How much does the very first iPhone cost? History of the Apple iPhone line of smartphones
Every year Apple presents a new iPhone model, which is sure to have a couple of interesting features. Next year marks the 10th anniversary of the start of sales of the first iPhone. So we decided to remember how it was until today.
And at the same time we want find out from you: Which of these iPhones was your first?
Go, Let's get nostalgic.
1. iPhone (2007)
The first iPhone was innovative in its own right. Restrained design, a minimum of elements on the body, a strict front panel.
Remember what smartphones looked like before the advent of the iPhone: protruding antennas, joysticks, a bunch of buttons under the screen (sometimes even above it), styluses, a sliding qwerty keyboard and indecent thickness. Now look at the windows of any electronics store. Most of the devices are very similar to what Steve Jobs showed off on January 9, 2007.
The company showed what Apple smartphones would look like in the next few years, and subsequently followed the laid down principle.
What was upsetting: Unfortunately, there are no drawbacks, the first generation iPhone did not receive a number of functions that competitors had (3G support, video recording, multitasking, etc.), the operating system was closed to the user, there were many Apple restrictions (you cannot transfer pictures and music to other users, limited support for data formats, downloading files only through iTunes).
The big problem was that the headphone jack was too deep, which did not allow the use of many 3.5 mm headsets.
2. iPhone 3G (2008)
The smartphone began to acquire functions, primarily due to the update of the mobile operating system. In iOS 2.0 we saw the App Store. Since then, third-party developers have been able to earn money from us by releasing applications for the iPhone. Tim Cook reported on more than 2 million applications in the store.
And with the release of the iPhone 3G, we saw support for UMTS, HSDPA, A-GPS and different body colors (black and white).
What was upsetting: plastic case and its low wear resistance. After just a few months, the back panel was covered with scratches, cracks appeared near the cable connector, and pieces even broke off during active use.
3. iPhone 3GS (2009)
In 2009, we first learned that Apple wasn't going to update the design every year. After that, in odd-numbered years, “eski” began to be released with last year’s design, but new hardware.
The model was remembered for the appearance of a camera with autofocus and the ability to shoot video. For the first time, the iPhone received a digital compass. Of the software innovations, multitasking and voice control (Voice Control) should be noted.
What was upsetting: old design.
4. iPhone 4 (2010)
With this model we learned about a high pixel density screen - Retina Display. After holding such a device in my hands for 5 minutes, I didn’t want to use previous generation screens. Until now, a pixel density of over 300 per inch is considered the standard. The technology began to be used not only in the iPhone, it appeared on Apple tablets and computers.
The device is also memorable for its front camera, LED flash and gyroscope.
What was upsetting: antennagate was a big failure for Apple. With a certain grip, the iPhone 4 lost the network and this was widespread. Jobs and company had to apologize and hastily “invent” bumpers.
5. iPhone 4s (2011)
The main innovation of the last smartphone released under Jobs (the event was hosted by Tim Cook, and Steve died the day after the presentation) was the Siri voice assistant.
Then the feature seemed unsuitable for use. Later, Siri learned a number of commands, learned several poems and jokes, and even mastered the Russian language.
The iPhone itself was able to distribute the Internet via Wi-Fi, shoot Full-HD video, and broadcast images via AirPlay. The developers also combined GSM and CDMA models in one device.
What was upsetting: Lack of Russian language support in Siri.
6. iPhone 5 (2012)
In 2012, we learned that Apple could produce a device with a screen diagonal larger than 3.5 inches. The 30-pin connector is retired, replaced by Lightning, which is with us to this day.
With this model, many first learned about the nano-Sim format (remember how you cut your cards with scissors?) and the EarPods headset.
What was upsetting: strange paint on the back panel that quickly peeled off.
7. iPhone 5s (2013)
This device has a Touch ID fingerprint scanner. It's hard to imagine how much time these sensors save us every day. Instead of entering a long password, simply use your finger.
iPhone 5s was the first Apple smartphone to be released in gold.
We will not consider the iPhone 5c model. Apple went for an experiment that was never repeated; the device had no innovations, but was only a cheaper copy of the iPhone 5 in a colored plastic case.
