9, 2008. On the same day, Apple also introduced the App Store which allowed established companies and startup developers to build careers and earn money, via the platform, while providing retail consumers with new ways to access information and connect with other people.{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Heather |date=June 29, 2017 |title=10 years later: The industry that the iPhone created |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/29/technology/gadgets/apple-iphone-10-year-anniversary/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115181013/https://money.cnn.com/2017/06/29/technology/gadgets/apple-iphone-10-year-anniversary/index.html |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |access-date=November 15, 2021 |website=CNNMoney |publisher=CNN}}

While it was marketed as a smartphone by Apple, a number of publications at the time and in retrospect have stated that the first generation iPhone was in essence not a smartphone due to the fact that it did not feature the ability to install new software.{{Cite web |last=updated |first=WinC Staff last |date=2009-01-03 |title=The iPhone is Not a Smartphone |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/iphone-not-smartphone |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Windows Central |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Mühlroth |first=Adrian |date=2022-01-11 |title=Deshalb war das erste iPhone noch gar kein Smartphone |url=https://www.techbook.de/mobile-lifestyle/das-erste-iphone |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=TECHBOOK |language=de}}{{Cite web |date=2016-09-07 |title=RIP l'iPod, l'objet qui a ressuscité Apple dans les années 2000 |url=https://www.lexpress.fr/economie/high-tech/rip-l-ipod-l-objet-qui-a-ressuscite-apple-dans-les-annees-2000_1820290.html |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=L'Express |language=fr}} The technology market intelligence firm ABI Research had stated, after the iPhone's announcement: "we must conclude at this point that based on our current definition of a smartphone that the Apple iPhone is not a smartphone. It is a very high-end feature phone."{{Cite web |date=2008-05-16 |title=Apple iPhone's OS {{!}} ABI Research |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516030156/http://abiresearch.com/Blog/Wireless_Blog/252 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=web.archive.org}} The App Store download marketplace, which opened a third-party ecosystem, did not release until the next year alongside the second generation iPhone, iPhone 3G.

In July 2023, an unopened, first edition model of the 2007 iPhone was sold at auction in the US for $190,372.80, nearly 400 times the original price.{{Cite news |date=2023-07-17 |title=Apple iPhone from 2007 sells for $190,000 at auction |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-66222296 |access-date=2023-07-17 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}{{Relevant-inline|date=October 2023}}

The iPhone's back cover is made out of aluminum, a soft metal.{{Cite web |title=The original iPhone in photos: Looking back on the iPhone that started it all |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/230231/original-2007-iphone-photo-album.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427184500/https://www.macworld.com/article/230231/original-2007-iphone-photo-album.html |archive-date=April 27, 2021 |access-date=April 27, 2021 |website=Macworld |language=en-US}} The iPhone's screen is a 320×480-resolution LCD screen at 163{{nbsp}}ppi that measures about 3.5 inches diagonally, much bigger than most other phones at the time, and the iPhone was the first mobile phone with multi-touch technology. The screen's refresh rate is 60 hz. The rear camera on the iPhone has a resolution of 2 megapixels and also features geotagging. The iPhone has four total buttons and a single switch: a power and sleep button, a volume up and volume down button, a silent/ringer switch, and a home button positioned in the bottom center of the face of the phone. The home button, when pressed, would send the user back to the home screen from whatever app they were currently using.

{{Main|Early iPhone systems-on-chip}}

The iPhone features a Samsung 32-bit ARM microprocessor, underclocked from its stock 620 MHz to a slower 412 MHz to increase battery life.{{Cite web |last=Patterson |first=Blake |date=July 7, 2008 |title=Under the Hood: The iPhone's Gaming Mettle |url=http://toucharcade.com/2008/07/07/under-the-hood-the-iphones-gaming-mettle/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307192637/http://toucharcade.com/2008/07/07/under-the-hood-the-iphones-gaming-mettle/ |archive-date=March 7, 2009 |access-date=March 20, 2009 |publisher=touchArcade}}{{Cite web |last=Dilger |first=Daniel Eran |date=March 20, 2008 |title=iPhone 2.0 SDK: Video Games to Rival Nintendo DS, Sony PSP |url=http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/20/iphone-20-sdk-video-games-to-rival-nintendo-ds-sony-psp/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516183456/http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/20/iphone-20-sdk-video-games-to-rival-nintendo-ds-sony-psp/ |archive-date=May 16, 2009 |access-date=May 12, 2009 |publisher=RoughlyDrafted Magazine}} Its GPU is the PowerVR MBX Lite 3D.{{Cite web |last=Clarke |first=Peter |date=July 6, 2007 |title=IPhone code trail points to MBX graphics core |url=https://www.eetimes.com/iphone-code-trail-points-to-mbx-graphics-core/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604160734/https://www.eetimes.com/iphone-code-trail-points-to-mbx-graphics-core/ |archive-date=June 4, 2020 |access-date=March 31, 2020 |website=EE Times}}

The iPhone also includes several sets of sensors, including an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor. Similar to the iPod Touch, the iPhone also features a 3.5 millimeter auxiliary headphone jack. The phone has a 3.7 V 1400 mAh lithium-ion battery built in it.

