Four years ago today, at exactly 6 p.m. in each time zone, the original Apple iPhone went on sale in the United States. As that magic hour approached, I was outside the Apple store in downtown San Francisco waiting to pick up our review model. I remember the scene vividly.
As the enormous crowd surged against the entrance, I was nearly flattened against the glass display wall by a few tourists eager for a look. As the doors opened, the line cheered, and a few minutes later the first buyer exited with his device held high. I picked mine up a few minutes later and then hurried back to the office with Donald Bell for a long night of writing the review.
Of course, you know what happened next. A worldwide sensation was born and the mobile industry has never been the same. Three more models followed, competitors rushed to counter Apple's moves, and the smartphone moved from the hands of high-powered execs into the hands of everyday consumers.
This year, however, is different. For the first time since 2007, Apple is not releasing a new device in the summer season. We did hear about iOS 5 earlier this month at the company's Worldwide Developer's Conference, but CEO Steve Jobs offered no clues as to when an iPhone 5, or even an iPhone 4S, might hit stores. True Apple fans are feeling a bit of withdrawal, no doubt--and honestly we're feeling a bit weird about it as well--but the break does offer us the opportunity to relax, actually enjoy the holiday weekend, and look back at the iPhones that have come.
Release date: June 29, 2007
Original cost: $499 (4GB) or $599 (8GB). Apple killed the 4GB model two months later and added a 16GB version ($499) in February 2008.
Colors: It was the only model (so far) to feature a silver metal backing.
What made it special? It's not stretching the truth to say that iPhone's new and completely intuitive interface revolutionized the smartphone user experience and made it accessible to any kind of user.
With no keyboard and just one physical button (apart from the volume rocker), the big and bright touch screen was the access point for all user commands. It was light years away from operating systems like Windows Mobile and it taught us such concepts as swiping, double tapping, and pinch-and-zoom multitouch. The iPod feature was the best integration of a music player we'd seen on a phone, and the Safari browser finally made mobile browsing tolerable.
And what didn't: The iPhone lacked many features found on basic handsets, like multimedia messaging, stereo Bluetooth, video recording, and photo-editing features. The battery wasn't (and still isn't) user-replaceable, the handset was stuck on EDGE, memory was small for a music player, you couldn't sync music over the air, and Exchange support was missing. And worst of all, the uneven call quality spawned a new national pastime: complaining about AT&T.
CNET review bottom line: Despite some important missing features, a slow data network, and call quality that doesn't always deliver, the Apple iPhone sets a new benchmark for an integrated cell phone and MP3 player.
Release date: July 11, 2008
Original cost: $199 (8GB) and $299 (16GB)
Colors and design: Available in white and black, this model featured a thinner silver rim, tapered edges, and a curved back. Unfortunately, the latter change meant that the handset wobbled when you laid it on a table.
What made it special? Honestly, we still think that the 3G should have been the first model released. Indeed, it offered several advantages over its predecessor, including a cheaper price tag, Exchange support, access to the App Store, 3G, Assisted-GPS, and music purchases over Wi-Fi. There also were a host of other welcome changes to the operating system, like contacts search and bulk delete and move.
And what didn't: Though call quality was somewhat improved, it still had its faults and people soon learned that AT&T's 3G network would stagger under the data load. The 2-megapixel camera was unchanged, while multitasking, multimedia messaging, stereo Bluetooth, a landscape keyboard, video recording, cut and paste, and voice dialing were still missing (most of these features would come the next March through iOS 3). Apple also killed home activation.
CNET review bottom line: The iPhone 3G delivers on its promises by adding critical features and sharper call quality. The iTunes App Store is pretty amazing, and the 3G support is more than welcome. Critical features still are missing, and the battery depletes quickly under heavy use, but the iPhone 3G is a big improvement over the original model.
Release date: June 19, 2009
Original cost: $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB). Finally we got a 32GB model.
Colors and design: The 3GS's design was almost unchanged from the iPhone 3G and it also came in white or black. It did, however, add a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating to the display.
What made it special? The changes were small for the most part, but still welcome. Outside of a faster processor (hence the "S" in "iPhone 3GS") you gained voice control, a compass, accessibility features, Nike+ iPod integration, and all the benefits of iOS 3. The camera resolution also increased to 3 megapixels, and Apple added video recording and a useful tap-to-zoom feature.
And what didn't: Voice and data quality were the same, we still didn't have a flash for the camera, and multitasking remained absent at a time when many competing devices offered it.
CNET review bottom line: The iPhone 3GS doesn't make the same grand leap that the iPhone 3G made from the first-generation model, but the latest Apple handset is still a compelling upgrade for some users. The iPhone 3GS is faster and we appreciate the new features and extended battery life, but call quality and 3G reception still need improvement.
