iPhone Miscellaneous: Original, iPhone 3, iPhone 4

The first Apple iPhone was released in June 2007. Since then, many improvements have been made to each new model, from faster processors, higher-resolution cameras, and 3G cellular network capabilities, to A-GPS location and the 3D Touch feature. You’ll find many curious facts, unknown details and more on this page.

iPhone Miscellaneous: Original, iPhone 3, iPhone 4

(including all versions)

Original iPhone

• Curved Glass Display: The original iPhone almost had a curved glass design, as Apple experimented with various designs. The developers abandoned the idea because the process of cutting the glass was seen as too cost prohibitive.
• iPhone Trademark: Initially, Cisco Systems owned the iPhone trademark, but Apple unveiled its iPhone 1st generation in January 2007 under this name. The Cisco iPhone was a VOIP phone designed to call through Skype without having to use a computer. Both companies reached a settlement, and have now happily kept their rights to the name. Cisco thus claimed the branded name, a dispute followed, and was settled by a joint declaration promising that both companies would collaborate together on products in the future. As of now, we are unaware of any collaborations.
• Plastic Display: The iPhone display was going to be made of plastic. It seems that Steve Jobs noticed that his keys were scratching the display of the prototype he used, which is why he changed his mind and opted for glass.
• Apple’s Patents: To produce the first iPhone, Apple acquired more than 200 patents relating to the technology, which allowed them to produce such a small phone.
• Top Secret: When Scott Forstall was given the assignment to design the iPhone’s prototype, he had free rein to assemble a team of his choosing, but he had to hire people only from Apple. Forstall proceeded to handpick the best engineers from Apple, but he couldn’t tell them what the project was about. He only outlined that hard work was ahead and that all team members had to give up nights and work weekends for quite some time.
• Jesus Phone: When the first iPhone was announced, the media dubbed it the “Jesus phone” due to the near-religious fervor among Apple fans who worshiped this device.
  Steve Jobs and Starbucks. Steve Jobs made a prank call to a nearby Starbucks during the presentation of the first iPhone, in 2007. He ordered 4,000 lattes. He cancelled the order immediately, but he scared the poor barista who took the call.
• Samsung and Apple: Samsung and Apple are partners, and the processors that power the Apple’s iPhone are made by Samsung, despite a string of lawsuits between the two companies. The bulk of the A-x processors that powered the original iPhone came from Samsung. In recent years, however, Apple has tried to lessen its reliance on Samsung.
• iPhone’s Concept in 1983: The first ever iPhone was proposed by Apple’s computer developer, Hartmut Esslinger, who designed a landline phone with both iPhone and iPad features with a stylus-controlled interface. The project never saw the light of day, but the general idea was used by Apple twenty years later.
• Listening to Music: There’s a lot you can do with the iPhone when it comes to listening to digital music. Today, it has become a part of our life. We use the iPhone to show off our pictures, watch videos, and listen to music. But what audio file types or formats does the iPhone support for listening to digital music? In fact, the iPhone can play quite a lot of different audio formats. If you think that the iPhone only supports the standard AAC format and can only be used with the iTunes Store, you are wrong. Yes, they are both products Apple sells, but your phone supports other formats as well.
• iPhone and Airplane Mode: For some of us, it may be tempting to leave our iPhone at home when we go on vacation, or leave it in the hotel room while exploring unknown lands. But for most people, the iPhone is such an amazing little computer that it can be really useful on vacation for taking and sharing photos and video, and for research. However, back home after a vacation, you may be literally shocked to learn that your 5-year-old daughter mistakenly racked up $3,000 worth of data charges on your phone (or even more for that matter). Indeed, many vacationers switch their iPhone 5 to Airplane Mode before the trip, as advised by Apple store representatives, but let their children play with the phone. Yes, this is a huge mistake. In fact, any child knows how to turn off Airplane Mode, and watch YouTube videos at your expense.

