Apple iPhones

Apple may have started out as a computer maker, but in the meantime they earn most of their income from selling iPhones. That actually makes them a phone manufacturer. A very deserving one because the company grew to become the world's leading and most profitable smartphone manufacturer in a short time.

Apple history

The Apple Computer Company was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne from a garage in Cupertino. Wayne got himself bought out after only a few weeks and in 1977 the company continued as Apple Computers, Inc. It focused on developing and selling personal computers including the Apple II and Macintosh.

Despite its success, Jobs was forced out of the company in 1985 and Wozniak also quit. It would almost spell the end of the company. The following years lacked success, products were too expensive and new product categories flopped. In 1996, it was decided to bring Steve Jobs back, first as an advisor and the following year as CEO. It would be the beginning of a very successful period with the introduction of the iMac in 1998, the iPod in 2001, the iPhone in 2007 and the MacBook Air in 2008. All these products came from the pen of British designer Jony Ive.

iPhone introduction

Apple's adventure in smartphone land only began in 2007 when Steve Jobs showed the first iPhone at the Macworld Expo. Despite there being smartphones on the market back then, the iPhone was fundamentally different. For a start, apart from a single button, the iPhone only had a touchscreen for user input. Other major breaking point with the then traditional smartphones was its approach to the web. At the time, it was quite common to visit a stripped-down version of the web via your mobile. On the one hand via WAP or via a separate mobile web version. With the iPhone, you visited the entire web as you did on your computer at home.

The introduction of the iPhone met with a lot of criticism from Apple. The device was said to be too expensive, had too few functions and the telephone networks could not handle the large amounts of data. All legitimate objections. What the critics had not taken into account, however, was Apple's loyal fan base who were fine with the high price and all its shortcomings.

Incidentally, the iPhone would only become a huge success from the iPhone 3GS onwards. This was partly because the hardware was finally powerful enough and partly because iOS came of age. Only from then on, for instance, it became possible to record video and copy and paste text.

iPhone models

Apple has been releasing a larger Plus model alongside a regular iPhone since the iPhone 6. Since the iPhone Xs, it has been called Max. Apple's update schedule is very restrained. Every major update is followed the year after by an -s model which stands for 'speed'. This one features virtually no external changes but rather faster hardware and new features. Besides the models just mentioned, Apple has been releasing a new entry-level model with the suffix -r since 2018. This letter has no further meaning.

Apple also released a few more models that never got a direct successor. Consider the iPhone 5c from 2013 which stands for colour. This coloured plastic version was put down as a cheaper entry-level model. It also released the iPhone SE in 2016 to cater to fans of 4-inch large/small iPhones. It would be the last iPhone with such a small screen size.

Steve Jobs

Big reason for Apple's success is the brilliant visionary Steve Jobs. His manner of product announcements are legendary. He pushed his team to the limit, something that often also led to problems. He saw need and markets where others did not. His interference in even the smallest details would produce the most innovative products. Jobs died of pancreatic cancer in 2011.

Shortly before Steve Jobs' death, leadership passed to Tim Cook who from then on would also present the popular Keynotes. Despite a massive increase in market share under Cook's leadership, even briefly passing the 1 trillion mark, no successful new product category was ever again announced with the familiar wow factor as under Jobs. The Apple Watch, after many versions, eventually became successful but had no wow effect during its launch. The cylindrical Mac Pro did have that but did not become a success. The AirPods, while very successful, are not a significant revenue generator.

iPad

Besides iPhones, we also know Apple for the iPads it first announced in 2010. The story goes that the iPhone was a result of the iPad project rather than the other way around. Jobs was said to be so dissatisfied with the ROKR E1 with iTunes that it made with Motorola that Apple started making a phone version of the iPad and prioritised that. It would be another three years after the introduction of the iPhone before the iPad saw the light of day.

Both the iPhone and iPad run the iOS operating system that can be controlled via a touchscreen. Typically, a new model is announced every year, and by now the range has been differentiated with series such as the Air, mini and Pro.

Apple Watch

Since 2014, Apple has also entered the wearable market with the Apple Watch. The watch is characterised by a square touch-sensitive screen and a rotating button also called 'Digital Crown'. It was not very clear during the announcement for whom the watch was intended, and Apple took many years before it finally became successful. The watch is particularly strong in health functions and its close integration with other Apple products.