The Apple iPhone
This case study will chart the development of the iPhone and the devices profound influence on both society and industry. The iPhone was far from the first smartphone, however, it served to not only turn around Apples fortunes but also became an industry benchmark many other companies would try to emulate. When first unveiled Steve Jobs described it as a “a revolutionary mobile phone,” and for many redefined how people saw smart phones.
The beta iPhone began development as a test bed in 2004, to test the commands of the developers, leading to release to the general market in June 2007, instantly sky rocketing Apple share prices and creating a surge or interest in the brand overnight.
When Apple announced the iPhone at the Mac world Convention, Greenpeace activists tried to draw attention to claims that Apple uses hazardous chemicals in its products and it lacked worldwide computer and iPod recycling program, these protests where staged outside Moscone West.
The first iPhone was initially only available in America on AT&T which ran especially slow and was unreliable on the EDGE GSM network. The iPhone also had no third-party app and the storage on the first iPhone capped out at 16GB were as today the iPhone pro 11 caps out at 512GB, 32 times the original storage space. In June 2007 Steve Job announced at the Apple Worldwide Developers conference the iPhone would now support third party apps using its web browser Safari.
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The first iPhone was hugely important as it was Apples entry into a new category at a time where the company’s singular handheld device was an iPod. Apple was the first to debut a touchscreen which eventually became industry standard with other manufactures. These screens have steadily been developed and improved upon becoming clearer with increased resolutions as well as increasing in dimensions which were often used as a unique selling point by Apples marketing team. The first iPhone was different to the ones we have today in many different ways. For one thing the size it was smaller just 4.5 inches by 2.4 inches in comparison to the iPhone 11 Pro which is 5.7 inches by 2.8 inches (Maddock, 2020).
As technology progressed Apple reinvented their iPhone, launching the iPhone 3G in July 2008. This model shared many features with its predecessor but now introduced features such as the App Store. The introduction of this allowed users to get the best out of the available technology of their phones and also helped create a new industry of micro companies developing and sharing Apps with users, a sector which is now worth billions, as well as allowing smaller developers to share their ideas with massive audiences. It was during this time that the iPhone was beginning to become synonymous with 3g technology as connections became more reliable and coverage improved.
As new iPhones enter the market annually their systems and hardware improved, Apple increase the storage, changed the dimensions, improved camera quality, added front facing cameras, retina displays, and revolutionary technology Siri, bringing voice. Apples’ 5s introduced the M7 coprocessor, introduced Touch ID, had dual flash and more camera features such as slow-motion video and portrait mode, some more affordable plastic cased models, 3D Touch, A12 bionic chip 4G technology and facial ID.
The App Store has grown to support 2.2 million unique Apps. Apps have now turned our phones into everything from a bank to a video gaming device. Apps have changed everything, even how people work.
As the camera in everyone’s pocket gets better and the app store has photo editing apps and the rise of social media platforms it gives everyone a place to post their photos this eventually leads to a decline in digital camera sales. Which have decreased steadily inline with the increase of smart phone sales and the advent of social media.
iPhones have become societies fastest growing obsession, and this is not always for the best as we spend more time-consuming media than ever before. Socialising which before was a face to face activity now happens increasingly via social media and over mobile connections.
In 2006 apple generated $1.9billion profit on $19.3 revenue which was mostly from the iPod and the Mac. Apples business grew 10 times over the next decade. In 2018 Apple Generated $45.6 billion of profit on $215 billion revenue, 63% of its sales in 2018 were driven by the iPhone.
The iPhone has come a long way in 13 years, it heralded a landmark shift as made a leap in the technology industry. People don’t just use the iPhone for calls or texting. they use it for work, photography, banking, watching videos and mobile gaming. Smartphone have now become the essential tool for everyday life.
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