What was upsetting: 64-bit processor and 32-bit applications, the App Store was not ready for the release of a model with a new processor. Until developers adapted programs and games, many 32-bit applications performed worse on the iPhone 5s than on the iPhone 5.
8. iPhone 6/6 Plus (2014)
In 2014, we saw the first “shovels” from Apple. Two years later we got used to this size of the smartphone, but then it was too much.
Thin body, powerful hardware, camera with Full HD shooting at 60 frames per second and optical stabilization (in the Plus model).
What was upsetting: We haven't forgotten Apple's advertising with the ideal screen size for a smartphone. And for the first time we saw iPhones being bent en masse.
9. iPhone 6s/6s Plus (2015)
Last year's new products include a pressure-sensitive screen with 3D Touch and software innovations associated with the use of this technology. There was also a new color “rose gold”.
What was upsetting: too little innovation and software features of dubious benefit (“live” photos, pop-up menus).
There was also a “tuned” iPhone 5S with a clever name "SE"(who forgot), but the model can hardly be called innovative. The device did not bring anything new to the line, although it became the most powerful 4-inch smartphone on the market.
10. iPhone 7/7 Plus (2016)
This year, the iPhone stopped being afraid of water, began to use battery power more wisely, and began to produce stereo sound. A rather controversial decision was the rejection of the 3.5 mm jack. Now headphones are only Bluetooth or Lightning.
And in the line there are as many as 5 body colors, this has not happened since the iPhone 5c.
What was upsetting: practically unchanged design and scratchy “black onyx”, which is impossible to buy. 
Now try to remember how you reacted to the innovations of each model when it appeared. No one ran headlong for the iPhone just because it had 3G or LTE support, a front camera or flash, Siri or a big screen. At the time these features appeared, many people thought they were unnecessary, but now we use them several times a day.
As we know, Apple releases a new version of iPhone every year and Apple never deviates from this principle. But a phrase like “once a year” is a bit vague, don’t you think? Therefore, now I propose to understand the exact release date of absolutely each and every iPhone from the company. I think that it will be very interesting for all of us to understand what the time interval is between the presentation of the iPhone and its release, so to speak, around the world, and of course it will be interesting to know this in particular about Russia.
To make everything easier for you to understand, this information is presented in table form. To make everything clearer and simpler for you, here are some explanations:
- When we talk about the start of sales in Russia, we mean official sales of certified devices.
- When it comes to the start of sales in the world, the concept of the world means the so-called “first wave,” that is, the countries in which devices appear first.
Release dates for all iPhone models
| Model devices |
date presentations |
Start date sales in the world |
Start date sales in Russia |
| iPhone 2G | 09.01.2007 | 29.06.2007 | NO |
| iPhone 3G | 10.06.2008 | 11.07.2008 | 03.10.2008 |
| iPhone 3GS | 08.06.2009 | 19.06.2009 | 05.03.2010 |
| iPhone 4 | 07.06.2010 | 24.06.2010 | 22.09.2010 |
| iPhone 4S | 04.10.2011 | 14.10.2011 | 16.12.2011 |
| iPhone 5 | 19.09.2012 | 21.09.2012 | 14.12.2012 |
| iPhone 5S, 5C | 10.09.2013 | 20.09.2013 | 25.10.2013 |
| iPhone 6 (Plus) | 09.09.2014 | 19.09.2014 | 26.09.2014 |
| iPhone 6S (Plus) | 09.09.2015 | 25.09.2015 | 09.10.2015 |
| iPhone SE | 21.03.2016 | 31.03.2016 | 05.04.2016 |
| iPhone 7 (Plus) | 07.09.2016 | 16.09.2016 | 23.09.2016 |
If you remember, the iPhone began to be sold only with 3G models; 2G models were never sold in Russia. This is discussed in a little more detail here.
We can also see increased loyalty towards our country from Apple. An indicator of this is the reduction in the release time of devices in our country compared to each previous year. And by the time the sixth iPhone was released, they had reached their peak, so to speak. After all, by this moment the difference in the output of devices in the world and in our country was only a week! If this is difficult for you to understand, then think about the fact that the iPhone 3GS was released in our country after a period of approximately nine months! The most interesting thing is that at this moment almost the whole world was waiting for the fourth iPhone.
