IPhone (series)

The iPhone is a line of high end smartphones, designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007. As of November 1, 2018, more than 2.2 billion iPhones had been sold.

2005 - 2009
The original iPhone was Apple Inc.'s first smart handheld handset, and the first mobile phone with a capacitive touchscreen display. Development of the iPhone as a product began in 2005 and continued in complete secrecy until its public unveiling in 2007. The phone eliminated the physical keyboard, replacing it with a single home button. It featured quad-band GSM cellular connectivity with GPRS and EDGE support for data transfer, and made use of continuous internet access and onboard processing to support features unrelated to voice communication.

In 2008, Apple introduced a refreshed model of the iPhone with a slightly new design and 3G connectivity. It also feature new features such as GPS, and the App Store, and ran on iPhone OS, a version of their Mac OS X operating system for computers made for the iPhone.

In 2009, Apple introduced a new model with an identical design and 3G connectivity as the 2008 model, but which much better performance, higher speeds, a higher resolution 3-megapixel camera and video ability, voice control etc.

2010 - 2011
On June 7, 2010, Apple Inc. unveiled the iPhone 4, introducing a new design from its predecessor, consisting of flat edges and a stainless steel frame. The phone was claimed to be the slimmest smartphone in the World at the time. The iPhone 4 also introduced Apple's new high-resolution "Retina Display" (with a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch), while maintaining the same physical size and aspect ratio as its precursors. It also introduced Apple's A4 system-on-chip, along with iOS 4—which notably introduced multitasking functionality and Apple's new FaceTime video chat service. The iPhone 4 was also the first iPhone to include a front-facing camera.

In 2011, Apple introduced a refreshed iPhone 4 with an almost identical design, but with major internal upgrades, featuring Apple's A5 system-on-ship and an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p video recording. Apple also debuted Siri in this new model, an intelligent personal digital assistant.

2012 - 2013
The iPhone 5 was released in 2012, featuring major upgrades from it's predecessor. It has a taller display and a slimmer and lighter design, and ran on the Apple A6 system-on-chip. It was the first iPhone to feature LTE (4G) connectivity, and has a 8-pin dock connector, unlike the 30-pin connector found on the previous models.

In 2013, Apple released the iPhone 5S, which featured a similar design to the iPhone 5, but vastly upgraded internal hardware. It introduced the A7 64-bit dual-core system-on-chip, the first 64-bit processor to be used on a smartphone, accompanied by the M7 "motion co-processor". A redesigned home button with Touch ID, a fingerprint recognition system which can be used to unlock the phone and authenticate App Store and iTunes Store purchases, was also introduced. The camera was also updated with a larger aperture and a dual-LED flash optimized for different color temperatures. Earphones known as EarPods were included with the 5S, and Apple released accessories including a case and a dock.

Apple also introduced a cheaper iPhone 5C along with the 5S. It is a variant of the iPhone 5, with similar hardware specifications but a hard-coated polycarbonate shell instead of the aluminum of the original iPhone 5. The iPhone 5C was available in several color options.

2014 - 2016
On September 9, 2014, Apple Inc. unveiled the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The devices include larger 4.7 and 5.5 inches (120 and 140 mm) displays, a faster processor, upgraded cameras, improved LTE and Wi-Fi connectivity and support for a near field communications-based mobile payments offering. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus shipped over 220 million units, making it one of the most successful mobile phones to date.

The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus were released on September 25, 2015, featuring a similar design to the iPhone 6 but includes updated hardware, including a strengthened chassis and upgraded system-on-chip, a 12-megapixel rear camera that can record up to 4K video at 30fps, improved fingerprint recognition sensor, LTE Advanced support, and "Hey Siri" capabilities without needing to be plugged in. The iPhone 6S also introduces a new hardware feature known as "3D Touch", which enables pressure-sensitive touch inputs.

On March 31, 2016, the iPhone SE was released as a lower-priced alternative to the high-end iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. It features an almost identical design to the iPhone 5s, with new internal components from the iPhone 6s including the Apple A9 system-on-chip and the 12-megapixel rear camera that can record up to 4K video at 30fps.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were released on September 16, 2016, with a similar overall design to it's predecessors. Changes introduced included new color options (matte black and jet black), dust and water resistance, a new capacitive, static home button, revised antenna bands, and the removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack. The device's internal hardware received upgrades, including a heterogeneous quad-core system-on-chip with improved system and graphics performance, upgraded 12 megapixel rear-facing cameras with optical image stabilization on all models, and an additional telephoto lens exclusive to the iPhone 7 Plus to provide enhanced (2x) optical zoom capabilities and portrait mode.