It has been more than ten years since Apple launched the original iPhone. Following the arrival of the first iPhone, the lineup has gone through multiple revisions, price increases, and paved the way for many more devices. Those that have followed not only include other iPhone models, but also tablets, headphones, and so much more.
Apple tends to follow a simple number pattern with its main flagship iPhone models. However, in spite of the current models forming the iPhone 12 series, it has been more than twelve years since the first iPhone. This is also in spite of the fact that the company never released an iPhone 9, jumping instead from the iPhone 8 straight to the iPhone X.
In a matter of months it will be fourteen years since Apple released the very first iPhone. The company’s “widescreen iPod with touch controls” was officially announced in January of 2007, but the device itself didn’t become available to buy until Friday, June 29 of the same year. In fact, that release date was just for the U.S., with the European launch taking place later in 2007 and the Asia release in 2008. Similar to launches nowadays, it wasn’t just the iPhone that was released in 2007, but a number of iPhone accessories as well, including the company’s iPhone Bluetooth Headset. Within just 74 days of the phone going on sale, Apple had sold its one millionth iPhone.
The Original iPhone Cost Compared
2007 was a long time ago and the prices Apple was charging back then for its premium smartphone is a prime example of how the market has evolved since then. For example, the original iPhone was priced at just $499 in the U.S. However, this was for the 4GB model. For consumers in need of an upgrade to 8GB, the price rose to $599. Fast forward to 2021 and the price of the standard iPhone 12 starts at $799. This is for the base 64GB model with the price increasing to $849 for the 128GB version or $949 when upgrading the storage to 256GB.
The price has risen so much over the years that Apple has recently looked to bridge the cost chasm through the release of additional models. This was seen most recently with the iPhone 12 mini, priced $100 cheaper than the standard iPhone 12. Not to mention, there’s also the iPhone SE. This is the company’s direct attempt to offer an iPhone experience at a cheaper price, with the cost coming in at just $399 for the 64GB model, $449 for the 128GB version, and $549 for 256GB storage. In other words, the base iPhone SE is $50 cheaper today than the price of Apple’s original iPhone was in 2007.
Of course, the price and storage levels are hardly the only differences between the first and newer iPhone models. As the market has evolved, so has what a smartphone can do. Even though the iPhone SE is $50 cheaper than the original iPhone was at launch, it is a completely different phone. It does contain some familiar traits, such as the home button and 3.5mm headphone port, but the hardware and software upgrades makes the iPhone SE experience largely unrecognizable to Apple's first iPhone.
Source: Apple