And judging by all this, one might even think that our country would be among the first three countries to receive the iPhone this year. But due to some criteria, which I think even you can guess, this did not happen. These are the criteria:
- Quite low buyer activity.
- Considerable instability of the dollar exchange rate.
- High prices for this very device.
If we talk about the iPhone seventh model, then our country has entered the second “wave of sales,” so to speak. In Russia, a new device from Apple will appear not much, not much later than in the so-called “first wave” countries, just a week later. And this is good, because, given this pace, next year we can get into the top three.
"TASS/Ruptly/Reuters"
iPhone is a family of touchscreen smartphones produced by the American company Apple. Development of the iPhone began in 2005 under the leadership of company CEO Steve Jobs and designer Jonathan Ive. The device was first presented on January 9, 2007 at the Macworld exhibition in San Francisco, sales in the United States began on June 29, 2007.
The appearance of the iPhone had a strong impact on the market of mobile phones and gadgets, actually leading to the fact that most manufacturers began to focus on this device when creating their own devices. What initially differentiated the iPhone from other smartphones was its large capacitive touchscreen that allowed multi-finger input, while Apple's competitors tended to use smaller, cheaper resistive touchscreens that required a stylus. ).
When creating the iPhone, it was decided to reduce the number of buttons on the device's body to a minimum. Also, a new iOS operating system was developed for the iPhone, specially adapted to facilitate access from the smartphone to the Internet and application and music stores iTunes and App Store (since 2008).
First iPhone
The first iPhone had a 3.5-inch screen (115 by 61 mm), 11.6 mm thick, a 2-megapixel camera, an aluminum body with glass, steel and black plastic elements, and supported second-generation data transfer standards (GSM, EDGE ), Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth and weighed 135 grams. It was released in versions with 4, 8 and 16 gigabytes of memory.
In total, about 5.4 million devices were sold in a year.
iPhone 3G and 3GS
On July 11, 2008, the next version of the iPhone, 3G, was released. It supported third-generation mobile networks, had a built-in chip for satellite navigation, and also had two body color options: black and white. iPhone 3G became the first model that was officially sold in Russia (since October 2008, at prices from 23 to 27 thousand rubles, hereinafter - depending on the amount of built-in memory). In the first year, Apple managed to sell about 15 million devices worldwide.
On June 19, 2009, the iPhone 3GS version was introduced. It had a more powerful processor, a camera with a resolution of 3 megapixels, support for video recording, and a version with 32 gigabytes of memory appeared. Sales in Russia began in March 2010, at prices ranging from 30 to 35 thousand rubles. During the year, sales of the iPhone 3GS and one of the versions of the iPhone 3G remaining in production amounted to 30 million units.
iPhone 4 and 4S
On June 24, 2010, Apple introduced the iPhone 4. The new smartphone became thinner (9.3 mm versus 11.6-12.3 mm in previous versions), had a higher screen resolution, a 5-megapixel main camera, and a more powerful processor. For the first time, a front camera appeared. The body design has also been changed. Prices in Russia were 27-37 thousand rubles. Over the course of the year, more than 57 million units were sold worldwide (including 3GS).
On October 4, 2011, the day before Steve Jobs died, new Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone 4S. Changes in the smartphone affected, first of all, hardware resources: it was equipped with a more powerful processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and a version with 64 gigabytes of memory appeared. Also, the satellite navigation chip began to receive data from satellites of the Russian GLONASS system. Official Russian prices are 35-45 thousand rubles.
The number of iPhone 4S and earlier versions smartphones sold during the year exceeded 110 million units. At the end of 2012, iPhone began to generate more than half of the company's total revenue for the first time.
iPhone 5 models
The presentation of iPhone 5, the next generation of smartphones, took place on September 12, 2012. The new device became even thinner (7.6 mm), lighter (112 g) than previous models, but at the same time had a larger screen (4 inches). A “silver” version of the body color also appeared. The smartphone began to support fourth generation networks (LTE). Over the course of the year, more than 140 million devices were sold worldwide; in the Russian Federation, devices were sold for 35-45 thousand rubles.
