12 Of The Most Important Moments In iPhone History

The iPhone has become one of the definitive gadgets of modern times. Apple's sleek smartphone set a new standard for what mobile phones could be and helped launch the era of the touchscreen devices that are now commonplace around the world. Over the course of the last two decades, the iPhone has expanded to include some 42 distinct models and has sold over 2 billion units. It is little wonder, then, that the incredible piece of tech has driven Apple's success in recent times and helped push it to become one of the most valuable companies in the world.

Like everything Apple does, the iPhone is built around innovation and continued improvement. The iPhone 16 Pro that you can buy right now is a far cry from the original iPhone. The tech firm has upgraded the smartphone with each iteration, changing it from something that could make calls and send texts into a powerful machine that people rely on as part of their everyday lives. Along the way, there have been some very important moments in the history of the iPhone that helped get it to where it is today.

During the first months that Apple employees worked on the iPhone, it was almost a complete secret to everyone else within the company. French developer Jean-Marie Hullot began work on the smartphone in Paris in 2001 with a team of just two dozen people after he failed to persuade Steve Jobs of its potential benefits. After several years of development and some success with synchronization apps, the project was eventually moved to the United States in 2005, with Henri Lamiraux and Scott Forstall taking up leading roles on developing the smartphone when Hullot decided to stay in France.

Part of the secrecy surrounding the development of the iPhone was out of a fear of Jobs. His control over Apple meant that he could easily kill the project before it even officially began and many of those involved early on were afraid he would not see the benefit of a smartphone. The clandestine nature of working on the iPhone meant that once Jobs was onboard, he wouldn't allow anyone from outside of Apple to work on it. Instead, trusted managers were given license to recruit the best engineers from the company, who had to agree to work on the iPhone without actually being told anything about it.

By the time that Steve Jobs had become convinced of the idea that Apple needed to develop a mobile phone in 2004 to help it stay relevant and competitive, there were two competing ideas about what the iPhone could be. One of the earliest prototypes was essentially a classic iPod with the capabilities of a phone. This meant users would have to use the round iPod click wheel to select contacts or input numbers rather than a touchscreen. It would also have lacked the extra first-party apps such as email and weather.

Known as Project Purple, the second vision of what the iPhone could be revolved around a larger multi-touch screen that would allow users to control it using their fingers. Apple had already experimented with the concept for a potential tablet but discarded that project for the iPhone after executives realized the technology worked better on a smaller device. Although Jobs was initially only interested in creating a phone that was comfortable to fit in a person's hand, his team was able to convince him that the iPhone needed to be more of a mobile computer.

Of course, 2007 would prove to be perhaps the most pivotal year in the history of the iPhone as this was when it was finally revealed for the first time. Steve Jobs took to the stage at Macworld in San Francisco, announcing the iPhone to the assembled crowd on January 9, 2007. Here, the device was described as a cross between a mobile phone, an iPod, and an internet-connected gadget. The biggest draw, though, was the fact that it utilized a 3.5 inch multi-touch display that could be controlled exclusively with touch. It also featured a 2 megapixel camera and could sync with laptops and computers to import contacts or music.

"iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone," reiterated Jobs in a press release from Apple. "We are all born with the ultimate pointing device — our fingers — and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse."

The first iPhone went on sale on June 29, just six months after it was announced. By November, the device had proved a huge success with over a million units sold in the United States alone. Over the next few months, the iPhone went on sale in further territories and in the early parts of 2008 was available in most of Europe and Asia.

When the iPhone first launched it did have some apps, but these were native pieces of software that were pre-installed on the device. This was a deliberate choice, as Apple CEO Steve Jobs was seemingly unwilling to allow third-party software on the device as it would mean losing control of what was available on the smartphone. Jobs also wasn't convinced that additional apps would provide any value for customers or the company.

"When it first came out in early 2007, there were no apps you could buy from outside developers, and Jobs initially resisted allowing them," explained Walter Isaacson in the authorized self-titled biography of Steve Jobs. "He didn't want outsiders to create applications for the iPhone that could mess it up, infect it with viruses, or pollute its integrity."

Thanks to some persuasion from other executives within Apple and developers from other companies, Jobs eventually gave the greenlight to support third-party apps. Apple then launched the App Store on July 10, 2008 and gave users the opportunity to download a wider range of software that expanded the capabilities of the iPhone. The App Store initially had just 500 approved apps but this quickly grew, including everything from games to productivity apps.

After the launch of the iPhone in 2007, Apple released new models of the device each year. First, 2008 saw the release of the iPhone 3G — whose name announced the arrival of 3G data, although this would become confusing given the sequential naming scheme Apple would adopt later — and that was followed up in 2009 with the iPhone 3GS. However, these were largely incremental upgrades compared to the original model, including improvements to the camera, processor speed, and better displays. It wasn't until the launch of the iPhone 4 in 2010 that the tech company properly refreshed the series with a brand new redesign.

The iPhone 4 was a definitive step forward for the range, significantly altering the basic iPhone package. Released on June 24, 2010, the iPhone 4 introduced a forward facing camera for the first time, something that later became commonplace in all smartphones. Another important addition was the ability to use FaceTime for video calls, which utilized this front facing camera. 

Apple also added the Retina display — a high pixel density LCD screen — alongside multitasking functionality and support for app folders thanks to the iOS update. It also sported a noticeable thinner design with a steel band around to act as the antenna, as well as offering users the ability to record video in high definition and edit the footage directly on the smartphone.

