iOS13
from iPhone OS
Who remembers the first iPhone? … I mean, this was 2007, George W. Bush was still in office.
It was January 9th, 2007, that Steve Jobs unleashed his most (arguably) influential form of technology that changed modern society and the way we interact with computers and screens on a daily basis. There was plenty else in the mix that has changed and not all in part due to the iPhone, but seriously stop and think for a moment, what if it never came to be? What if Apple just stuck to Computers and iPods and never took them elsewhere?
Contemplating that, I wonder if today’s iPhone would be approved by Mr. Jobs’ standards? Or if it would be somewhere else in its own evolution? Hell, or if there would be something new or different altogether.
Before the iPhone,
we were used to mobile phones (they were dumb then, not smart) that had buttons, phones that flipped open, and some came with a stylus, like the beloved Crackberry (first introduced to market in 1999). But that’s a whole other article.
The iPhone has not always been at the head of the pack these days, sometimes even struggling to keep up. However, I don’t want to take this article into a pessimistic rant about how I’m unsure of the future of Apple, or how I’ve worried from the day that Steve Jobs died; so I’m just taking it as a stroll down memory lane. Remembering the predecessors to today’s iPhone 11 Pro Max and how all the features that keep getting crammed into these tiny computers we carry around.
Side note, the first OS for iPhone was originally OSX. It operated on the same system, but shortly was realized to be its own beast and was born iPhone OS, then 4 years later came iOS (4).
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Other side note, I must say, I’m really into the Midnight Green color option, so so good, they took a cue from the fashion world. Deep hues of green, I always attribute that color to Lanvin (know your references kids). If you’re an artist, you probably think Hooker’s Green or perhaps Phthalo Green.
iPhone 1
(Pictured above)
The first incarnation did not do much, compared to the device you now hold today.
(Unless somehow you still have an operating 1, in which case that probably belongs in a museum.) But it did break everyone's idea on what a phone was and could be...
And it only came in one color.
selfie/Facetime
Only 1 camera, on the back, no video anything, well, that didn't involve itunes. But certainly no Facetime, Instastories, Snapchat, nope, nothing like that yet.
APP STORE
You want what? There was no app store. You only had what Apple wanted to give you. The very first version, you couldn't even rearrange the apps. It was not until the next generation that the App store came to be and third party apps became more readily available.
SIRI
Siri, who? There was no Siri, speak to text, spelling correction, auto detect, anything like that. So basically you had to type really carefully and if your hands were too big or drunk, you were S.O.L.
Big Business
To think about all the subsequent things that have come from the iPhone as well is a bit astounding. So many new companies have been birthed because of the strong impact the iPhone has made and its popularity.
The plethora of apps and major companies that might not be around, if not for the inception of iPhone. Think Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare, delivery, etc. options there are now and ways to rent a house or go on vacation. To shopping apps, tech apps, social media apps and companies and the list goes on.
Then there’s accessories for your phone like cases, screen protectors, insurance, cameras, lights, attachments, pop sockets, holders, car gadgets and ugh… you get the point. What a monumental impact this creation has had on our society and how’s shaped us to where we are now and our trajectory into the future.
My hats off to you, Mr. Jobs.
Below, I’ve included a gallery (of sorts) of all things iPhone inspired by my world or art and design. All the links are to products that I’ve created, so feel free to check ’em out, maybe even be compelled to buy something. (wink. wink.)
And to all you new iPhone 11 Pro Max or whoevers, NO, I don’t have cases for those yet. Soon I hope.
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Citations + Related Articles
Haidvogl, Martina. “There’s No App for That: Adventures in Conserving Old Tech.” SFMOMA. July 2016. https://www.sfmoma.org/read/theres-no-app-adventures-conserving-old-tech/
The Verge Staff. “iOS: A Visual History.” The Verge, Sept 16, 2013. https://www.theverge.com/2011/12/13/2612736/ios-history-iphone-ipad