On September 20, 2013, Apple introduced two new iPhone versions 5C and 5S. The first phone with the same hardware as the iPhone 5 had a plastic rather than aluminum body. The 5S was positioned as a more expensive version, had a more powerful processor, and was sold in a “silver” or “gold” version of the case; in Russia prices were 25-30 thousand rubles for models 5C and 30-40 thousand rubles. for 5S.
Sales of these and previous versions exceeded 150 million units.
iPhone 6, 6S, 6S Plus, SE
The next generation of iPhone was released on September 19, 2014 and comes in two versions - 6 and 6 Plus. The new versions are distinguished by increased screen sizes: 4.7 and 5.5 inches, respectively, they have become heavier (129 and 172 grams), but thinner (7.1 mm). Models were supplied with 128 gigabytes of memory; Russian prices at the start of sales amounted to 32-42 thousand rubles. (iPhone 6) and 37-47 thousand rubles. (6 Plus). By the summer of 2015, over 170 million units were sold worldwide. along with the remaining 5C model in production.
On September 9, 2015, the new 6S and 6S Plus models were announced. They differed from the previous ones in more powerful hardware and increased weight by 20 g. Sales began on September 25, and 13 million new iPhone models were sold over the weekend of September 26-27. In Russia and a number of other countries they went on sale on October 9. Prices ranged from 56 thousand to 83 thousand rubles, depending on modifications.
On March 21, 2016, Apple introduced a new iPhone SE with hardware from the 6S, but with a 4-inch screen (sales started on March 31, in Russia - from April 5, the original price in the Russian Federation started from 37.99 thousand rubles). The release of iPhone 6, 6S, 6S Plus and SE devices continues, including in the form of versions with increased memory sizes.
iPhone 7
The release of the newest smartphone in the family, iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, took place on September 7, 2016. In appearance, they are almost no different from the 6S and 6S Plus, but have more powerful hardware. Among the most significant differences is that the new models do not have a 3.5 mm headphone jack (instead, it is proposed to use wireless or headphones connected via the Lighting connector. The version 7 Plus had two cameras placed on the back body, one of them was a telephoto lens for shooting of distant objects. Sales began on September 16, 2016, in Russia - on September 23, at prices from 57 to 86 thousand rubles.
Statistics
On July 27, 2016, Apple sold its billionth iPhone. In total, in fiscal year 2016 (October 1, 2015 - September 30, 2016), sales of smartphones (212 million units) brought Apple revenue of $136 billion, which accounted for 63.4% of the company's total revenue. At the same time, at the end of 2016, for the first time in 10 years, both sales of new iPhones and revenue from them decreased.
According to the American analytical company Gartner, in the first quarter of 2017, Apple accounted for 13.7% of the smartphone sales market, the first place was occupied by Korean Samsung (20.7%). At the same time, in the markets of developed countries (USA, UK, Russia) in April 2017, Apple’s share in smartphone sales was 35-40% (data from the analytical company Kantar). In Russia, according to the German analytical company GfK, the share of iPhone sales in 2016 was at 5.2%, compared to 10.3% a year ago.
Phones. Mobile phones have been improved and developed since their inception until today. They became lighter, smaller, more functional. They are firmly entrenched in our lives, helping us with ordinary tasks on weekdays. We have seen the ups and downs of many mobile device companies. Many people remember Nokia and its elegant and sophisticated phones, Motorola and their functional RAZR flip phones. But none of these companies were able to make such a revolution in the mobile device market as Apple did with its phone, which was succinctly called iPhone. But not everything was so simple; on the way to creating a mobile phone from Apple, there were many problems and obstacles to achieving the goal...
Where it all started
In 2005, iPod sales reached a staggering 20 million. The portable player has taken an important role in the digital device market, securing the title of the best music player. But at Apple, led by Steve Jobs, there were already reasonable opinions that the success of the iPod would be overshadowed by mobile phones. If every company decides to build a music player into their phone, then the need for an iPod will simply disappear. Jobs was very unhappy with this situation.In those days, Apple worked closely with Motorola. After lengthy negotiations, both parties decided to jointly create a mobile device. Motorola at that time produced and released the RAZR line of mobile phones, which subsequently evolved into ROKR in collaboration with Apple. ROKR was closely integrated with the iPod, but as you might have guessed, it was not successful upon release. The phone was functionally limited and did not allow more than a hundred songs to be downloaded to the phone. It lacked the minimalism and elegance that characterized the iPod.