The release of Siri for the iPhone 4S in 2011 marked another major milestone in the history of the iPhone. The virtual assistant effectively makes it possible for users to talk to their smartphone rather than having to rely on navigating through menus or accessing apps. At a basic level, Siri can answer questions and help make recommendations based on information provided by a person, as well as carry out actions such as playing music, setting alarms, or making a list. It changed the way people interacted with their iPhones and would be an iconic representative for the brand going forward.

However, while Siri has become an important part of the iPhone and Apple ecosystem over the last decade, the project did not actually originate from the tech company. Instead, Siri was the work of another company of the same name that took research from Stanford University and the Defense Department's DARPA as part of the CALO – Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes — project. 

The CALO project was intended to create a virtual assistant that would help provide information to commanders and make the military more efficient. However, Apple acquired Siri in 2010 and began attempts to integrate the technology into the iPhone, setting the stage for the arrival of the automated personal assistant who would eventually become the voice of Apple's smart home products and the Apple Intelligence initiative.

Batterygate is a controversy that engulfed Apple during the mid to late 2010s. According to critics, Apple was deliberately slowing down processors on its iPhones as a type of planned obsolescence to force users to upgrade and purchase new devices. Reports in 2017 suggested that the company was throttling the performance of older smartphones, although Apple explained this as a way of preserving the safety and lifespan of iPhones. The tech company explained to CNET that as batteries degrade, iPhones were programmed to lower performance demand and shut down to "protect its electronic components."

Eventually, class action lawsuits were filed against Apple, with users of iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, and iPhone 7 smartphones being particularly affected. In 2020, the company agreed to settle one lawsuit with users from 33 U.S. states for $113 million after facing claims it was attempting to force users to buy new iPhone models. A class action lawsuit brought in the U.S. ended with Apple paying out $500 million to around three million individuals who were involved in the legal action. However, Apple did not admit to any wrongdoing despite agreeing to settle the lawsuits.

Face ID is a facial recognition system used on iPhones and other iOS devices to provide a form of biometric authentication. What this means for users is that they can unlock and authorize purchases and other actions from the smartphone simply by looking into the camera. It was first introduced for the iPhone in 2017 and made its debut with the iPhone X before later being expanded to other models within the iPhone range.

The system works by combining several elements that can provide an accurate model of an individual's face. This involves using a laser dot projector and an infrared camera, with the Face ID technology able to recognize faces regardless of whether you are wearing glasses or if you grow a beard.

Face ID can also be enabled for specific apps. Once it's turned on, it will only allow that person to access the app. That can be useful for shared devices that are used by multiple people where you want to restrict what content and apps other users can get access to. As an added benefit, Face ID also makes it possible to create animated Memoji, with the technology used to mimic your facial expression in animated form.

The launch of the iPhone 8 wasn't all that spectacular in terms of new announcements. Apple did introduce a new glass back, an upgraded camera, and wireless charging alongside general performance improvements. The biggest change was the debut of augmented reality support. In June 2017, Apple announced that AR technology was coming to iOS and even launched the development system tool ARKit for developers to create apps and games for the smartphone.

The addition of AR technology for iPhones meant that it was possible to blend virtual worlds with real life. A good example of this is the Measure app on iOS devices, which allows users to use a virtual measuring tape to make and record measurements directly with a device's camera. Of course, there are many other uses as well, ranging from stargazing apps that can show the location of planets, stars, and more as well as games such as "Hot Lava" that turn your spaces into an obstacle course.

The fourteenth generation of the iPhone –which included the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max — was the next major design refresh and arrived in October 2020. It brought with it a number of important upgrades that have since become commonplace in all future iPhones, and it was also the first time that Apple had made four variants of the same model available to buy at the same time.

One of the major upgrades that came with the iPhone 12 was the switch to a Super Retina XDR display. This is a high definition OLED screen that replaced the LCD display used on earlier iPhones. Users could now record video in high-dynamic-range Dolby Vision 4K and the smartphone supported 5G technology. 

As part of a series of performance upgrades, the iPhone 12 range also utilizes the Apple A14 Bionic, which would also be used to power the iPad and iPad Air. Another addition was the inclusion of MagSafe, a system that lets users mount and charge devices wirelessly through the use of specially designed magnets.

In terms of numbers, 2024 was a big year for Apple. After previously reaching a market cap of $1 trillion in 2018 and then growing to reach the $3 trillion mark in 2023 — being the first company to hit those valuations in both instances — Apple also reached a major milestone a year later. The tech company officially became the market leader in terms of smartphones, with iPhones account for 20% of all smartphones sold in 2023.

This marked the first time in a 12-year period that Samsung Electronics, the manufacturer of the Samsung Galaxy series of Android smartphones, had not been at the number one spot. Apple beat out Samsung by 0.6%, with other companies such as Xiaomi also reaching double figures. That market share translates to more than 234 million iPhones being shipped throughout the year, representing a significant 3.7% growth compared to the previous 12 months.

Apple Intelligence is the latest technological innovation to come to Apple's iPhone series. Making its debut with the iPhone 15 in 2024, Apple Intelligence is a new type of artificial intelligence that adds a number of impressive features to the smartphone and other iOS devices. Unfortunately, it is not available on older devices as it requires advanced processing power that is not available on smartphones without the required performance ratings.

A major change that Apple Intelligence brings to iPhones is a more advanced version of Siri that can carry out more complex tasks and sounds less like a robot. It also adds Writing Tools, that can do everything from proofreading your text to helping to summarize content to give you a quick summary of what it is saying. When it comes to calls, Apple Intelligence can help you record calls and provide transcriptions of what is being said.