Release date: June 24, 2010
Original cost: $199 (16GB) or $299 (32GB)
Colors and design: Again, you could get it in black and white, though the latter didn't go on sale until almost a year later. The design was almost completely new, with sharper edges, a more rectangular shape, and a flat glass covering on the back side. A new antenna also circled the full exterior, which would quickly prove to be problematic.
What made it special? Actually, there was quite a lot to like. It offered the biggest upgrade yet, starting with the benefits of iOS 4. Among other things, that software update brought multitasking, home screen folders and wallpaper, e-mail improvements, a camera zoom, an enhanced Universal Search, geolocation, text-message search, and a better spell check.
The new design also delivered a 5-megapixel camera, a front-facing VGA shooter, a camera flash, a three-axis gyroscope, the superior Retina Display, and FaceTime video calling. We also got longer battery life and sharper AT&T call quality, at least when we could make a call.
And what didn't: Even before the device went on sale, users and reviewers started complaining that the design of the antenna was causing serious issues with call and data quality. As CNET later found, reception would cut out if you touched a gap in the antenna on the phone's left side. Apple denied that there was anything wrong at first, but it issued a software update and called a press conference three weeks later to address the concerns over what it called "antennagate." Though CEO Steve Jobs continued to deflect criticism of the handset's design, Apple issued free cases for a limited time. Those cases, or even a piece of tape over the gap, solved the attenuation problems.
Multitasking, though welcome, entailed some trade-offs, and FaceTime was available only over W-Fi. Also, it's about time we got a 64GB model.
CNET review bottom line: With the iPhone 4, Apple again shows that it is a powerful player in the smartphone wars. It won't be for everyone, the call quality and reception vary if you don't use a case, and AT&T's network remains a sticking point, but the handset's striking design, loaded feature set, and generally agreeable performance make it the best iPhone yet.
Release date: February 10, 2011
Original cost: $199 (16GB) or $299 (32GB)
Colors and design: No changes from the AT&T model.
What made it special: Though essentially the same as the AT&T handset, Verizon added a wireless hot spot feature for up to five devices. AT&T later added that feature as well, but AT&T limited the number of devices it could support to three.
In our tests, Verizon's model offered improved call quality and data performance. To hear how the phones compare, check out the voice quality sample comparison.
And what didn't: Because of the way Verizon's CDMA technology operates, Big Red's phone can't support simultaneous voice and data. That's means you can't stay on a call and locate a restaurant's location on Google Maps at the same time. Also, the handset is not dual-mode (CDMA/GSM), so coverage outside of North America is limited.
CNET review bottom line: The Verizon iPhone 4 has much in common with its AT&T counterpart, but varying features and different performance give it enough room to stand apart. It won't vastly change your iPhone experience, but we welcome the consumer choice that it brings.
Read more: CNET
iPhone
The original iPhone
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET) Original cost: $499 (4GB) or $599 (8GB). Apple killed the 4GB model two months later and added a 16GB version ($499) in February 2008.
Colors: It was the only model (so far) to feature a silver metal backing.
What made it special? It's not stretching the truth to say that iPhone's new and completely intuitive interface revolutionized the smartphone user experience and made it accessible to any kind of user.
With no keyboard and just one physical button (apart from the volume rocker), the big and bright touch screen was the access point for all user commands. It was light years away from operating systems like Windows Mobile and it taught us such concepts as swiping, double tapping, and pinch-and-zoom multitouch. The iPod feature was the best integration of a music player we'd seen on a phone, and the Safari browser finally made mobile browsing tolerable.
And what didn't: The iPhone lacked many features found on basic handsets, like multimedia messaging, stereo Bluetooth, video recording, and photo-editing features. The battery wasn't (and still isn't) user-replaceable, the handset was stuck on EDGE, memory was small for a music player, you couldn't sync music over the air, and Exchange support was missing. And worst of all, the uneven call quality spawned a new national pastime: complaining about AT&T.
CNET review bottom line: Despite some important missing features, a slow data network, and call quality that doesn't always deliver, the Apple iPhone sets a new benchmark for an integrated cell phone and MP3 player.
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3G
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET) Original cost: $199 (8GB) and $299 (16GB)
Colors and design: Available in white and black, this model featured a thinner silver rim, tapered edges, and a curved back. Unfortunately, the latter change meant that the handset wobbled when you laid it on a table.
