iPhone 4 and FaceTime Launched 15 Years Ago Today

[MacRumors]

Today marks 15 years since Apple released the popular iPhone 4 and launched FaceTime, its proprietary video calling service.

The iPhone 4 first became available to customers on June 24, 2010, following its unveiling by then-CEO Steve Jobs at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference earlier that month. It was the first iPhone to feature a high-resolution "Retina" display, with a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, making individual pixels imperceptible at a standard viewing distance. Apple described it at the time as offering "four times the pixel density of previous displays," resulting in crisper text and sharper images.

The device introduced a new industrial design made from stainless steel and glass, with squared edges that diverged significantly from the rounded plastic form factor of previous iPhones. It also featured Apple's first custom-designed system-on-a-chip, the A4, which debuted in the original iPad. The A4 provided improved performance and battery life compared to the iPhone 3GS. The iPhone 4 also marked the debut of the front-facing camera on an iPhone, enabling selfies for the first time, as well as FaceTime video calling.

The iPhone 4 shipped with iOS 4, which introduced several new software features including background functionality for third-party apps, home screen folders, and a unified Mail inbox. It was also the first iOS version to drop support for an iPhone, the original model.

One of the most infamous issues surrounding the iPhone 4 was the so-called "antennagate" controversy. Due to the external stainless steel antenna band doubling as a signal receiver, some users experienced signal degradation when holding the device in a way that bridged the antenna gaps. Apple addressed the issue in a press conference in July 2010, offering free bumper cases to affected customers and explaining that most smartphones exhibited similar signal attenuation under certain conditions.

Despite the controversy, the iPhone 4 was Apple's most successful smartphone launch at the time. The company reported pre-orders of over 600,000 units on the first day alone, and long queues were seen outside Apple Stores on launch day across the United States and other countries. The model went on to become one of the best-selling iPhones of its era and remained available in various forms until 2014, including as a low-cost option with reduced storage.

FaceTime was initially limited to Wi-Fi connections and available only between iPhone 4 devices running iOS 4. With the device already signed into the user's Apple ID, making a call was simple and initiated directly from the Phone or Contacts app. In 2011, Apple expanded FaceTime support to the iPad 2 and the Mac. FaceTime Audio was introduced with iOS 7 in 2013.

In iOS 12, Apple added support for Group FaceTime with up to 32 participants, and in 2021, FaceTime links brought limited compatibility with Android and Windows via web browsers. While Apple initially described FaceTime as "an open industry standard," the company never published the protocol, and the feature has remained exclusive to Apple platforms.

Article Link: iPhone 4 and FaceTime Launched 15 Years Ago Today

 

[sniffies]

iPhone 4 actually launched slightly earlier thanks to Gizmodo.

/if you know what I mean 😉

 

[Rychiar]

and I've used FaceTime maybe 5 times in that 15 years 😂

 

[Ctrlos]

The progenitor of the species. For better or worse this was the first phone that codified the glass sandwich and transformed smartphones from plastic cutlery to silverware. It is regarded as a design classic for a good reason. It also still looks beautiful today. Its a shame Apple don't celebrate more of their heritage beyond nods in software. I imagine an iPhone 4 chassis with updated innards and a better, flush camera made as a 100,000 special editions would sell out in a day.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

and I've used FaceTime maybe 5 times in that 15 years 😂

Same.

I do lots of video calls, but on my Mac and work laptop, but almost never facetime. I've maybe used the front-facing camera, for video calls or photos, on my 16 Pro 4-5 times since I bought it on October.

When I got the 4, a few months after release, I didn't know anyone else with a 4, so no one to Facetime with. My girlfriend at the time had an original 2g iPhone, and kept it until upgrading to the 6 or 6s!

 

[winxmac]

iPhone 4s is what the iPhone 4 should have been.

 

[yanki01]

I got this one on launch and a day early. also, you're holding it wrong here's a free bumper.

 

[TeamGibbsv2]

My first iPhone and still one of my favorites. Despite the limitations of the day this was an engineering and design masterpiece.

 

[redheeler]

iPhone 4s is what the iPhone 4 should have been.

Could be argued for most of the "s" generations, which is probably why Apple stopped doing them. Definitely true for iPhone 6 which suffered from a lack of RAM that wasn't fixed until the 6s (and 6s consequently lasted much longer).

 

[Shalev Lazarof]

Amazing ecosystem experience, unbelievable great on VisionOS 26 with the new personas.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I got this one on launch and a day early. also, you're holding it wrong here's a free bumper.

I forgot about the bumpers! I got one but never used it as I had a case, but it was free. A coworker was using one, put his phone in the same pocket as his keys, and got a really big, deep, gouge on the back glass...it would catch your fingernail...decided to keep my case and screen protector after seeing that.

 

[Stiss]

Still remember going to get mine.

Queued with a friend at Apple Trafford Centre from about 6am - the only time I’ve ever queued for an Apple product.
£499 if I remember rightly and it was unlike any other device I ever had prior, the materials and machining were truly next level.

 

[cocky jeremy]

First one in my city to get this one. Back in the fun days of waiting in line for hours. Last time I did it was the iPhone X in 2017.

 

[Spock]

iPhone 4 design felt so modern. Unfortunately it felt like it was going to break and you could not hold it without dropping a call. I switched to Android for a while until the 5s came out.

 

[jukeboxaddict]

One of the oddest things about this phone (and often overshadowed by antennagate) is how long it took Apple to release the white model. Kept getting delayed and delayed and delayed.

 

[ChrisMac47]

iPhone 4 was excellent, 4s even better. Apple started to go wrong when they moved to big heavy phones ... bigger is not better. Bring back the 13 mini!

 

[jayducharme]

It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that it was 15 years ago. I never used FaceTime back then, but now I’ve found that it makes a great alternative to Zoom.

 

[Dr McKay]

I wish the Apple TV's supported plugging in a USB Webcam so you could use it for FaceTime, instead of relying on connecting an iPhone to it to use.

 

[rwilliams]

The lines that day were insane. I waited 8 hours to get mine.

 

[Alfonson]

and I've used FaceTime maybe 5 times in that 15 years 😂

That’s ok, I am using it a lot.

Also I remember how exciting that time was. Everybody was happy with their 3GS and in that moment when they saw Retina display the 3GS looked totally outdated 😅

 

[efktd]

Can still hear Jony Ive saying: "It's real now" during his live call with Steve Jobs.

 

[ZipZilla]

my first iPhone and the first Verizon iPhone. had it for 5 years

 

[jonnysods]

I think via Applecare i had about 4 of these switched out because of the receiption issue. Having said that, I loved the phone. I think my favourite iteration should come when the iPhone 5 came out, so much lighter, bigger screen, absolutely killer design.

 

[makr]

and I've used FaceTime maybe 5 times in that 15 years 😂

Same.

I do lots of video calls, but on my Mac and work laptop, but almost never facetime. I've maybe used the front-facing camera, for video calls or photos, on my 16 Pro 4-5 times since I bought it on October.

When I got the 4, a few months after release, I didn't know anyone else with a 4, so no one to Facetime with. My girlfriend at the time had an original 2g iPhone, and kept it until upgrading to the 6 or 6s!

Interesting! I used it countless times when I was in uni. I exclusively used it to talk to my family. Now I still use it with friends, prefer over WhatsApp if possible.

 

[ab2c4]

I miss the days of a phone release and the excitement that came with it due to the phone being new and noticeably different from the previous versions.