iPhones hit the technological revolution back in 2007. Steve Jobs introduced the world to the iPhone on January 9, 2007. Later, Apple released the stunning iPhone on 29 June 2007.
Undoubtedly, it was a leap from conventional keyboard-operated phones to screen-touch smartphones. There’s no controversy about how iPhones have evolved in these 15 years. iPhones have gone from simple to ravishing and premium within 15 years.
Additionally, some features have been added to trendiest iPhones that didn’t exist in the original iPhone.
Let’s find out 15 features that the original iPhone didn’t have when first announced.
Features Didn’t Exist for the Original iPhone
We feel goosebumps to have a review of what features have popped out in iPhones these years. Additionally, these features didn’t appear in the original iPhone.
Here are those features that deserve a quick glance for making room in our daily lives, but they weren’t there when the original iPhone released.
Copy & Paste
The first missing feature might sound shocking. But, it’s true that original iPhones didn’t have the capability to copy and paste. Apple added the copy and paste functionality to the iPhone lineup in 2009. Till then, iPhone users had to struggle a lot with copying and pasting, we assume.
App Store
It seems hard to digest but yes, the Apple iPhone was originally released without the App Store. iPhone users had to deal a lot with installing third-party applications. However, primary applications such as Phone, Message, Photo, Calendar, Weather, Calculator, and Notes were there on the original iPhone.
In addition to this, developers could use third-party applications on web-based interfaces. It’s clear that there are countless native third-party applications. And, the absence of the App Store might have been troublesome. Well, Apple brought the App Store in July 2008 for iOS users.
Front Camera
Admit it, selfies were out of blues those days. That’s why, no doubt, the original iPhone came out without a front camera. However, Apple introduced the front camera on iPhone 4 and released it in 2010. Additionally, FaceTime emerged simultaneously for video calling.
Multimedia Messaging
Previously, messages meant everything in text. Yet, the idea has changed over the years, and we are now able to send different files and documents as messages. The original iPhone lacked the ability to send photos over text.
Now, you can send images and other multimedia files with iMessage. Well, the MMS concept appeared in 2009 for iPhone OS 3.0.
Flashlight
With the release of the App Store, iPhone users could install third-party flashlight applications. Those applications just increased the display brightness to its maximum potential. Rather than that, the original iPhones didn’t have the built-in flashlight or LED infrastructure inside them.
Video Recording
Here’s another shocker for iPhone lovers. The original iPhone was designed to shoot photos only. Later, Apple added the video recording capabilities with the launch of the iPhone 3GS in 2009.
GPS
Surprisingly, the built-in GPS system wasn’t available for the first time launches of the iPhone. However, the original iPhone had pre-installed Google Maps. Well, you couldn’t use the Map application to get directions or navigation to reach your destination. Apple came up with built-in GPS functions with iPhone 3G in 2008.
Support for Verizon Carrier
AT&T was the one and only proud carrier partner for the original iPhone back in the days when Apple launched its first iPhone. Surprisingly, Verizon was not on the list of supported carrier partners of Apple in the United States. However, Verizon came out as a carrier partner of iPhones in 2011, much after the release of the original iPhone.
Home Screen Customisation
It’s infuriating when you can’t personalise your iPhone’s home screen. The scenario was the same when the first and original iPhone came on the market. Users couldn’t customise their iPhones’ home screens and set their favourite wallpapers.
The issue came to an end when Apple released iOS 4 in 2010. Sadly, iOS 4 didn’t come with the support for hardware that the original iPhone had.
Siri
Can you imagine that Siri came to iPhones way after the original iPhone was launched? Apple’s in-house voice-based digital assistant came out in 2011 with iPhone 4S.
Retina Display
Apple’s Retina Display didn’t exist for the original iPhone. With the advent of the Retina Display, the iPhone can feature four times multiplied the pixels appearing on the original iPhone. Retina Display was the highest resolution display for all smartphones at the time of its release.
Lightning Connector
The original iPhone had a 30-pin dock connector. You might have come across such dock connectors on numerous iPods. Furthermore, Apple turned the dock connector to a much smaller lightning connector. iPhone 5, released in 2012, was the first iPhone to have a lightning connector.
Touch ID or Face ID for Unlock
Biometric authentication has replaced the necessity of drawing the pattern or providing the PIN system. Apple’s revolutionary Touch ID and Face ID are the talks of the security town of smartphones. Yet, the original iPhone didn’t have the minimal Touch ID to unlock the device.
Users could only protect their iPhones with a four-digit passcode until 2013. Apple released iPhone 5S with Touch ID. In addition to this, iPhone X arrived with Face ID in 2017.
Wireless Charging
Communication has turned mostly wireless, nowadays. Keeping the trend in mind, Apple invented the wireless charging technique for iPhones. The first wireless charging-supported iPhones were iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus. Apple launched them in 2017.
Water Resistance or IP Rating
Not to mention, the latest iPhones, such as iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups do come with water resistance features. For example, iPhone 13 Pro Max comes with an IP68 rating. However, the original iPhone didn’t say anything about water resistance. Therefore, we guess that the original iPhone wasn’t resistant to water.
What Else Has Changed?
Here are the 15 features of the latest iPhones that the original didn’t have. Additionally, there’s a huge difference between the original and the latest iPhones. The size, camera notches, their numbers, picture quality, and so on have changed. The aluminium back has transformed into an astonishing glass back. Yet, iPhones are one of the most used smartphones around the globe till now.