Apple 15th Anniversary

15 features the original iPhone didn’t have on its 15th anniversary

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This Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of Steve Jobs’ introduction to the original iPhone at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco. While the device revolutionized the smartphone industry, it’s easy to forget how much the iPhone has improved since then. To celebrate the occasion, tech outlet MacRumors has listed 15 features the original iPhone didn’t have when it was first released.

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App Store

The original iPhone came preinstalled with apps for Phone, Weather, Notes, Calendar, Photos, and Calculator, but before the launch of the App Store in July 2008, there was no official way to install native third-party apps. Developers are able to offer web-based applications, but this is a substandard experience.

Copy & Paste

It may seem hard to believe, but the ability to copy and paste text wasn’t added to the iPhone until 2009.

Front Camera

  • While selfies are now ubiquitous, the original iPhone didn’t have a front-facing camera. In fact, there was no front-facing camera until 2010, when the iPhone 4 introduced the new FaceTime video calling feature.

Video Recording

  • The original iPhone could only take photos, and the iPhone 3GS in 2009 introduced video recording.

Flashlight

  • Since the original iPhone had no LED flash, there was no built-in flashlight. When the app store launched, some flashlight apps were released that displayed a white screen at maximum brightness to mimic a flashlight.

MMS

  • The original iPhone supported text messages via SMS, but not photos. In 2009, iPhone OS 3.0 introduced MMS, but only for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

Global Positioning System

  • While the original iPhone came with the Google Maps app preinstalled, there was no navigation because the device didn’t have a GPS. Apple introduced a built-in GPS in the 2008 iPhone 3G.

Home Screen Wallpaper

  • It wasn’t possible to set a custom home screen wallpaper on the iPhone until iOS 4 was released in 2010, and the software update didn’t support the original iPhone.

Verizon Support

  • AT&T was the only iPhone carrier in the US until Verizon started supporting the device in 2011.

Siri

  • Apple’s voice digital assistant was introduced with the iPhone 4S in 2011.

Touch ID or Face ID

  • While modern iPhones and iPads come with biometric authentication systems such as Face ID or Touch ID, the original iPhone could only be protected with a four-digit passcode. Touch ID debuted with the iPhone 5s in 2013, while Face ID debuted on the iPhone X in 2017.

Lightning Connector

  • Like many iPods before it, the original iPhone came with a 30-pin dock connector. With the release of the iPhone 5 in 2012, Apple switched to a smaller Lightning connector.

Retina Display

  • In 2010, the introduction of the iPhone 4 pixel retina display is four times the original iPhone, was the smartphone with the highest resolution display.

Wireless Charging

  • The first iPhones to support wireless charging where the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X released in 2017.

Water Resistance

  • Water wasn’t friendly to the original iPhone, but the latest model has an IP68 rating for water resistance.

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