Apple’s iPhone has come a long way since Steve Jobs introduced it in 2007 as a combo “iPod, a phone, [and] an Internet mobile communicator.” Over the past 10 years and 15 models, Apple’s smartphone has taken numerous forms that can be fascinating to revisit with the benefit of hindsight as we wait for the company’s new iPhone to be unveiled on September 12.
Watching the evolution of the iPhone is part mesmerizing and part nostalgic. It’s been a while since the iPhone has looked like its original self — especially after the iPhone 4 brought a complete design overhaul, with a flat front and back made of glass, which was as breakable as it was beautiful.
After that, the changes were less drastic. We saw iPhones get thinner and lighter, while the iPhone 5 got longer and added another row on the screen for apps and folders. You’ll see a noted difference with the iPhone 5s, which was the first to be launched with iOS 7. The software update changed the entire phone’s aesthetic, moving away from skeuomorphism and closer to flatter and borderless designs.
The iPhone 6 brought another major change, altering the shape of the phone, which grew bigger once again and added a curve to the edge of the screen.
There may be even bigger design changes afoot at Apple’s keynote Tuesday, where the company is expected to unveil an iPhone 7s model as well as a rumored 10th anniversary phone that could be called the iPhone 8, iPhone X or iPhone Edition.
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