July 11, 2008: The iPhone 3G goes on sale. Expectations for the smartphone sequel run excessive, and Apple delivers with the addition of GPS, sooner 3G information and a higher-quality construct.
To make issues even higher, Apple’s second smartphone runs on a brand new cell working system. iPhone OS 2 introduces a greater Mail app, turn-by-turn navigation and slightly one thing known as the App Retailer.
iPhone 3G launch brings 3G information, cheaper price
By way of industrial design, the iPhone 3G made the considerably un-Apple change away from aluminum. The brand new smartphone changed the flat aluminum again and plastic backside of the first-gen iPhone with a curved plastic backing made from hard polycarbonate. The iPhone 3G arrived in two colours — black and white.
The most important enchancment got here from the addition of 3G cellular networking to supplant EDGE. This led to improved data-transfer speeds and clearer name reception. GPS, whereas much less essential to some clients, proved very important as nicely. Whereas GPS looks like previous information in in the present day’s smartphones, a telephone that might reliably choose up satellites in 2008 turned heads.
Alongside the {hardware} upgrades, the iPhone 3G introduced one other clear benefit: its value.
It retailed for $199, an enormous 60% cheaper than the $499 beginning value of the unique iPhone. Apple beforehand slashed the worth of the first-gen iPhone, however breaking the $200 value barrier made the iPhone 3G way more inexpensive.
The supreme significance of the App Retailer
Powering the iPhone 3G, the brand new iPhone OS 2 packed the only most essential replace to any iOS model up to now. (The title switched from “iPhone OS 2” to “iOS” after the launch of the iPad in 2010.)
The world-changing function in iPhone OS 2? The arrival of the App Retailer.
Regardless of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ preliminary reluctance to launch a web-based software program market, the App Retailer basically reworked the iPhone. It turned the machine from a locked-down platform into one thing way more customizable and enjoyable.
All of a sudden, each iPhone consumer may take pleasure in his or her personal “killer app,” relying on what kind of software program proved most essential to them.
The App Retailer additionally opened up an enormous new income for third-party builders.
iPhone 3G launch: A giant hit for Apple
The iPhone 3G rapidly grew to become a smash hit for Apple. In its first weekend on sale, Apple offered 1 million units. Admittedly, that’s a fraction of the quantity Cupertino sells throughout opening weekends in the present day. For instance, the iPhone 6s offered 13 million items in its first weekend. (Apple not releases these numbers for a wide range of causes.)
Nonetheless, the iPhone 3G launch proved huge for Apple on the time.
As Jobs mentioned, “It took 74 days to promote the primary 1 million unique iPhones, so the brand new iPhone 3G is clearly off to a great start world wide.”
What did you concentrate on iPhone 3G?
Did you personal an iPhone 3G? What was your first, or your favourite, iPhone mannequin in historical past? Tell us within the feedback beneath.
