iPhone Was Missing These 10 Essential Features When Unveiled in 2007

[MacRumors]

Today marks the 17th anniversary of the late Steve Jobs unveiling the original iPhone at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco. While the device was significantly more advanced than any other smartphone on the market at the time, the iPhone was still missing some essential features that we take for granted today.

Below, we've put together a list of 10 hardware and software features that the original iPhone didn't have when it was introduced in January 2007.

• Copy and Paste: It may seem hard to believe, but the ability to copy and paste text was not added to the iPhone until 2009.
• Front Camera: While selfies are now ubiquitous, there was no front camera on the original iPhone. In fact, there was no front camera until the iPhone 4 launched in 2010 with new FaceTime video calling.
• App Store: The original iPhone came with preinstalled apps like Phone, Weather, Notes, Calendar, Photos, and Calculator, but there was no official way to install native third-party apps until the App Store launched in July 2008. Developers were able to offer web-based apps, but they were more limited.
• Video Recording: The original iPhone can only shoot photos, with video recording introduced on the iPhone 3GS in 2009.
• Flashlight: With no LED flash on the original iPhone, there was no built-in flashlight. When the App Store launched, some flashlight apps were released that displayed a white screen at max brightness to mimic a flashlight.
• Photo Messages: The original iPhone supported text messaging via SMS, but there was no ability to send photos. MMS capabilities were introduced with iPhone OS 3.0 in 2009, but only for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.
  GPS: While the original iPhone came with a Google Maps app preinstalled, there were no turn-by-turn directions, as the device did not have a GPS. Apple introduced a built-in GPS with the iPhone 3G in 2008.
• Home Screen Wallpapers: It was not possible to set a custom Home Screen wallpaper on the iPhone until iOS 4 was released in 2010, and the software update did not support the original iPhone.
• Retina Display: Introduced on the iPhone 4 in 2010, the Retina display featured four times as many pixels as the original iPhone and was the highest-resolution display for a smartphone ever at the time.
• 3G: The original iPhone's cellular connectivity was limited to EDGE (2G).

Article Link: iPhone Was Missing These 10 Essential Features When Unveiled in 2007

 

[a m u n]

“Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.”

— Steve Jobs, 9 January, 2007.

 

[erikkfi]

It did have those nice Aqua-style icons, though, which we in the glorious future have been without for over a decade.

 

[kagharaht]

Yep. Yet I was there in line at the ATT store with a handful of people waiting to pick one up. My little girl was just as excited.

 

[klasma]

The first item is why my first iPhone was the 3GS. It was indeed hard to believe.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Siri is essential like a drunk uncle.

 

[Unity451]

Back when spending $499 on a phone seemed like it was reserved for only the elites.

 

[Timo_Existencia]

This iPhone thing is going to flop hard. I was hopeful, but the more details I learn, the more doubts I have.

 

[Reeneman]

Retina is still a Apple own marketing buzzword.

 

[Pitogyro]

Siri saying "I'm having trouble with the connection" would've been acceptable in 2007.

 

[kagharaht]

Brought it in the office and all the Windows and Blackberry guys just constantly laughed and made fun of it. Who's laughing now! haha

Laugh at this

 

[SamRyouji]

Siri? Forgive me, but personally for me Siri is not essential and I haven't taken Siri for granted.

 

[klasma]

It did have the essential feature of thumbability though.

 

[CharlesShaw]

Back when spending $499 on a phone seemed like it was reserved for only the elites.

It cost even more than that, as the mandatory contract with AT&T subsidized part of the price.

 

[Mikey44]

I’m surprised there’s no mention of 3G, as that was a big deal at the time. I remember when people were all up in arms that it doesn’t have 3G at launch, and that it was ridiculous.

It’s interesting to compare this lack of functionality to say the Vision Pro, because this is again them entering a new market, and while I think there was more of a smart phone market than a spatial computer market today, it’s still interesting.

I wonder what list will be compiled for the vision in 17 years time.

 

[SamRyouji]

Retina is still a Apple own marketing buzzword.

Super Retina XDR. Yeah, what a mouthful.
What's next? Super Retina Pro XDR-S Ultra?

 

[Hypereides]

The original iPhone had a recessed 3.5mm jack. It was so recessed that many existing headphones would not fit without an adapter (or dongle). Some people found they could (carefully) reshape (scrape/cut) the rubber on their connector end to make it fit. When the next model was released it was noted that it had a flush jack. Later of course the lightning connector became the jack if one had not already gone wireless.

 

[Joe Rossignol]

Siri? Forgive me, but personally for me Siri is not essential and I haven't taken Siri for granted.

I’m surprised there’s no mention of 3G, as that was a big deal at the time. I remember when people were all up in arms that it doesn’t have 3G at launch, and that it was ridiculous.

It’s interesting to compare this lack of functionality to say the Vision Pro, because this is again them entering a new market, and while I think there was more of a smart phone market than a spatial computer market today, it’s still interesting.

I wonder what list will be compiled for the vision in 17 years time.

Ok, I solved for both of your comments by simply swapping Siri with 3G in the list.

 

[TechieTaco]

 

[sjsharksfan12]

Were any of these features promoted by Jobs at the time of the presentation? What I remember was he was very Basic about the phone, and he was right when he said that it reinvented how we use Cell Phones.

 

[MarkNewton2023]

It is always good to look back on everything we have so we will not take everything for granted and will appreciate them. Reading this article made me appreciate all features that iPhone 15 pro max has and how technology has progressed! Keep calm, appreciate and be happy on what we currently have😊 Life is too short to be unhappy 😊

 

[Sorinut]

It was a cool phone.. My ex used one, bought right after they DC'ed the 4gb model, until she replaced it with a 6S! I think her mother bought it for her a grad-school graduation present. I still miss the design.

I jailbroke it for her, enabled MMS, some bluetooth things (tethering, I think), SBSettings, and even changed the IEMI, so it was recognized as a flip-phone and could use a cheaper plan. Pre-paid options weren't available then like they are now. MMS was never enabled by Apple on the 2G, even when the equivalent OS version (3, I think), had it on the 3G.

I hopped on the iPhone train the next year the 3G, moving from the Samsung Propel slider.

 

[jayducharme]

I saw the iPhone for the first time when I was standing in a rollercoaster queue line. A guy in front of me had one just after it went on sale. As a sign of things to come, he was glued to it, oblivious to everything else around him.

 

[ghanwani]

Aside from copy paste I could live without all other features.

 

[zorinlynx]

I remember when the iPhone 3G came out with GPS support, Apple explicitly banned apps from offering turn by turn directions for driving at first. It took a few months for them to change their minds and allow apps like TomTom into the store. (Google Maps with turn by turn directions wouldn't come until much later)

Apple has always been weird and controlling about the app store. It's one of the reasons I hope they get forced to allow alternate app stores.