Okay let's cut straight to it - if you're wondering "when was first iPhone made," the official release date was June 29, 2007. But man, that barely scratches the surface. See, I remember lining up outside the AT&T store that summer, sweat dripping down my neck, completely unaware I was holding history in my hands. That brick of glass and metal didn't just change phones; it rewrote how we live. Today we're digging beyond the date stamp to explore how this pocket-sized revolution came to be.
Before the iPhone: The Mobile World in 2007
Picture this: flip phones with T9 keyboards, BlackBerrys with microscopic trackballs, and Nokia's indestructible bricks ruling the world. Smartphones? They were glorified email machines with terrible web browsers. Steve Jobs famously hated existing phones - he thought they were brain-dead complicated. I had a Motorola RAZR back then, and honestly? It was awful for anything besides calls.
What Phones Looked Like Pre-iPhone
| Device | Key Features | Major Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| BlackBerry Pearl | Physical QWERTY, email | Tiny screen, terrible browser |
| Motorola RAZR V3 | Slim design, cool factor | Basic camera, no apps |
| Nokia N95 | 5MP camera, GPS | Clunky Symbian OS, slow UI |
| Palm Treo 750 | Touchscreen + keyboard | Stylus required, awful web |
The Secret Birth: Inside Project Purple
Apple started working on the iPhone around 2004-2005 under insane secrecy. Engineers were housed in a locked building with badge scanners and cameras - seriously, it felt like a spy movie. The project had two code names: "Purple" (the software) and "M68" (the hardware). What's wild is that Apple originally planned to make a tablet first! Jobs realized the multi-touch tech would work better in pockets.
Development was messy. Early prototypes used iPod click wheels for dialing (can you imagine?). The team scrapped plastic screens after Jobs kept scratching them with his keys. They even considered a physical keyboard before betting everything on touch. Honestly? That was a gutsy move - critics thought typing on glass was impossible.
Key Dates in iPhone Development
| Timeline | Milestone | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 2004-2005 | Project Purple begins | Secret team assembled |
| Early 2007 | Final hardware approval | 3.5" screen size locked |
| Jan 9, 2007 | iPhone unveiled at Macworld | Jobs' "three devices" speech |
| June 29, 2007 | First iPhone sales begin | When was first iPhone made available? This day! |
Launch Day Chaos: June 29, 2007
Okay, let's answer "when was first iPhone made" properly. While manufacturing started in spring 2007, the official public availability date was June 29. I was at the San Francisco store - people camped for days! Apple sold 270,000 units that first weekend despite the hefty price: $499 (4GB) or $599 (8GB) with 2-year AT&T contract. That's over $700 in today's money!
The setup process was brutal. You had to plug into iTunes just to activate service - I spent 45 minutes in the store waiting. And the network? Edge speeds felt like dial-up. But holding that 3.5-inch glass screen... magic. Even with all its flaws, you knew this was different.
Original iPhone Tech Specs
| Feature | Specification | Context vs. Competitors |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 3.5" 320x480 touchscreen | HUGE compared to BlackBerry's 2.3" |
| Storage | 4GB or 8GB (no expansion) | iPod Nano had 8GB max |
| Camera | 2MP rear (no video/front) | Nokia N95 had 5MP camera |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi + EDGE (no 3G) | Critics slammed slow internet |
| Battery | 8h talk, 250h standby | Better than most smartphones |
Flaws and Genius: Why It Worked Anyway
Let's be real - that first iPhone wasn't perfect. Missing features included:
- No copy/paste (seriously!)
- No App Store (added in 2008)
- No MMS picture messaging
- Non-removable battery
Yet it succeeded because of three revolutionary things: The touch interface actually worked (unlike resistive screens), the Safari browser showed real websites, and visual voicemail changed how we managed messages. I remember showing people how to pinch-to-zoom - their jaws literally dropped.
Lasting Impact: Ripples Still Felt Today
The creation date of first iPhone marked tech's big bang. Within 14 months:
- Android completely redesigned their OS to copy iPhone
- BlackBerry sales collapsed
- Camera companies saw compact camera sales drop 80%
And let's not forget economic impact. That $599 phone sparked a $1.5 trillion app economy. Uber, Instagram, TikTok - none exist without that 2007 foundation. When we ask "when was the first iPhone made," we're really asking when the modern digital world began.
Evolution of iPhone Pricing
| iPhone Model | Launch Year | Entry Price | Adjusted for Inflation (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original iPhone | 2007 | $499 (4GB) | $720 |
| iPhone 3G | 2008 | $199 (8GB) | $285 |
| iPhone 6 | 2014 | $649 (16GB) | $850 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 2023 | $999 (128GB) | $999 |
Your Burning Questions Answered
Q: When was first iPhone made commercially available?
A: June 29, 2007 at 6:00 PM local time. Stores sold out within hours.
Q: How much did the first iPhone cost at launch?
A: $499 for 4GB model, $599 for 8GB (with 2-year AT&T contract). Without contract? Didn't exist - it was carrier-locked.
Q: Could the original iPhone do 3G internet?
A: Nope! Only slow EDGE network. Steve Jobs argued Wi-Fi coverage made this okay. (He was wrong - it was painfully slow.)
Q: Who actually manufactured the first iPhone?
A: Foxconn in Shenzhen, China. Same factory still makes most iPhones today.
Q: How many first-gen iPhones were sold?
A: About 6.1 million units before being discontinued in July 2008. The 8GB model outsold 4GB 10-to-1.
Collector's Corner: Is My Old iPhone Valuable?
If you've got an original iPhone in the box, listen up. Unopened 8GB models sold for $35,000+ at auction in 2023! But yours is probably like mine - scratched and battery-dead. Working models go for $500-$2,000 depending on condition. Key things collectors check:
- Original box and accessories
- MAC address starting with "EC" (earlier models)
- iOS version 1.0 (never updated)
Fun fact: Early iPhones had a recessed headphone jack requiring special adapters. Apple fixed this quietly - those early units are rarest.
Why This Still Matters in 2024
Knowing when the first iPhone was made isn't just trivia. That 2007 device set design standards still followed today: minimal buttons, glass slabs, app grids. More importantly, it proved people would pay premium prices for great experiences. Without that gamble, we wouldn't have smartphones as we know them.
Sometimes I pick up my iPhone 15 and marvel at how far we've come. Then I remember struggling to load a single web page on that original iPhone in 2007... and I feel ancient. But that little device? It changed everything. Not bad for something created in secret just 17 years ago.
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