The Original iPhone: A Revolutionary Device

We’re used to seeing on Apple’s notebooks. Now let’s take a look at this beautiful screen, like I said before this is a capacitive touch screen that requires contact with your skin to work. It has a resolution of 320 by 480 and at 163 pixels per inch, it’s the sharpest display Apple has ever made. It’s bright and colorful and looks great even in outdoor settings. There’s also an oleophobic coating on the glass that adds a certain amount of smudgeresistance. This allows fingerprints to be wiped away easily rather than smeared across the screen. Unfortunately, this coating will wear down over time.

Apple designed the iPhone’s interface to accommodate touch, so a stylus isn’t necessary although typing on the software keyboard does take getting used to. One neat feature of the keyboard is predictivetext where it tries to guess what word you’re typing before you’ve finished typing it. This is similar to what we’ve seen on T9 keyboards and it seems to work just as well. Mobile browsing is very enjoyable on the wide screen display especially with pinch to zoom and automatic page reorientation thanks to the iPhone’s accelerometer. It’s also very convenient to have a quality web browser with you on the go supported by AT&T’s EDGE network. Apple chose the EDGE network over 3G since it’s easier on battery life, but loading websites can be painfully slow at times.

This device is completely sealed off and not designed to be taken apart, so you can’t swap out the battery yourself. In fact, the iPhone’s 3.7v Lithium Ion battery is soldered to the logic board so it definitely isn’t user replaceable, but you can have the battery replaced at an Apple Store for $85.95. As for battery life, Apple says you can expect up to 8 hours of talk time, 7 hours of video playback, 6 hours of web browsing, 24 hours of music playback, and 250 hours of standby time. The iPhone also houses a custom Samsung ARM11 processor at 412 MHz which received a Geekbench score of 135. There’s also 128MB of onboard RAM and includes wireless standards for Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11b/g for wifi.

Apple ended up selling 6.1 million units and replaced the original iPhone with the iPhone 3G on July 15th, 2008. Obviously a lot has changed since then including the competition. Before the iPhone’s release in 2007 smartphones looked a lot like this. RIM dominated the market with the Blackberry and After the iPhone’s release in 2007 competitors were sent back to the drawing board as they scrambled to develop smartphones that could compete in the same class as the iPhone. Eventually, they did catch up and the smartphone industry was flooded with touch screen devices. Some were decent, while others were just garbage. But the effect iPhone had was immeasurable. It began the touch screen era in tech. An era we’re still in the middle of today, with touch screens showing up in tablets, laptops, cars, airplanes, watches, video game systems, and even restaurants.

It was probably the most influential piece of technology I’ll see in my lifetime. Today the iPhone is one Apple’s most successful products. But what if I told you the iPhone wasn’t the first mobile phone Apple developed? Back in 2005, Apple partnered with Motorola to create the Motorola ROKR. Apple provided the iTunes software that ran on the phone but the product was a failure, experiencing poor sales and complaints about device performance. Perhaps the ROKR helped convince Steve Jobs that the mobile phone market was ripe for disruption. At that time, Steve’s touch screen tablet project was quickly shelved and replaced by something called Project Purple 2.

The Code Name: Project Purple 2

The code name for an effort to implement touchscreen technology onto a mobile phone. Now there are some things that might surprise you about the original iPhone. For example, you couldn’t set a custom homescreen wallpaper, only the lock screen wallpaper was customizable. There was no front-facing camera and the rear-facing camera did not have autofocusing. The Texting app couldn’t send photos or videos, and in order to update the iPhone’s software or install files, you had to do it through iTunes on your computer.