This state of affairs did not suit Apple. Therefore, within the company, a team of designers and engineers began to develop their own phone. Steve and his team spent many hours at meetings discussing their own phones and pointing out their shortcomings. They were heavy, thick, and in settings the devil would break a leg. Apple's phone was supposed to be thinner, lighter and more convenient. This was the main motivation for Steve's team.
Development of the first iPhone
Many people did not know that the company was simultaneously developing a tablet computer. At a certain point, the development of the phone and tablet stopped, so the iPhone took many ideas from the iPad. But many in the company did not appreciate the idea of creating a mobile phone with a touch screen. So the design team split into two groups working on different iPhone prototypes, codenamed P1 and P2. The P1 was a reimagining of the iPod, a phone with a Click Wheel, and the P2 was a touchscreen variant. After some time, the first group, led by Tony Fadell, admitted that the wheel option was very inconvenient from entering a phone number to typing a text message. After lengthy discussions, Steve's team decided to stick with the touchscreen option. All that's left is to make it work.
In early 2005, Apple acquired the small company FingerWorks, after which all of its patents for multi-touch technologies and subsequent patents came under the name Apple. Also, after Jony Ive showed Steve Jobs multi-touch technology, which allows you to control computers using a touch surface, Jobs used this technology to create the iPhone. “This is the future,” Steve said. The whole team really liked the idea of scrolling through text as if it were something tangible and enlarging the text with two fingers. Technologically, the iPhone was almost ready, but some questions remained regarding the design of the phone.
The front of the phone was planned to be made of plastic, but Steve decided to insist that the screen should be made of glass, arguing that it would make the phone look more elegant. All that remained was to find strong and scratch-resistant glass. This was found. John Seely Brown, a friend of Jobs, advised him to contact Corning, which was producing high-strength gorilla glass, but due to low demand for the product it was forced to close production. After several calls, Steve Jobs agreed on a partnership with Corning.
After some time, Jobs' team begins to re-design the iPhone. Everyone on the team unanimously agreed that the current design looked terrible. The new version assumed that only the screen and the Home button would remain on the front side, and there would be metal rims on the sides connecting the front and back sides. It was a long road to the iPhone design we saw at the presentation.
At the MacWorld presentation in early 2007, Steve Jobs took the stage and announced that Apple intended to introduce three revolutionary products to the world. iPod with a widescreen touch display, a revolutionary mobile device and a device for comfortable and convenient Internet use. Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to the public. Three revolutionary products in one device.
iPhone Specifications
| Display | 3.5 inches (3:2) Resolution 480 × 320 px |
 |
||
| CPU | Samsung AS5L8900 (90nm) Frequency 0.620 GHz (operating 0.412 GHz) |
|||
| GPU | PowerVR MBX Lite 3D (0.103 GHz) | |||
| Memory | 128 MB DRAM DDR | |||
| Storage capacity | 4/8/16 Gb | |||
| Camera | 2 Mpx, f/2.8 lens No video recording |
|||
| Front-camera | Absent | |||
Sensors, modules |
Proximity sensor, light sensor, accelerometer | Battery (hours of operation) | ||
| Music Video Talk Internet Expectation |
up to 24 up to 7 up to 8 until 6 up to 250 |
1,400 mAh | ||
| iOS version Sales |
iPhone OS 1.0 - iPhone OS 3.1.3 29.06.2007 - 11.07.2008 |
Dimensions (mm) |
||
| Length Width Thickness |
115 61 11.6 |
135 grams | ||
| Communication standards | GSM/GPRS/EDGE Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 |
|||
iPhone 2G went on sale in the US in June 2007 and received many forest reviews. There was also criticism regarding the weak signal and lack of ability to connect to the 3G network; many Microsoft antagonists predicted the failure of the Apple phone due to its high cost of $500.
