The Evolution of iPhone Design: A Journey from 2007 to 2018

In 2007, Apple released its first iPhone, which revolutionized the mobile phone industry with its multi-touch interface and sleek design. The original iPhone featured a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, stainless steel frame, and a 2-megapixel camera on the back. Its design was praised for its simplicity and elegance, setting a new standard for smartphones.

The iPhone 3G, released in 2008, introduced 3G connectivity to the iPhone, increasing data speeds and enabling faster mobile internet browsing. The device's design remained largely unchanged from the original iPhone, with a stainless steel frame and glass front and back. However, this design became increasingly criticized as users found it slippery and difficult to hold securely.

In 2009, Apple released the iPhone 3GS, which featured a 3-megapixel camera, video recording capabilities, and a faster processor. The device's design remained largely unchanged from its predecessors, with some minor tweaks such as the addition of a volume button on the side.

The iPhone 4, released in 2010, marked a significant departure from Apple's previous designs. Its stainless steel frame was replaced by a glass front and back, which introduced some notable design cues that would become hallmarks of future iPhones. However, the iPhone 4 also featured lines interrupting the antenna band, which was later addressed in subsequent models.

The iPhone 5, released in 2012, returned to Apple's previous design language with a stainless steel frame, glass front and back, and a new dock connector. The device's design was praised for its simplicity and elegance, setting a new standard for smartphones.

In 2014, Apple released the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which featured larger 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays respectively. The devices solved the issue of one-handed use by including a software feature called reachability, which moved the screen content down when needed. However, the designs were criticized for their rounded edges, which made the phones quite slippery.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus also featured some design eyesores that Apple had to address. The antenna lines on the back of the device were unsightly, and the camera unit protruded from the back panel, which was not aesthetically pleasing at the time. However, most people have since come to accept these design elements.

Apple's next major redesign came with the iPhone 7, released in 2016. The device technically featured a new design, but changes were minimal. The camera unit was more seamlessly integrated into the back panel, and the antenna lines were moved along the top and bottom edges instead of across the back panel. However, the biggest change was the removal of the headphone jack, which sparked controversy among users.

The iPhone 8, released in 2017, featured another design overhaul, but it was not as radical a change as with the iPhone 4, 5 or 6. The device featured wireless charging, which meant the backside had to be glass instead of aluminum, making it heavier and more prone to shattering.

The release of the iPhone X in 2017 marked a significant departure from Apple's previous designs. Its massive 5.8-inch super retina display dominated the front side of the device, but there was one other notable feature that received criticism: the notch. The notch housed some incredible technology, including the TrueDepth camera system, which enabled features like FaceID and Selfie Portrait Mode.

FaceID is a game-changer in terms of iPhone security. It allows users to secure their phone without doing anything differently than if their phone were not secure. Users simply look at their phone, whether or not FaceID is activated, and this adds a level of convenience that has never been achieved before. The notch, while initially met with criticism, is now widely accepted as a necessary feature for enabling these advanced security features.

The iPhone X also featured a polished stainless steel band and glass back that looked incredible together and enabled some amazing features that made the iPhone even smarter and easier to use. This marks a significant shift in Apple's design philosophy, from the simplicity of earlier models to the complexity and innovation of modern iPhones.

