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Nothing wrong with the OP being concerned over exterior features.

Build quality. Does this mean durability? Does it mean design?

I'm an analyzer by nature.

There's something called context and it can be found in the OP. Notice it didn't say "the best iPhone ever." Similar to asking Mustang or Corvette enthusiasts "What's the best Mustang/Corvette ever made?"
 
Judging by the OP's 1 line above how can you be so sure he was just talking about durability or build quality?

Mentioned the aluminum back and said it was lacking compared to the iP4 and then you consider the title so again, i thought it was pretty obvious what he meant.
 
I think it is. I loved the metal back. Sure it lacks a lot compared to my iPhone 4, but I really liked it. It was my first iPhone. What do you think?

If you look here in the evidence, the "metal back" part is actually not the main topic but rather supporting the main topic.

When you read it, it runs on like this:

Would people still agree that the first iPhone is "the best iPhone ever made?"

(HUHHH????)

I think it is.

(you do? Why?)

I loved the metal back.

(oookkk but what about everything else?)

Sure it was lacking but It was my first phone.

(So it has sentimental value? It made a special impact on you because it was your first?)

/end

As we go along we read that other people (who have since wandred off) were equally confused by the statement.

Later as the thread went on some clarifications were attempted to be made and more information was presented to show the OP wanted to talk about the metal vs glass. Ok fair enough.

But you cant act like it was obvious what the young OP initially wanted to talk about because he could have made a thread titled metal vs glass back or whatever else would have been less confusing than this thread titled "Would people still agree that the first iPhone is the best iPhone ever made?" paired with the first phrase being "I think it is."
 
There's something called context and it can be found in the OP. Notice it didn't say "the best iPhone ever." Similar to asking Mustang or Corvette enthusiasts "What's the best Mustang/Corvette ever made?"

Absolutely there's context, but his question is black and white.

If his original intent was about durability and build quality, then it can (and was) easily be misconstrued as him sharing his opinion as to why he thinks it's the best iPhone (and not just the best according to build/durability).

If you look here in the evidence, the "metal back" part is actually not the main topic but rather supporting the main topic.

When you read it, it runs on like this:

Would people still agree that the first iPhone is "the best iPhone ever made?"

(HUHHH????)

I think it is.

(you do? Why?)

I loved the metal back.

(oookkk but what about everything else?)

Sure it was lacking but It was my first phone.

(So it has sentimental value? It made a special impact on you because it was your first?)

/end

As we go along we read that other people (who have since wandred off) were equally confused by the statement.

Later as the thread went on some clarifications were attempted to be made and more information was presented to show the OP wanted to talk about the metal vs glass. Ok fair enough.

But you cant act like it was obvious what the young OP initially wanted to talk about because he could have made a thread titled metal vs glass back or whatever else would have been less confusing than this thread titled "Would people still agree that the first iPhone is the best iPhone ever made?" paired with the first phrase being "I think it is."

Even more amusing. I agree.
 
I wouldn't say its better than the ip4 but in my opinion it was the best smart phone around in 2007 i had a Nokia n95 which in 2007 was billed as the best smart phone in the world! it wasn't i bought the iPhone on launch day gave the n95 to a friend and have never looked back, the iPhone for me did reinvent the phone it's so easy to use and yes it's lacked things along the way but i still state it's is and always will be king.
 
I still love mine and thats why I still use it as my main phone. Yeah sure features are lacking compared to the iPhone 4, but at least everytime I look at my 2G, I can say "this is the phone that changed the industry". If it weren't for Apple - Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola (to shame a few) would still be churning out the same brick, bar and slide phones.

Even though it's my current phone. It won't be for long. I'm still waiting for my iPhone 4. The 3G and 3GS were never worthy enough to make a jump for, but the features on the iPhone 4 have been overhauled so much - its actually worthy of getting - so I will. Sure its a bit more fragile, but if you look at my 2G - not a dent or scratch - looks as good as the day I bought it in 2007 cause i'm overly careful, so i'm sure i'll just be the same with the iPhone 4, but at least i'll have new features!
 
I'm typing with the original right now. I just got it back from my wife. She's using a 3G now. Granted my iphone4 is sitting right beside me. Is this phone better than the iPhone 4, no. But, I believe that it holds a special place for a lot of people because this was the first of it's kind. It was new and never been done before. Now that we've gone through 3 or more generations we've become de-sensitized to great this phone was. Whether you agree or not, And even though it was flawed, this phone really did change the way we look at mobile phones.
 
I think it is. I loved the metal back. Sure it lacks a lot compared to my iPhone 4, but I really liked it. It was my first iPhone. What do you think?

No. The industrial design was indeed very nice, and if I had been asked this when the 3G/3GS was still top of the line, I'd say yes, the original iPhone was the best design. But the iPhone 4 does it one better, and I prefer it now.

The 3G/S design-wise seemed almost like a step back to me from the original iPhone, since it kinda evoked the days when Apple encased their iMacs and iPods in pure acrylic. But the iPhone 4 has jumped way ahead and the original iPhone design seems clunky and old by comparison.
 
No. Just because it has an aluminum back doesn't make it the greatest. It lacked many basic features even for a smartphone when it first came out. The RAM was too low and the external speakers sucked.

Replaciing the battery and having a customized back is alot easier on the new one.
Many basic features are still missing and the single speaker still sucks.
 
I still love mine and thats why I still use it as my main phone. Yeah sure features are lacking compared to the iPhone 4, but at least everytime I look at my 2G, I can say "this is the phone that changed the industry". If it weren't for Apple - Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola (to shame a few) would still be churning out the same brick, bar and slide phones.