A Rough Condition

Most original iPhones that you find today are in pretty rough condition. That’s because the smartphone accessory business didn’t explode until many months after the iPhone was released. So many people were using these things without any protection, including the one I have here. It’s a testament to how quickly Apple’s new product would become ubiquitous and necessary.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHey guys, it’s Greg with Apple Explainedand welcome to Tech Flashback where we travelback in time and review what used to be thelatest and greatest tech products.Now let’s turn back the clock to 2007 andtake a look at the revolutionary Apple iPhone.Today we’re taking a look at the new iPhone.It retails for $499 or $599 in 4 or 8GB modelsand it includes a 2-year contract with AT&T,who is the only cellular provider availablefor iPhone.You can buy the iPhone from an Apple storeor AT&T store, and I decided to get mine fromthe Apple Store, of course.The black sleek box features an embossed photoof the iPhone with a concave home button onthe front, metallic Apple logos on the topand bottom, and the word iPhone with its storagecapacity on either side also in a metallicfinish.The backside describes what’s included inthe box, requirements for activation and iTunessyncing, and device identification numbers.After we lift the lid we’re greeted by theiPhone itself, cradled in a clear piece ofplastic formed to fit the iPhone perfectlyand the inside of the lid is lined with softblack foam for extra protection during transport.The iPhone has a smooth anodized aluminumfinish and the curved edges make it very comfortableto hold.But before we get into the details, let’ssee what’s in the box.First thing we see is a black cardboard envelopeholding an instruction manual called FingerTips, where it explains important functionsof the iPhone and it’s operating system.Next is a detailed product information guideand finally two white Apple stickers.Beneath that we get a bunch of accessoriesincluding a wall adapter with prongs thatare not only foldable, but also removableso we can attach extension cables or otherinternational adapters.We also get a useful dock accessory that chargesyour iPhone while sitting upright on yourdesk.There’s a 30-pin connector on the back anda line out port that allows you to connectexternal audio sources like speakers.The dock also has speaker vents so when theiPhone is docked, sound from the internalspeaker is redirected outward to maintainclarity.Next we get a pair of Apple earbuds, similarto the iPod’s, but these feature an in-linemicrophone for phone calls.And just like the iPod, we get a 30-pin USBconnector for charging and syncing.As for the device itself, it’s a completelynew smartphone concept that no one has everseen before.No keyboard, no stylus, just a big multitouchscreen.Now this screen is not plastic, it’s madefrom Corning gorilla glass and houses a capacitivetouch screen that perceives contact with yourfinger by a disruption in electrical currentsrather than a resistive touch screen, whichperceives contact by pressure applied to acertain area.This capacitive screen responds immediatelyto the slightest tap and makes interactingwith the phone very natural and even enjoyable.The first thing you’ll see after wakingthe iPhone is this lock screen.you have to deliberately slide your fingeracross the screen to unlock.This feature was added to prevent pocket dialingand seems to work well since I didn’t havea problem with that at all.The iPhone doesn’t have nearly as many buttonsas other smartphones, but there is a singlehome button below the display that takes youto the home screen from anywhere you’reat.It’s easy to forget the home button is eventhere when you’re so focused on exploringthe touch screen.But going back and forth between screen tappingand button pressing becomes second naturein no time.Housed above the display is an earpiece whichdoesn’t get as loud as I’d like especiallyin noisy outdoor environments.There’s also a proximity sensor which turnsoff the display when it’s held to your ear,and turns it back on when you pull the phoneaway.This prevents accidental inputs from beingregistered during phone calls.There’s also an accelerometer that knowswhich way you’re holding the phone and adjuststhe screen content accordingly.This is a really cool feature that I’lldemonstrate later.Along the top we have a power button.When you hold down the power button, you canslide to turn the phone off completely, whichis similar to shutting down a computer.But while using iPhone throughout the day,it would be quite inconvenient to start itup and shut it down again just to check thetime.That’s why you can quickly press the powerbutton to put the phone in sleep mode.This conserves battery life while enablingan instant-on display.Next there’s a mini SIM card tray that youcan eject with a paperclip.As you can see there’s already a SIM cardinstalled since this phone is locked to AT&Tso I won’t have to replace it anytime soon.There’s also a recessed headphone jack whichcould be frustrating since only the includedApple headphones are directly compatible.Although you can use an adapter to connectother headphones.On the left side we get a mute switch that’llsilence incoming calls and texts but it stilldelivers vibrations to alert you.There’s also a