In conclusion, the evolution of iPhone design has been marked by a journey from simplicity to complexity, from functionality to aesthetics, and from incremental changes to radical overhauls. While some designs have been met with criticism, others have become hallmarks of future iPhones, and Apple's commitment to innovation and excellence in design continues to shape the smartphone industry.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHey guys, it’s Greg with Apple Explained.And today we’re going to explore the historyof iPhone design.This topic was the first place winner of lastweek’s voting poll, and if you didn’tget to vote, make sure you’re subscribed.That way the voting polls will show up rightin your mobile activity feed and you can letme know which video you’d like to see next.So the iPhone is perhaps the most iconic smartphoneever made.And that’s largely due to its incredibledesign, which was unprecedented back in 2007when it was first revealed.I mean just look at some of the existing smartphoneson the market in those days, they don’teven appear to be in the same category asthe iPhone.And that’s why everyone was shocked by itsintroduction, because the iPhone really was,as Steve Jobs put it, at least five yearsahead of any other phone.And that may leave you wondering how Appleeven came up with the iPhone’s radical designin the first place, as there was nothing elselike it at the time.Well, in order to understand Apple’s designprocess, you have to first understand theirdesign philosophy.Because despite what many people may think,Apple doesn’t design products just to lookgood.They design products to work well.And that principle drives almost every design-baseddecision within the company.And we can get an idea of how the originaliPhone was designed by understanding how Applewanted the device to work.So let’s start by considering the purposeof the iPhone.Jobs himself said Apple wanted it to be thesmartest phone on the market, in additionto being the easiest to use.And in order to execute this goal, Apple hadto reimagine how a user interfaces with theirsmartphone.Because if we refer back to all the smartphonesthat existed before the iPhone, you get anidea of how complicated the user experiencereally was.Dozens of small plastic buttons fixed intoplace, each with their own function.A small display featuring a cumbersome operatingsystem that you might navigate with arrows,a scroll ball, or touchpad.And as you might imagine, this wasn’t thefastest or easiest way to interact with thecontent on your smartphone.And Apple found a better way.They used a technology called multitouch alongsidea large touch-sensitive display which functionedin a very similar way to a desktop mouse.Because with just a finger, users could navigateto the content they wanted just with a tap.Which was a much more natural, simple wayto use a smartphone.And this also meant the device no longer neededa fixed plastic keyboard with all kinds ofdifferent buttons.Instead, Apple used the extra real estateto include a larger, 3.5” multitouch display.Something unheard of in competing smartphones.But that didn’t mean the iPhone wouldn’thave any buttons at all.Because something called a home button wasincluded which served one simple functionacross the entire operating system, whichwas to return the user to the home screenfrom wherever they were at.Now if you take a step back and imagine whata phone with these features might look like,it probably isn’t too far off from whatthe original iPhone ended up becoming.Because Apple is predicable in one aspect,and that’s when it comes to their simple,straightforward design aesthetic.So Apple really wasn’t trying to build aphone with the prettiest design, they weretrying to build a phone with the best userexperience and features which informed whatthe iPhone ended up looking like.Now another signature quality of the originaliPhone was the large black plastic sectionon the back, which seemed to interrupt thebeautiful aluminum panel.But it didn’t matter to Apple if some peopleconsidered this ugly, because it served anecessary function.And that was to ensure a strong antenna connectionsince aluminum prevented radio signals frompassing through.And we’ll see other examples of Apple makingwhat appear to be unappealing design decisionlater in the video.So that’s part the story behind the originaliPhone design, but what about the others?Because the iPhone has taken an interestingpath since 2007, with what some may considerhigh and low points.Now I’m going to discuss every iPhone modelthat received a major redesign.Which leaves out all of the S iterations anda few others.So let’s begin by discussing the iPhone’sfirst redesign in 2008, with the iPhone 3G.And as the name suggests, this model ran onAT&T’s faster 3G networks, which broughtwith it some challenges.Because one of the reasons why Apple choseto put the original iPhone on the slower EDGEnetwork, was to save battery life.But data speed were painfully slow, and notlong after its release, users began expectingApple to create a modern 3G-capable iPhone.So in order to accommodate this change, theiPhone’s design changed with it.This time ditching the aluminum back in favorof all-plastic.Which again, allowed radio signals to passthrough without difficulty.And strong signal strength on the iPhone 3Gwas crucial, since a weak signal placed evenmore demand on the device’s battery.And because the 3G’s battery was actuallysmaller than its predecessor, it needed toconserve as much power as possible.Now things took a much different turn withthe iPhone 4.Because Apple decided to ditch the plasticback in favor of an all-glass design.In addition to a stainless-steel band thatwent around the sides.Now the switch from plastic to glass was likelyto prevent scratching, since glass is a muchharder material.Although it is much more susceptible to shattering.Now perhaps the iPhone 4’s biggest designchange was the stainless-steel band.And this is where Apple made