Even though it's my current phone. It won't be for long. I'm still waiting for my iPhone 4. The 3G and 3GS were never worthy enough to make a jump for, but the features on the iPhone 4 have been overhauled so much - its actually worthy of getting - so I will. Sure its a bit more fragile, but if you look at my 2G - not a dent or scratch - looks as good as the day I bought it in 2007 cause i'm overly careful, so i'm sure i'll just be the same with the iPhone 4, but at least i'll have new features!
Isn't it funny how times change ????? those same companies are making Apple step their game up now.
 
Remember how things were better in Medieval Times?

Outhouses
Disease
Corruption
Odor
Horses
Walking
Excalibur

No SPAM email problem. No malware. No need for popup blockers. No worries in the voting booth. No computers.
 
The original iPhone was a revolution, and the next three generations have made it a great phone. The original iPhone changed everything, but really, wasn't a very good phone in and of itself.
 
If you look here in the evidence, the "metal back" part is actually not the main topic but rather supporting the main topic.

When you read it, it runs on like this:

Would people still agree that the first iPhone is "the best iPhone ever made?"

(HUHHH????)

I think it is.

(you do? Why?)

I loved the metal back.

(oookkk but what about everything else?)

Sure it was lacking but It was my first phone.

(So it has sentimental value? It made a special impact on you because it was your first?)

/end

As we go along we read that other people (who have since wandred off) were equally confused by the statement.

Later as the thread went on some clarifications were attempted to be made and more information was presented to show the OP wanted to talk about the metal vs glass. Ok fair enough.

But you cant act like it was obvious what the young OP initially wanted to talk about because he could have made a thread titled metal vs glass back or whatever else would have been less confusing than this thread titled "Would people still agree that the first iPhone is the best iPhone ever made?" paired with the first phrase being "I think it is."

Absolutely there's context, but his question is black and white.

If his original intent was about durability and build quality, then it can (and was) easily be misconstrued as him sharing his opinion as to why he thinks it's the best iPhone (and not just the best according to build/durability).

Geez, are you going to argue with people who claim the original Mustang/Corvette is the best Mustang/Corvette ever made and don't qualify their statement? Lots of anal posters on here.
 
I wonder if the first generation iPod was the greatest iPod to some people because it changed everything or because it was their first iPod?

I could never see myself going back to the original iPhone unless I really have to. That aluminum back scratched up just the same and volume control button was plastic. When you put it at full volume, you hear the static. The Apple logo also got scratched up easily just by breathing on it just like the chrome bezel.

I don't have time to look at it all day. This is like asking me what the best RAZR was? It wouldn't be the V3. I prefer RAZR 2 or the V3i over it. The original V3 might have been one of the best selling handsets ever, but it has too many too shortcoming. The later variations were just better. People put too much sentimental value on some things. My first Nintendo console was the NES, but I think the SNES was better when it came to its quality library.
 
Ok, I preferred the original iPhone over the 3G and 3GS purely because of the build quality, the original iPhone could take a good beating while the 3G and 3GS phones that I owned developed cracks even when I took care of them and had them in cases. Now that the iPhone 4 has come along though I'm not sure, the build quality of the 4 is amazing, easily as good as the originals but being that it is made of glass I highly doubt it will withstand much abuse. While the 4 is my favorite iPhone, the 2G still holds a place in my heart as it was the 1st iPhone that I owned and I loved that little thing :)
 
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/387358/

^^^ For anyone wanting to keep the original iPhone as a collector's item, post #611 talks about how rare the 4GB version is.

I kept all five of my Nintendo home consoles. Four of them with their box. I have a near mint NES I got for $20 like 8 years ago. I have a 16-year old Super NES in pristine condition that lacks the discolorization of a reddish tint when it gets older. I would be lucky if I sold each of them for $40 a piece. I got my SNES for $110 back in April 1994 during a sale at Toys R Us. Now they both just sit below my TV collecting dust. I would rather have something more rare like a factory sealed copy of Stadium Events that fetched for $41,000+ on eBay. That's why collecting older iPhones and keeping it for over a decade seems pointless unless they happen to still be factory sealed. A 2nd gen iPod is just as rare as a 2G iPhone. To keep an original iPhone forever and ever because of sentimental reasons is fine too. To each their own. Just remember what it will do most of the time in your home is collect dust. The prob for phones that is always evolving is it is harder for people to go back the way it is for video games. With consoles, you can spend at least five years with them in their prime. With phones, maybe 2-3 years until another upgrade to the latest and greatest. Phones seem very disposable to me. Won't longer hold a charge or hold its value. If you want to be a true collector, getting a diamond studded iPhone is the way to go. The rarer, the better. I love my 4, but deep down I know I will get another phone next year and the year after that. From 1999-2009, I owned 10 phones. My iPhone is my 11th phone, but I plan to collect one top phone every single year starting this year until I turn 40 in 2020. As I collect and upgrade to the latest, the sentimental value becomes less and less for each of them.
 
I never get why people like old versions of current tech

It is always worse performance wise to the point that it would almost be unbearable to use today

It is not akin to say old video game systems as there are no "iphone 2g" only apps that would allow it to run smooth
 
Yeah the first iPhone was the best looking by far and best built. I spent ages hoping they would go back to metal but not yet! Though i'm liking the liquid metal rumours.

Thanks to the clever people pointing out that technically the iPhone 4 is the best. I would never have known without your help.
 
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