volume rocker with a crevicein the center so you can differentiate betweenvolume up and down.On the bottom you’ll find openings for theiPhones speaker, 30-pin connector, and microphone.And since the iPhone shares the same 30-pinconnecter as the iPod, you should be ableto use most iPod accessories for the iPhoneas well.The back is cased in beautiful anodized aluminumwith a black plastic section at the bottomthat allows the iPhone’s wifi, bluetooth,and cellular radio signals to pass through.We also get a 2MP camera and although it doesn’thave flash or video recording, it does takesome nice photos with great color reproductionand decent resolution but definitely suffersin low light conditions.There’s also an Apple logo with a mirroredfinish instead of the backlit logo that we’reused to seeing on Apple’s notebooks.Now let’s take a look at this beautifulscreen, like I said before this is a capacitivetouch screen that requires contact with yourskin to work.it has a resolution of 320 by 480 and at 163pixels per inch, it’s the sharpest displayApple has ever made.It’s bright and colorful and looks greateven in outdoor settings.There’s also an oleophobic coating on theglass that adds a certain amount of smudgeresistance.This allows fingerprints to be wiped awayeasily rather than smeared across the screen.Unfortunately this coating will wear downover time.Apple designed the iPhone’s interface toaccommodate touch so a stylus isn’t necessaryalthough typing on the software keyboard doestake getting used to.One neat feature of the keyboard is predictivetext where is tries to guess what word you’retyping before you’ve finished typing it.This is similar to what we’ve see on T9keyboards and it seems to work just as well.Mobile browsing is very enjoyable on the widescreendisplay especially with pinch to zoom andautomatic page reorientation thanks to theiPhone’s accelerometer.It’s also very convenient to have a qualityweb browser with you on the go supported byAT&Ts EDGE network.Apple chose the EDGE network over 3G sinceit’s easier on battery life, but loadingwebsites can be painfully slow at times.Now this device is completely sealed off andnot designed to be taken apart, so you can’tswap out the battery yourself.In fact, the iPhone’s 3.7v Lithium Ion batteryis soldered to the logic board so it definitelyisn’t user replaceable, but you can havethe battery replaced at an Apple Store for$85.95.As for battery life, Apple says you can expectup to 8 hours of talk time, 7 hours of videoplayback, 6 hours of web browsing, 24 hoursof music playback, and 250 hours of standbytime.The iPhone also houses a custom Samsung ARM11 processor at 412 MHz which received a Geekbenchscore of 135.There’s also 128MB of onboard RAM and includeswireless standards for Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11b/gfor wifi.Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed that reviewof the original iPhone.Apple ended up selling 6.1 million units andreplaced the original iPhone with the iPhone3G on July 15th, 2008.Obviously a lot has changed since then includingthe competition.Before the iPhone’s release in 2007 smartphoneslooked a lot like this.RIM dominated the market with the Blackberryand After the iPhone’s release in 2007 competitorswere sent back to the drawing board as theyscrambled to develop smartphones that couldcompete in the same class as the iPhone.Eventually they did catch up and the smartphoneindustry was flooded with touch screen devices.Some were decent, while others were just garbage.But the effect iPhone had was immeasurable.It began the touch screen era in tech.An era we’re still in the middle of today,with touch screens showing up in tablets,laptops, cars, airplanes, watches, video gamesystems, and even restaurants.It was probably the most influential pieceof technology I’ll see in my lifetime.Today the iPhone is one Apple’s most successfulproducts.But what if I told you the iPhone wasn’tthe first mobile phone Apple developed?Back in 2005 Apple partnered with Motorolato create the Motorola ROKR. Apple providedthe iTunes software that ran on the phonebut the product was a failure, experiencingpoor sales and complaints about device performance.Perhaps the ROKR helped convince Steve Jobsthat the mobile phone market was ripe fordisruption.At that time Steve’s touch screen tabletproject was quickly shelved and replaced bysomething called Project Purple 2.The code name for an effort to implement touchscreen technology onto a mobile phone.Now there are some things that might surpriseyou about the original iPhone.For example, you couldn’t set a custom homescreen wallpaper, only the lock screen wallpaperwas customizable.There was no front facing camera and the rearfacing camera did not have autofocusing.The Texting app couldn’t send photos orvideos, and in order to update the iPhone’ssoftware or install files you had to do itthrough iTunes on your computer.Also, most original iPhones that you findtoday are in pretty rough condition.That’s because the smartphone accessorybusiness didn’t explode until many monthsafter the iPhone was released.So many people were using these things withoutany protection, including the one I have here.So I hope you guys enjoyed this close lookat the original iPhone and if you enjoyedthe video don’t forget to leave a like,thanks for watching and I’ll see you nexttime.\n"