another surprisingdesign decision, since they allowed unsightlylines to interrupt the seamlessness of thesteel band.But this was the result of Apple integratingthe antenna system into the band itself, anotherdecision based on function rather than pureaesthetics.Now the next major redesign came with theiPhone 5 in 2012, and is widely consideredto be one of the best.Because it featured a sleek aluminum bodywith diamond-chamfered edges, and beautifullyplaced sections of glass on the back.Also, this design was 18% thinner, 20% lighter,and 12% smaller by volume than the iPhone4s.But it featured the largest display availablefor iPhones at the time, measuring 4” insteadof the usual 3.5”.And there was something else special aboutits design, because it was the first timean iPhone featured an aluminum body sincethe original.And this helped tremendously in getting itsweight down, as aluminum weighs less thanglass.Also, this meant users wouldn’t have toworry so much about shattering the back oftheir iPhone.Now this was around the time when competingsmartphones began to feature larger displays.And Apple was proud that the iPhone 5 wasstill a compact phone that could be used one-handed.But the market made it clear that big phoneswith big displays were more desirable, soApple changed their tune with the iPhone 6and 6 Plus in 2014.Because Apple went all-in with larger iPhonesthat featured 4.7” and 5.5” displays.And they solved the issue of one-handed useby including a software feature called reachability,which moved the screen content down when needed.Now the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus designs were aboutmore than just their displays.They adopted some design cues from the originaliPhone by featuring rounded edges, althoughthis made the phone quite slippery which causedsome complaints especially since the deviceswere already quite large and more difficultto hold securely.Now these models had a couple design eyesoresthat I personally could never really lookpast.And it had to do with the antenna and camera.Because while the iPhone 4 featured linesinterrupting the antenna band, the iPhone6 and 6 Plus models had unsightly lines interruptingthe entire aluminum back panel.And while this was necessary in order to enablestrong cellular connection, I much preferredthe iPhone 5’s approach of adding attractiveglass sections on the backside instead ofplastic lines.And as for the camera, the iPhone 6 and 6Plus were the first models to feature camerabumps, where the camera unit would actuallyprotrude from the back panel.And many people, including myself, found thisto be quite unappealing at the time, althoughmost have come to accept it today.So Apple had made quite a few major redesignsto the iPhone up to this point, but thingsgot a lot less exciting with the iPhone 7.It was technically a redesigned model, butchanges were minimal.The camera unit was more seamlessly integratedinto the back panel, and the antenna lineswere moved.Running along the top and bottom edges insteadof across the back panel.But perhaps the biggest change was the removalof the headphone jack.And the decision remains controversial tothis day.Apple claimed they had to remove it in orderto make room for the Haptic Engine, but otherpeople think Apple deliberately removed theheadphone jack in order to boost sales ofthe AirPods, their wireless earbuds.Now the iPhone 8 released just one year laterin 2017 featured another design overhaul.But again, it wasn’t as radical a changeas with the iPhone 4, 5 or 6.The iPhone 8 featured wireless charging, whichmeant the backside had to be glass insteadof aluminum.So it got a little heavier than the iPhone7 and fear of shattering the back, as withthe iPhone 4, had returned.Now there isn’t much else that changed withthe iPhone 8’s design.And this was likely because a second iPhonemodel had more of Apple’s attention andresources.And that was the iPhone X, which was actuallyintroduced alongside the iPhone 8.Now the iPhone X finally delivered a radicalredesign that customers had been waiting for.And it all started with the huge, 5.8” superretina display that dominated the frontsideof the device.But there was one other thing on the front,a notch.Which brings us to yet another design decisiondriven by function rather than looks.The notch received more than its share ofcriticism from the tech community and beyond.With some people going so far as to say itruined the entire purpose of the iPhone X’sedge-to-edge display.But the function of the notch is quite interesting.Because it houses some of the most incredibletechnology brought to any iPhone.And that is the TrueDepth camera system.Which enables great features like FaceID andselfie Portrait Mode.But I want to focus on FaceID since I believeit fundamentally changes the way users interactwith their iPhone.Because at first, there were passcodes thatkept our iPhones protected.And using a passcode was the most time consuming,inconvenient method of securing your device.Then Touch ID came along and made things alot faster, since all you had to do then wasrest your thumb on the home button.But FaceID accomplishes something very interesting.It allows you to secure your phone withoutdoing anything differently than if your phoneweren’t secure.Because you look at your phone whether ornot FaceID is activated.And this adds a level of convince to unlockingyour iPhone that has never been achieved before.So I think the notch is a welcome additionto the iPhone that makes using the deviceeven simpler and easier.Which has been Apple’s design goal for theiPhone since the beginning.Now I should also mention that the iPhoneX adds a polished stainless steel band andglass back that not only look incredible together,but enable some amazing features that makethe iPhone even smarter and easier to use.So that is the history of iPhone design, andif you want to vote for the next video topic,don’t forget to subscribe.Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you nexttime.\n"