Apple iPhone – Comparing the Old with the New

2007 was the year that the mobile industry has seen a revolutionary new type of mobile phone. This was the year that Apple launched the iPhone. Just like the iPod, which served as the turning point on how people listen to their favorite music; the iPhone has raised the standard of mobile phones in terms of design, technology and impact. In the United States and United Kingdom, the iPhone has created a trend, and mobile phone users fell in love with this new mobile phone.

Before the weekend of the schedule launch of the iPhone, cell shops are packed with customers, with a long queue outside. All the commotion are due to the fact that they are securing their iPhones by subscribing to AT&T before hand. A sale of 270,000 units of iPhones has been recorded in the US alone, just two days after it was released. By 2008, the iPhone has become available to other parts of Europe and in the Asia-Pacific region.

Even though this new and amazingly thin touch-screen smart phone as created a huge hype, it was not enough to over-shadow the negative comments, complaints and reviews about the iPhone. For one, not everybody is happy about the lock with AT&T, which is the exclusive distributor of the iPhone back then. Other limitations also emerged. One of these limitations would be the very slow internet connection speed which caused the process of downloading music and videos quite troublesome. Regular stereo headphones are also difficult to use on the iPhone because of the recessed headphone jack. And in order to overthrow the massive sale made by Apple, other mobile companies like Samsung, Nokia and LG developed their own touch screen smart phones.

Even with all the negative publicity the iPhone has received, it still managed to best its competitors including Blackberry in terms of the total sales made that quarter. The iPhone was even received the Best Invention for 2007 award from Time Magazine. In June 2008, US residents saw the new and improved Apple iPhone, which was the result of Apples motivation to polish and upgrade their brainchild. Now called iPhone 3G, Apple ranked third in 2008 in terms of revenue; just 3 slots short of Nokia and Samsung. An estimated total sale of 13 million units has been recorded for the original iPhone and iPhone 3G combined.

Apple discontinued the original iPhone in the earlier part of 2008, and concentrated on the new iPhone 3G. The new unit possesses a faster internet browsing speed, resulting in a quicker and more convenient way of downloading music, videos and applications. The recessed headphone jack has been corrected, making the standard 3.5 mm headphones compatible. As an added benefit, sending messages, emails and instant messaging has been made hassle free. The iPhone 3G has two models to choose from, in which the only difference is its storage limit that ranges between 8GB or 16GB. The new iPhone 3G also has GPS and Google Maps installed, which the original does not have.

Today, the iPhone 3G can be purchased from a number of mobile phone dealers without a network lock. Also there is no limit when it comes to applications that are available for download. Several developers today has planned a lot more developments for the current iPhone which promises to maximize productivity and enhanced features for our enjoyment.