The iPhone 2G was just the beginning of a line of devices. But it plays an important role in shaping the device market. Many of you have noticed how quickly the mobile device market has changed since the release of the first iPhone. Changing the shape of factors, the presence of touch screens. Regardless of the competition, the iPhone has been and remains one of the leading smartphones in the world.
If you have not found an answer to your question or something has not worked out for you, and there is no suitable solution in the comments below, ask a question through our
Hi all! A new iPhone model comes out every year and Apple strictly adheres to this rule. However, “once a year” is too vague a wording, don’t you think? Therefore, I propose today to find out the exact release date of absolutely all existing iPhone models. To collect, so to speak, all these numbers in one place.
For what? Firstly, it is always interesting to track how much time passes from the moment of presentation to the start of sales in Russia and the world. Secondly, such a cheat sheet can be useful to many (for me, as the author of a blog about Apple, certainly :)). Thirdly, why not? The content, in my opinion, is useful - let it be. Go!
For a clearer understanding, all information is presented in the table. A little explanation:
- Start date of sales in the world - by “world” we mean the countries of the so-called “first wave” (USA, European countries, etc.)
- The start date of sales in Russia is the beginning of sales of certified (PCT) iPhones.
- The iPhone 2G was not “legally” sold in Russia, and the first official iPhone in the Russian Federation was the 3G model (a little more about this).
| Device model | Presentation date | Global sales start date | Sales start date in Russia |
| iPhone 2G | 09.01.2007 | 29.06.2007 | No |
| iPhone 3G | 10.06.2008 | 11.07.2008 | 03.10.2008 |
| iPhone 3GS | 08.06.2009 | 19.06.2009 | 05.03.2010 |
| iPhone 4 | 07.06.2010 | 24.06.2010 | 22.09.2010 |
| iPhone 4S | 04.10.2011 | 14.10.2011 | 16.12.2011 |
| iPhone 5 | 19.09.2012 | 21.09.2012 | 14.12.2012 |
| iPhone 5S, 5C | 10.09.2013 | 20.09.2013 | 25.10.2013 |
| iPhone 6 (Plus) | 09.09.2014 | 19.09.2014 | 26.09.2014 |
| iPhone 6S (Plus) | 09.09.2015 | 25.09.2015 | 09.10.2015 |
| iPhone SE | 21.03.2016 | 31.03.2016 | 05.04.2016 |
| iPhone 7 (Plus) | 07.09.2016 | 16.09.2016 | 23.09.2016 |
| iPhone 8 (Plus) | 12.09.2017 | 22.09.2017 | 29.09.2017 |
| iPhone X | 12.09.2017 | 03.11.2017 | 03.11.2017 |
| iPhone XS (Max) | 12.09.2018 | 21.09.2018 | 28.09.2018 |
| iPhone XR | 12.09.2018 | 26.10.2018 | 26.10.2018 |
As we can see, the increase in Apple’s loyalty to our country is very clearly visible. The timing of the appearance of gadgets in Russia, compared to the global start of sales, decreased every year. And by the time the “six” came out, they reached their apogee. The difference was only a week!
For comparison, the official iPhone 3GS appeared in Russia almost 9 months later! At this time the whole world was already waiting for the “four” :)
And my opinion is that everything was heading towards Russia being included this year in the list of those countries where Apple devices appear first. However, this did not happen and we all know why:
- Dollar instability.
- Great prices.
- Low purchasing activity.
Well, let's wait and see and perhaps, specifically for the iPhone 7 model, a row with two identical numbers in the last two columns will be added to the table at the top :)
Updated! Well, with regards to the iPhone 7, miracles certainly didn’t happen, but Russia still got into the “second wave” of sales. In the Russian Federation, a brand new smartphone from Apple will appear only a week later than in the “first wave” countries. And this is very good! After all, the point is that starting with the iPhone 7S, our country should be among those who will receive it first.
Updated 2! Preliminary data (which are known immediately after the presentation) on the release of iPhone 8 and iPhone X have been added to the table. At the moment, opinions differ only about the G8 - will Russia be among the countries of the “first wave”? Or will iPhone 8 sales in the Russian Federation start a week later than throughout the world? Let's wait for more accurate information... We have waited. Still a week late. But Russia was included in the “first wave” of iPhone X sales - this is very cool!
