It was today 10 years ago after which the smartphone industry was revolutionised when Steve Jobs announced the first ever iPhone. Dated January 9, 2007 , Steve Jobs took the stage and surprised us all by introducing the first ever smartphone which would later on go and change the way people used to look at mobile phones. Celebrating the 10th anniversary, Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook has now claimed in a press release that the ‘best is yet to come’
He said – “iPhone is an essential part of our customers’ lives, and today more than ever it is redefining the way we communicate, entertain, work, and live. iPhone set the standard for mobile computing in its first decade and we are just getting started. The best is yet to come.” The Apple CEO also added that the Cupertino-based giant has now sold about 1 billion units of iPhone in total. 
Going back in time, let’s look at the journey which Apple claims to be ‘Gold Standard’ in the smartphone industry.
The original iPhone – Apple announced the first ever iPhone on January 9, 2007, however, the phone was actually released on June 29, 2007 in the United States while it took some time for Apple to bring the iPhone to UK, Germany and France in November 2007. The original iPhone boasted a plastic built and was 11.6 mm thick. For the comparison, the latest iPhone 7 is 7.1 mm thick.
iPhone 3G – The next one in the iPhone series was iPhone 3G which Apple announced it in June 2008 and released it on July 11, 2008 in about 22 countries. iPhone 3G was even thicker than the original iPhone but that was due to larger battery Apple decided to go for. Nevertheless, iPhone 3G was actually the device which embarked the popularity of Apple as a mobile phone manufacturer in India.
iPhone 3GS – A year later, on June 8, 2009, Apple came up with the iPhone 3GS which was the first S variant of an iPhone. The device had updated internals and came with the exact same design as the iPhone 3G.
iPhone 4 – This is where the first overhaul in design took place. Apple ditched the polycarbonate design and went for the glass in the iPhone 4. The device was first unveiled on June 7, 2010, at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Fransisco and was later on released on June 24, 2010 in the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan.
iPhone 4S – Making it a pattern, Apple came up with the iPhone 4S on October 4, 2011 which is just a day before when Steve Jobs died. While the design was identical to the iPhone 4, the internals saw a bump with Apple’s first integration of Dual-Core Processor (Apple’s A5 chip) in smartphones. Further, it was also the first iPhone to launch with Apple’s own voice assistant ‘Siri’.
iPhone 5 – After sticking to the 3.5-inch screen since the first iPhone, Apple finally bumped up the screen size to 4.0-inch with iPhone 5. The company also changed the design language and introduced a dual-tone metallic iPhone 5 smartphone. iPhone 5 was launched on September 12, 2012, and was made available for purchase starting September 21, 2012. iPhone 5 was one of the most sold smartphones of Apple and paved the path for unibody aluminium designed smartphones.
iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C – Next, comes the first smartphone to include a fingerprint scanner. iPhone 5S was launched on September 10, 2013 and was made available for purchase starting September 20, 2013. Apple introduced the Gold colour variant with the 5S apart from usually updated internals. The camera on the 5S was also improved when compared to the 5.
Furter, in the year 2013, the company also launched another iPhone along with the 5S – the iPhone 5C. The C here stood for Colour and Apple re-introduced the polycarbonate design with 5C while the internals of the device was identical to the iPhone 5. Further, with the launch of iPhone 5C, Apple announced that it will discontinue the iPhone 5.
iPhone 6 and 6 Plus – Launching two smartphone a year second time in a row, Apple launched the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Further, the Cupertino-based giant also went for two size variants – a 4.7-inch variant and a 5.5-inch Plus variant. The dual-tone colour design made way for a curved single toned metallic design. The Plus variant, apart from having a bigger display, also boasted a larger battery. This was the first time when we saw Apple going head to head with other large smartphones
iPhone 6S and 6S Plus – Being the S variant of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6S and 6S Plus again came with the identical design as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Launched on September 9, 2014, Apple also introduced a new Soft Gold colour variant for the 6S and 6S Plus. The actual release took place starting September 25, 2014 and iPhone 6S and 6S Plus is still one of most sold devices among Apple products.
Apple iPhone SE – Surprising yet again, Apple launched the iPhone SE (Special Edition) in early 2016, March 21 to be precise. iPhone SE was basically an iPhone 6S in the iPhone 5S body. The device offered the same performance as the iPhone 6S but in a smaller body.
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus – The latest offering from the company, iPhone 7 and 7 Plus was unveiled on September 7, 2017. Apart from introducing two new colour variants, Apple also implemented a dual-camera setup in the Plus variant. However, breaking the pattern of change in design every 2 years, there was not a lot to see in terms of the design with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. And this is when Apple took a bold step of removing 3.5 mm Headphone jack.
What to expect this year?
Apple is celebrating 10 years of iPhone this year and if rumours are to be believed, the next iPhone (probably the iPhone 8), will be a big one. As per recent rumours, the company is planning to release three variants this year with an OLED panel in one of them. Further, it is also rumoured that Apple is likely to ditch the traditional home button and might go for curved displays in the upcoming variant. To add more, the Cupertino-based giant is also reportedly working on 3D photography which might be another revolutionary step in the smartphone industry.