The smartphone is going to turn 30 in a few months. It is one of the few technological inventions in human history that has gained such huge popularity in a short span. Not only did they become infamous, but they also became an integral part of our daily lives. In other words, average smartphone users use or at least touch their phone more than 2,600 times a day.
But what is the real story behind this technological revolution? Let us see that in this intriguing post.
World’s First Smartphone
The first smartphone that has ever been created is called the Simon Personal Communicator. It was created and launched by a famous company known as IBM. It is the first-ever device that has combined both the features of a cell phone and a PDA. PDA is a device used back then to send out fax and emails. The integration of these two devices into a customizable device became the smartphone.
The Simon Personal Communicator was really expensive. It was sold at $899 back then in the 90s, which has a value estimated at around $1,499 at today’s price. And we still think iPhone X is too expensive. The Simon Personal Communicator might be the first successful smartphone that has been launched, but it wasn’t as famous as the next model, which overthrew it.
In 1999, Blackberry integrated a feature into their phone which enables users to send emails from their phone. Though it is not a complete smartphone model, it became so popular because of its lightweight and sleek look. Unlike Simon’s Personal Communicator, Blackberry’s smartphone was visually more appealing.
It ruled the world for eight years until a new smartphone was launched. It revolutionized the whole idea of the smartphone and has paved the way for present-day’s smartphone designs.
The Dawn Of The iPhone
In 2007, Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Inc., introduced the first successful, technically accurate smartphone model called the iPhone. The iPhone is considered the first actual smartphone that has every qualifying feature of a smartphone.
The iPhone had a 3G internet connection, 8G RAM, and many advanced features. But the best thing about the iPhone was it was available at $499, which is quite an affordable price compared to the previous smartphone models.
But what made iPhone a huge success wasn’t entirely the price or its specifications. The secret to the success of the iPhone lies in the engagement it produced with its users. To be precise, it offered many apps and games to its customers through Apple Store, which was introduced in 2008.
Through the Apple Store, iPhone users can download various apps, which allows them to remain engaged with the mobile device. A total of 6 million units of iPhone were sold as soon as it was launched.
The iPhone has a unique operating system called iOS which later added more fame to the smartphone device because of its safety and security features.
Android Smartphones
Seeing the success of Apple’s iPhone, Google has decided to produce their own smartphones with their own unique OS called Android. Unlike Apple’s iPhones, Google’s smartphones are much cheaper. It was the reason that Android phones gained a huge consumer base than Apple’s iPhone. However, in terms of market capitalization, iPhones are sharks, and Androids are Tunas in the ocean.
On the other hand, the first smartphone launched by Google sold 10 million units of it which are 60% more than what iPhone’s accomplishment on the sales side. Also, Google launched its own apps and games store called the Playstore. The Play Store had tons of apps and games that weren’t available with the iPhone’s Apple Store.
There is a lot of discussion going on about why Playstore gained the interest of game and app developers more than the Apple Store did. The most logical explanation for this was that Google’s Android OS was much easier to understand than iOS. iOS primarily focuses on the security and privacy of its users. Its protective features made it hard for the developers to understand the complex operating system.
Also, some experts say that developers and production companies focus primarily on Google’s Android smartphones because of its huge audience and consumer base. However, the apps and games that are published now are launched in both iOS’s Apple Store and Android’s Play Store.
There were also other operating systems that were launched only to fail in a few years. No other operating system for mobile devices was as successful as iOS and Android.
How Many Smartphones Are There In The World?
It is estimated to be around 7.1 billion smartphones in the world right now. There is a total of 8 billion people in the whole world, and almost 7 in 8 people own a smartphone. If we look into the numbers, it seems like people are considering smartphones as a vital gadget to have with them.
The smartphone was first designed to be a cell phone which basically can send emails and pagers to other users. But now, smartphones have grown too much that we can Facetime with anyone from anywhere in the world in real time. What astonishes me the most is that smartphones have moved so far and accomplished such insane challenges within 30 years.
Smartphones are literally composed of every important gadget we have used before. It has a calculator, camera, calendar, FM radio, sound recorder, clock, alarm, and so much more. It has become a favorite gadget for kids and teenagers too.
Apart from being a pet device that satisfies our appetite for entertainment, it has various important purposes which save lots of lives daily. The smartphone lets us access every piece of information that is on the internet without us even moving a limb. Everything that has been uploaded on the internet is right at our fingertips. From being an expensive gadget that only lets us call and send emails to a complex gadget that opens an infinite number of possibilities, the smartphone has changed the course of human history forever.
