The iPhone, oh the glorious iPhone. This is something that most Singaporeans are using, or rather, a phone that most of the people around the globe are using. But let’s delve into its rich history and why it became an essential phone to everyone.
It was first a thought of the reinvention of the phone by Steve Jobs, in 2007. He wanted the phone to be different, special and something that was not seen by people. So he shocked the world with a phone that is touchscreen, with no Typepad. It was equipped with the iconic home button and the headphone jack. It has the side button on the top of the phone and a camera at the back of the phone alongside the legendary Apple logo. It became the phone that everyone was talking about. There was so much buzz when it was announced as it was one of the first mobile phones that has a full touchscreen, differentiating itself from the other competitors like Nokia, Sony Ericcson and Samsung.
Years past and it released versions such as 3G, and 3GS. This was the mark of entering the realm of 3G connectivity across the world. It was way cheaper than the first iPhone as there was a change in the material to make the phone, from a metal rear to a plastic rear, making it more affordable. This saw an increased consumption in the 3G models as more people are seeing the functionality and the easy usage of the phone. It easily became one of the slickest phones on the market in 2008. It also saw the birth of the App Store as well, letting third-party developers into the playing field with games such as Plants vs Zombies and Tap Tap Revolution. It caused a worldwide mayhem and capture many new customers in that year.
The first major upgrade to the design was seen in iPhone 4, where the curvy edges were replaced with a flat look, giving it a radical departure from its original design. What’s more, the camera became better in pixelation and it brought the front facing camera into the market as well. The back camera came well equipped with a flashlight as well, giving users a chance to capture photos in the dark. Months after, iPhone 4S came out, being a technical upgrade from the 4, with better camera quality and a faster processor chip.
It was only in 2011, the iPhone 5 came out and started with controversy. They switched out the fat charging port to a lightning rod cable, making it a dual compatible entry for charging, like how a roundheaded charger would do its role. The iPhone became thinner, edgier and changed its material into an aluminum base. This caused an uproar in the Apple community as people were not used to the change, especially with the charger as it was able to be shared with the household if everyone had the versions before 5. There were mixed feelings, some expressing the love for it because it provided the speakers to come out from two sides and shifted the headphone jack from the top of the phone to the bottom. Of course, the specs of the phone has been mindblowing with each of the release and it still amazed everyone by its clarity and functionality. Additionally, the size of the phone got bigger from the first phone to the iPhone 5.
In the following year, Apple shocked people more by releasing iPhone 5C and 5S! iPhone 5C was dubbed the “budget” phone as it was for people who are looking to get into the iPhone.
It brought back the original look of the phone and it introduced a wide array of colors for consumers to choose from. This was the cheapest phone in the fifth series as it gave many people a try into the Apple world. The colors ranged from blue to green to yellow to white. Of course, the iPhone 5S came back with an improved version of the 5, giving those in a dire need to change the phones to keep up with the trend of that year.
Up next would be iPhone 6 and the new and improved iPhone 6 PLUS. As the phone gets bigger, the need for it to be biggest was seen as a need for Apple developers, thus giving both a 4.7 inch and a 5.5 inch display screen. This also allow Apple to introduce Apple Pay, linking the phone to one’s credit card, creating a type of e-commerce. The camera got better and the look of the phone got more futuristic and was easily accessible, even to new users! It became slimmer and it transformed back into the original model at the slightest advantage.
Surprisingly, they dropped an iPhone SE as well alongside the 6 product line but has the same design elements of the iPhone 5S. It’s not a big revelation, but it gave customers a choice of returning to a similar model.
iPhone 7 came along in 2015, with the iPhone 7 plus. This caused another uproar as Apple decided to remove the iPhone headphone jack. I was really quite disappointed as there were more things you have to buy if you lose a part of it. However, the plus was really a plus point as there were 2 cameras instead of 1! It gives a deeper depth into photos, getting more clarity out of the picture.
I myself am using the iPhone 7 plus now and I am loving it. After more than 1 year of usage, it is really quite an enjoyable phone. Switiching from a 5 to a 6s to and 7plus, there was a tremendous progress in the functionality, the quality and the camera! The camera looks like a professional camera that is installed into the phone, giving you two things at the price of one, what a steal! But the easy usage of the phone is what attracted me to stay with Apple.
At the 10th year anniversary, they introduced iPhone 8 and iPhone X. You must be wondering why 9 is missing. It is because 7 8 9 (seven ate nine). /please laugh, it’s meant to lighten the mood of the blog post with something funny/.
The iPhone 8 isn’t far off from iPhone 7, but what caught many by surprise was the iPhone X (actually it was well predicted this would happen). Likewise, it sent shockwaves around the world as the most iconic thing was missing from the original iPhone. Yes, you guess it, the HOME BUTTON was missing. This revolutionise the whole game to a full touchscreen phone, with added features of face recognition unlock and it is inclusive of augmented reality function (i.e. Animoji). The camera became clearer and it allowed Apple to successful celebrate the creation of the iPhone.
Of course, there were rivals along the way such as Samsung but my heart still lives with Apple. I really like how simplistic the whole phone looks, giving it a nice glossy look to the phone, rather than the old phones that are battery packed and has a small screen. Apple really revolutionise this thing called phones and it will continue to blossom and expand it’s creative boundary over the coming years. I am looking forward to what else Apple has to offer and I will still be that loyal customer that goes back for more, just maybe not in the first day where queues are like ..
.. that.
Gab's Com 125 Journey 
This may sound like b******t, but i have always enjoyed iPhone cameras. no doubt that i am using a Sony, but i still feel that its camera is still lacking behind than that of an iPhone. during gatherings and taking pictures, i usually look for someone with an iPhone since the pictures always turn out to be great!
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As an Android user, I’m really tempted to switch over to Apple after reading this!
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Still cannot get over that they removed the headphone jack 😦
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