iPhone 3G

• Slogan: The slogan for the iPhone 3G when it first came out was: “Twice the speed, half the price.”
• iOS 4 issues: After iOS 4 was released on June 21, 2010, it was installed on the iPhone 3G. The Wall Street Journal stated in its Digits column (on July 28, 2010) that the iPhone 3G smartphone equipped with iOS 4 responded very slowly. According to the article, the phone also became excessively hot after a very short time and had diminished battery life.
• OS 3.0: The iPhone 3G was the first cell phone to allow Bluetooth stereo support, landscape support, and the copy and paste feature. These improvements were possible with the iPhone OS 3.0 software update in June 2009.
• iOS 4.0: Released in June 2010, the iOS 4.0 software update allowed users to have access to a unified mailbox feature, home screen folders, playlist creation, and more. However, the iPhone 3G did not support other features of iOS 4.0, such as multitasking, Bluetooth keyboard support, or the Game Center App.
• Buttons: The iPhone 3G introduced metallic buttons instead of the plastic used for the original iPhone. Besides, the device was redesigned providing tapered edges and thus facilitating a better grip.
• Colors for the Outer Casing: The 16 GB version of the iPhone 3G introduced the first official color options for the outer casing. They were black and white.
• Battery Drain: When the iPhone 3G was launched, its battery was under fire. Many users and experts referred to its insufficient battery life, which was less than claimed by Apple. The J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction survey gave the “battery aspects” of the iPhone 3G its lowest rating, 2 stars out of 5. The issue remained even after firmware updates.
• Headphone Jack: The iPhone 3G features a flush-mounted 3.5 mm headphone jack, while the original iPhone was equipped with the recessed headphone jack. This innovation could therefore be used with headphones other than those provided by Apple.
• Geotagging: The iPhone 3G’s operating system supported the geotagging of photographs for the first timee.

iPhone 3GS

• Origin of the name: This iPhone is named “3GS”, where the “S” stood for Speed. Phil Schillek, the senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple Inc. at the time, mentioned it in the launch keynote.
• LG and 3GS: The LCD on the iPhone 3GS was designed by Apple and fabricated by LG Electronics, which also markets its own cell phones.
• System-on-a-chip: The Apple iPhone 3GS was the first iPhone with a system-on-a-chip. This smartphone is powered by the APL0298C05 chip. This chip was designed and manufactured for Apple by Samsung.
• Compass: The iPhone 3GS was the first cell phone to feature a Compass app, showing a compass that points in the direction of the magnetic field of the Earth.
• Voice Control: The iPhone 3GS was the first cell phone to feature Voice Control, allowing users to control the phone by voice. To activate Voice Control, users had to hold the Home button while in the home screen for a few seconds.
• VoiceOver: The 3GS was also the first phone to introduce the VoiceOver feature, which dictates system menus, text, music info, and other details (VoiceOver was introduced for the first time on Apple products on the iPod shuffle 3rd generation.
• Color Inversion and Text Zoom: This phone was also the first cell phone to feature Color Inversion, which reverses the color scheme from black on white to white on black. Another feature that was introduced with the iPhone 3GS is Text Zoom, which allows users to zoom into a text on the screen.
• Discoloration Issue: After the release of the iPhone 3GS, many users reported discoloration of the device. Experts discovered that these issues were a result of iPhone covers rubbing against the back of the device.
• Heat Issue: To prevent the heating issue with the iPhone 3GS, Apple warned users against exposing their iPhones 3GS to a direct sunlight for extended periods of time, as well as against leaving the phone in a car on a hot day, and refraining from heavy usage while in a hot/sunny environment, Apple warned users against exposing their iPhones 3GS to direct sunlight for extended periods of time, as well as against leaving the phone in a car on a hot day and refraining from heavy usage while in a hot/sunny environment.

iPhone 4

iPhone Photos: The iPhone 4 shoots in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. The iPhone supports tap to focus and can use FaceTime video messaging (like the fourth generation iPod Touch, and Snow Leopard, Lion, and Mountain Lion Macs).

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