Design

Tracing the evolution of the iPhone's design over the years

The iPhone was a design marvel when it first debuted in 2007. Here's how it's changed over time.

Apple iPhone designs.

2007: the original iPhone

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone on January 9, 2007. Instead of the button-filled feature phones popular at the time, the iPhone used a giant capacitative multi-touch screen for interactions. Where popular BlackBerry devices sported a full QWERTY keyboard, the iPhone had just four buttons: two volume buttons, a ring / silent switch, and a home button.

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The iPhone was initially unveiled with a plastic screen. This was changed to a glass screen ahead of the phone's launch on June 29. In 2017, Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams described a last-minute dash to perfect the glass screen technology.

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