What made it special? Honestly, we still think that the 3G should have been the first model released. Indeed, it offered several advantages over its predecessor, including a cheaper price tag, Exchange support, access to the App Store, 3G, Assisted-GPS, and music purchases over Wi-Fi. There also were a host of other welcome changes to the operating system, like contacts search and bulk delete and move.
And what didn't: Though call quality was somewhat improved, it still had its faults and people soon learned that AT&T's 3G network would stagger under the data load. The 2-megapixel camera was unchanged, while multitasking, multimedia messaging, stereo Bluetooth, a landscape keyboard, video recording, cut and paste, and voice dialing were still missing (most of these features would come the next March through iOS 3). Apple also killed home activation.
CNET review bottom line: The iPhone 3G delivers on its promises by adding critical features and sharper call quality. The iTunes App Store is pretty amazing, and the 3G support is more than welcome. Critical features still are missing, and the battery depletes quickly under heavy use, but the iPhone 3G is a big improvement over the original model.
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 3GS
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET) Original cost: $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB). Finally we got a 32GB model.
Colors and design: The 3GS's design was almost unchanged from the iPhone 3G and it also came in white or black. It did, however, add a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating to the display.
What made it special? The changes were small for the most part, but still welcome. Outside of a faster processor (hence the "S" in "iPhone 3GS") you gained voice control, a compass, accessibility features, Nike+ iPod integration, and all the benefits of iOS 3. The camera resolution also increased to 3 megapixels, and Apple added video recording and a useful tap-to-zoom feature.
And what didn't: Voice and data quality were the same, we still didn't have a flash for the camera, and multitasking remained absent at a time when many competing devices offered it.
CNET review bottom line: The iPhone 3GS doesn't make the same grand leap that the iPhone 3G made from the first-generation model, but the latest Apple handset is still a compelling upgrade for some users. The iPhone 3GS is faster and we appreciate the new features and extended battery life, but call quality and 3G reception still need improvement.
iPhone 4
iPhone 4
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET) Original cost: $199 (16GB) or $299 (32GB)
Colors and design: Again, you could get it in black and white, though the latter didn't go on sale until almost a year later. The design was almost completely new, with sharper edges, a more rectangular shape, and a flat glass covering on the back side. A new antenna also circled the full exterior, which would quickly prove to be problematic.
What made it special? Actually, there was quite a lot to like. It offered the biggest upgrade yet, starting with the benefits of iOS 4. Among other things, that software update brought multitasking, home screen folders and wallpaper, e-mail improvements, a camera zoom, an enhanced Universal Search, geolocation, text-message search, and a better spell check.
The new design also delivered a 5-megapixel camera, a front-facing VGA shooter, a camera flash, a three-axis gyroscope, the superior Retina Display, and FaceTime video calling. We also got longer battery life and sharper AT&T call quality, at least when we could make a call.
And what didn't: Even before the device went on sale, users and reviewers started complaining that the design of the antenna was causing serious issues with call and data quality. As CNET later found, reception would cut out if you touched a gap in the antenna on the phone's left side. Apple denied that there was anything wrong at first, but it issued a software update and called a press conference three weeks later to address the concerns over what it called "antennagate." Though CEO Steve Jobs continued to deflect criticism of the handset's design, Apple issued free cases for a limited time. Those cases, or even a piece of tape over the gap, solved the attenuation problems.
Multitasking, though welcome, entailed some trade-offs, and FaceTime was available only over W-Fi. Also, it's about time we got a 64GB model.
CNET review bottom line: With the iPhone 4, Apple again shows that it is a powerful player in the smartphone wars. It won't be for everyone, the call quality and reception vary if you don't use a case, and AT&T's network remains a sticking point, but the handset's striking design, loaded feature set, and generally agreeable performance make it the best iPhone yet.
Verizon iPhone 4
Verizon iPhone 4
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET) Original cost: $199 (16GB) or $299 (32GB)
Colors and design: No changes from the AT&T model.
What made it special: Though essentially the same as the AT&T handset, Verizon added a wireless hot spot feature for up to five devices. AT&T later added that feature as well, but AT&T limited the number of devices it could support to three.
In our tests, Verizon's model offered improved call quality and data performance. To hear how the phones compare, check out the voice quality sample comparison.
And what didn't: Because of the way Verizon's CDMA technology operates, Big Red's phone can't support simultaneous voice and data. That's means you can't stay on a call and locate a restaurant's location on Google Maps at the same time. Also, the handset is not dual-mode (CDMA/GSM), so coverage outside of North America is limited.
CNET review bottom line: The Verizon iPhone 4 has much in common with its AT&T counterpart, but varying features and different performance give it enough room to stand apart. It won't vastly change your iPhone experience, but we welcome the consumer choice that it brings.
Read more: CNET
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