{{See also|iOS|iPhone OS 1|iPhone OS 2|iPhone OS 3}}

At the time of its unveiling in January, Steve Jobs claimed: "iPhone runs OS X" and runs "desktop-class applications",{{Cite web |last=Block |first=Ryan |author-link=Ryan Block |date=January 9, 2007 |title=Live from Macworld 2007: Steve Jobs keynote |url=https://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/live-from-macworld-2007-steve-jobs-keynote/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324084725/https://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/live-from-macworld-2007-steve-jobs-keynote/ |archive-date=March 24, 2017 |access-date=April 1, 2017 |website=Engadget |publisher=AOL }}{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Mic |date=September 9, 2015 |title=The original iPhone announcement annotated: Steve Jobs' genius meets Genius |url=https://thenextweb.com/apple/2015/09/09/genius-annotated-with-genius/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401232647/https://thenextweb.com/apple/2015/09/09/genius-annotated-with-genius/ |archive-date=April 1, 2017 |access-date=April 1, 2017 |website=The Next Web }} but at the time of the iPhone's release, the operating system was renamed "iPhone OS".{{Cite web |date=September 16, 2013 |title=iOS: A visual history |url=https://www.theverge.com/2011/12/13/2612736/ios-history-iphone-ipad |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412015548/http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/13/2612736/ios-history-iphone-ipad |archive-date=April 12, 2017 |access-date=April 1, 2017 |website=The Verge |publisher=Vox Media }}

The original iPhone supported three major versions of the operating system before it was discontinued: iPhone OS 1, 2, and 3. The last update the original iPhone received was iPhone OS 3.1.3, as iPhone OS 3.2 was intended for the iPad.

{{Main|iOS version history}}

The original operating system for the original iPhone, iPhone OS 1, featured Visual Voicemail, multi-touch gestures, HTML email, Apple's Safari web browser, threaded text messaging, an "iPod" music and video player app, a dedicated YouTube app and a Maps app powered by Google Maps. It also included basic Phone/contacts, Calendar, Photos, Stocks, Weather, Clock, Calculator, Notes, and Settings apps. However, many features like MMS, apps, and copy and paste were not supported at release, leading hackers to jailbreak their phones to add these features. Software updates from Apple gradually added these functions.

A v1.1 update alongside the introduction of the iPod Touch in September 2007 included an iTunes Store app that was the first new app to be added to the system.

iPhone OS 2 was released on July 11, 2008, at the same time as the release of the iPhone 3G, and introduced Apple's App Store supporting native third-party applications (that were developed with the iPhone SDK), Microsoft Exchange support,{{Cite web |date=July 13, 2008 |title=Exchange ActiveSync On Your iPhone 2.0 |url=https://www.imore.com/walkthrough-exchange-activesync-on-your-iphone-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119174235/https://www.imore.com/walkthrough-exchange-activesync-on-your-iphone-20 |archive-date=January 19, 2019 |access-date=January 18, 2019 |website=iMore}} push e-mail, and other enhancements.

iPhone OS 3 was released on June 17, 2009, alongside the iPhone 3GS, and introduced a copy and paste functionality, Spotlight search for the home screen, and new features for the YouTube app. iPhone OS 3 was available for the original iPhone as well as the iPhone 3G and 3GS. However, not all features of iPhone OS 3 (such as MMS in the Messages app) were supported on the original iPhone.

iPhone OS 3.1.3 was the last version of iPhone OS (now iOS) to be released for the phone in February 2010, which never got the full iPhone OS 3 feature set because iPhone OS 3.2 was intended for the iPad.

Almost all apps released after the release of iOS 6 in late September 2012 do not run on the original iPhone, as the software development kit (SDK) was changed to no longer allow the "targeting" (minimum) of iOS versions older than 4.3 (including 3.x), or ARMv6 devices (first two generations).

• 300-page iPhone bill
• Apple Newton
• Comparison of smartphones
• History of iPhone
• List of iOS devices
• Motorola Rokr E1
• Timeline of iPhone models

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{{Commons category|IPhone (original)|lcfirst=yes}}

• {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629082318/http://www.apple.com:80/iphone/|date=June 29, 2007 |title=Official website}}
• [https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/01/09Apple-Reinvents-the-Phone-with-iPhone/ "Apple Reinvents the Phone with iPhone"] – Apple press release announcing the iPhone, January 9, 2007

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Category:Mobile phones introduced in 2007

Category:Computer-related introductions in 2007

Category:Products and services discontinued in 2008

Category:Discontinued flagship smartphones

*1st generation