History of the iPhone Timeline

On January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone at the Macworld convention, receiving substantial media attention. Jobs noted he had been looking forward to it for two and a half years, suggesting the project began in mid-2004. The device was sold only with AT&T (formerly Cingular) contracts in the United States.

Image source: IPhone (1st generation)

On June 11, 2007, Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference that the iPhone would support third-party applications using the Safari engine, an early step toward the App Store ecosystem.

Image source: Safari (web browser)

On June 28, 2007, during an address to Apple employees, Steve Jobs announced that all full-time Apple employees and those part-time employees who had been with the company for at least one year would receive a free iPhone.

The first iPhone went on sale on June 29, 2007, initially priced at $499 (equivalent to $775 in 2025) for the 4 GB model and $599 (equivalent to $930 in 2025) for the 8 GB model, exclusively with AT&T contracts in the United States.

The 300-page iPhone bill in a box received by iJustine on Saturday, August 11, 2007 became the subject of a viral video posted by the following Monday, which quickly became an Internet meme highlighting the absurdity of itemized billing.

Image source: IJustine

The iPod Touch, which brought an iPhone-style multi-touch screen to the iPod range, was released later in 2007, extending the iPhone's touch interface across Apple's product lineup.

Image source: IPod Touch

On September 5, 2007, the 4 GB model was discontinued and the 8 GB model price was cut by a third, from US$599 to US$399. Customers who bought within the prior 14 days were eligible for a $200 rebate, but some who bought between the June 29 launch and August 22 complained of unfair pricing. In response, on September 6, 2007, Steve Jobs wrote an open letter offering everyone who purchased at the higher price without a rebate a $100 credit toward any Apple retail or online store product.

With the July 11, 2008 release of the iPhone 3G, Apple and AT&T changed the US pricing model from the previous generation, helping drive mass-market adoption of the iPhone.

The iPad followed on January 27, 2010, extending the iPhone's multi-touch interface and iOS software foundation into a new tablet category that built directly on the iPhone's success.

Image source: IPad

Apple has continued to release new iPhone models annually since 2007, with the iPhone 17 introduced in 2025, demonstrating the enduring cadence of yearly innovation that began with the original iPhone's unveiling at Macworld 2007.

Image source: IPhone 17

Two class-action lawsuits were filed against Apple in October 2007 over the iPhone's exclusivity with AT&T: one in Federal court and the other in state court. On July 8, 2010, the case was affirmed for class certification, and on April 27, 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that AT&T met the state's fairness standards.

On October 22, 2009, Nokia filed a lawsuit against Apple for infringement of its GSM, UMTS and WLAN patents, one of many patent battles surrounding the rapidly growing smartphone market.

Image source: Litigation involving Apple Inc.

In August 2012, Apple won a smartphone patent lawsuit in the U.S. against Samsung, the world's largest maker of smartphones. However, on December 6, 2016, SCOTUS reversed the decision that awarded nearly $400 million to Apple and returned the case to Federal Circuit court to define the appropriate legal standard for 'article of manufacture'.

Image source: Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co.

In 2017, Apple was sued for its practice of slowing down older iPhone models for battery performance, sparking widespread controversy and multiple legal actions over transparency and consumer rights.

AT&T changed its restrictions around the iPhone in late January 2008, easing some of the constraints that had accompanied the device's exclusive launch arrangement.

By the end of 2009, iPhone models had been released in all major markets worldwide, cementing the iPhone as a global product just three years after its initial US-only launch.

Speculation increased on October 6, 2010, when The Wall Street Journal reported Apple would begin producing a CDMA-compatible iPhone. On January 11, 2011, Verizon announced during a media event that it had reached an agreement with Apple and would begin selling a CDMA iPhone 4, ending AT&T's US exclusivity. The Verizon iPhone went on sale on February 10, 2011.

Image source: IPhone 4

T-Mobile USA's inability to provide the iPhone raised its subscription churn rate, decreased lucrative postpaid customers, and contributed to Deutsche Telekom's decision to sell it to AT&T in March 2011, though AT&T canceled the deal in December 2011 due to antitrust concerns. T-Mobile finally began offering the iPhone on April 12, 2013.

Image source: T-Mobile US

During Apple's official unveiling of the iPhone 4S on October 4, 2011, it was announced that Sprint would begin carrying the reconfigured CDMA iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S in the US on October 14, adding a third major American carrier.

Image source: IPhone 4s

Cricket Wireless announced on May 31, 2012, that it would become the first prepaid carrier in the US to offer the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, beginning June 22, 2012. A week later, Virgin Mobile USA became the second American prepaid carrier, announcing plans to release the phones on June 29, 2012.

Image source: Cricket Wireless

T-Mobile began offering the iPhone on April 12, 2013, completing the iPhone's availability across all four major US carriers after years of being excluded due to its lack of a deal with Apple.