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What is an iPhone®?

Brad Cole
Brad Cole

The iPhone® name has been used for a number of products, but is best known as the smartphone line released in 2007 by Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc. Apple’s phone popularized the use of touchscreens as a primary interface for a mobile phone. Beyond the aspects standard in most smartphones such as Internet connectivity and messaging, the features of the iPhone® can be divided into three main groups: hardware, media, and applications.

The hardware on the iPhone® has been one of its biggest draws. Based around touchscreen technology, it does not have a keypad; instead, a virtual keyboard and keypad are displayed on the touchscreen when required. The removal of the physical keypad lets the screen be much larger than that of similar-sized mobile phones. An accelerometer allows the iPhone® to react and change its screen display depending on if it is being viewed horizontally or vertically. The phone also has an internal flash drive to store data. Other hardware features include a digital camera, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, speaker, Wi-Fi™ connectivity, Bluetooth®, and, in later models, A-GPS.

The iPhone enables users to access data from the internet, including financial accounts, through mobile applications.
The iPhone enables users to access data from the internet, including financial accounts, through mobile applications.

Besides just being a mobile phone, the iPhone® is also a fully-functioning media player. Songs can be transferred to its internal memory from most home computers as well as the iTunes® store, allowing entire music collections to be portable. Photographs and documents can be viewed on the device’s large color screen, as can full-motion video.

Applications are technically how the iPhone® works as a media player and web browser; the term, however, is also a general one that describes the downloadable programs the phone can run. The applications are extremely varied. There are applications which allow it to act like an ocarina, show the phone’s location on a map via A-GPS, randomly choose local restaurants for the user, play games, or just display interesting images. Applications are developed both by Apple Inc. and third-parties.

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computers, believed that mobile computing devices would change the world.
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computers, believed that mobile computing devices would change the world.

The iPhone® is usually sold “locked," that is, only able to use the cellular phone service of a specified provider. Some countries do not allow locked cell phones to be sold, so unlocked versions are available legally in those areas. In addition, hackers have been able to unlock the iPhone® with limited success for use on unauthorized networks.

Apple Inc. was not the first company to release a product called an iPhone®. In 1998, InfoGear Technology Corporation sold an Internet appliance that combined telephone and Internet capabilities. Cisco also released a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) with this name through its Linksys division in 2006.

Discussion Comments

CoffeeGirl85

@GoSteelers - Yes the iPhone 4 does have a Personal Hot Spot, with an extra fee added to your plan if you want to enable it. However, it can only support between three and five devices connecting to it at the same time, where the Android can supposedly support up to 10.

GoSteelers

Does the new iPhone 4 have a wi-fi "hot spot" capability like the Android phones?

BrickBack

I know that the new Iphone 4G is awesome. It allows for video calling and has two microphones in order to drown out background noises.

It also has a LED camera and records video in HD. The Iphones are so popular that AT&T is offering them for a really cheap price because Verizon now has the ability to sell them and AT&T no longer have exclusive rights to sell the Iphone.

Since the reception is better with Verizon, I could see why a lot of people would switch over. I know that a lot of people waited in line for days in order to be the first to have one.

I think it is better to wait a little because when these products first come out on the market they also come with kinks that need to be sorted out.

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    • The iPhone enables users to access data from the internet, including financial accounts, through mobile applications.
      By: pizuttipics
      The iPhone enables users to access data from the internet, including financial accounts, through mobile applications.
    • Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computers, believed that mobile computing devices would change the world.
      By: Celestine Chua
      Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computers, believed that mobile computing devices would change the world.
    • The iPhone was one of the first smartphones designed with the average consumer in mind.
      By: slasnyi
      The iPhone was one of the first smartphones designed with the average consumer in mind.
    • Apple released its first iPhone in 2007 and popularized the use of touchscreens as interfaces for mobile devices.
      By: bloomua
      Apple released its first iPhone in 2007 and popularized the use of touchscreens as interfaces for mobile devices.
    • An iPhone is also a fully functional media device that allows users to watch videos or play music.
      By: Andres Rodriguez
      An iPhone is also a fully functional media device that allows users to watch videos or play music.
    • The iPhone is designed to be easily interfaces with Macbook computers and other electronic devices.
      By: sepy
      The iPhone is designed to be easily interfaces with Macbook computers and other electronic devices.