The iPhone is one of the most impactful tech products in history — but who actually designed Apple's first iPhone, and was it really Ana Arriola? Since the original iPhone's unveiling in 2007, the iPhone has stood out as one of the world's most iconic gadgets. Pretty much everyone knows what the iPhone is. Some people are more familiar with its history and features than others, but you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who's never heard of the iPhone.
Along with the product itself, the story of the iPhone is just as fascinating. Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone for the first time in January 2007 — touting it as an iPod, mobile phone, and 'breakthrough internet communicator' in one device. That famous speech changed the smartphone industry right then and there. And the iPhone has continued to be a dominant force over a decade later. From the iPhone X, iPhone SE, and the latest iPhone 13 series, the iPhone remains one of the biggest and most important devices on the market.
Why mention all of this? While the general story of the iPhone is mostly well-known, Hulu's series The Dropout — a show based on the true story of Elizabeth Holmes and her failed company Theranos — has people questioning who designed the first iPhone. Most people assume that former CEO Steve Jobs designed the iPhone. However, episode 3 of The Dropout claims that someone named 'Ana Arriola' designed the iPhone. That appears to be true to some degree, but the full answer is slightly more complicated.
A Few Different People Designed The iPhone
For their part, Ana Arriola is a real person and did work at Apple when the company was working on the original iPhone. According to their LinkedIn profile, Arriola worked as a Senior Product Line Manager for Apple between August 2005 and September 2007. While in that role, Arriola says they "Led the creation of Apple's hardware acceleration of iPhone and Apple TV's UX and iOS SDK." They don't directly credit themselves for 'designing the iPhone,' but helping design the first iPhone's user experience certainly played a big role in its creation. Arriola left Apple to work as the Chief Design Architect at Theranos, hence their connection to Elizabeth Holmes and Hulu's The Dropout.
But Ana Arriola isn't the sole designer of the iPhone. Steve Jobs also played a critical role in designing the iPhone, as did Apple's former Product Designer Jony Ive. There are likely countless other employees who influenced the iPhone's design to one degree or another. At least from an official standpoint, however, the credits go to Steve Jobs and Jony Ive (and Ana Arriola, thanks to their newfound spotlight).
Source: Hulu