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- Apple launched the first iPhone more than 12 years ago, in January 2007.
- Compared to the current batch of iPhones, the first version seems downright primitive.
- Here's how it looked, and what it could do.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
More than 12 years ago, Steve Jobs revealed the first iPhone to the world.
It was a revelation.
Before the iPhone came out, smartphones were clunky devices — half keyboard and half screen.
Full websites didn't run on mobile phones, so companies were forced to build weak, mobile versions of their sites.
The iPhone changed all that.
And yet, the typical smartphone experiences we all enjoy today didn't happen overnight. It took years of Apple adding feature upon feature. By today's standards, the original iPhone was a primitive brick.
As a reminder of how far the iPhone has come, we've put together this slideshow.
Jay Yarow contributed to an earlier version of this story.
Yes, the original iPhone was a revelation. Here's what the competition looked like at the time:WSJThat said, it's fun to look back and see how many now-common features were missing from the original iPhone.AP
It ran on "EDGE," or 2G wireless, which is painfully slow. It's basically as slow as home internet was before high-speed broadband.Flickr/greg.chiasson
That 2G connection was extra painful because AT&T was the only carrier option available. And AT&T had its problems (like dropped calls).Mike Mozart/flickr
There was no App Store when the iPhone launched. That means no Instagram, no "Pokémon GO," no third-party apps — that's all the best stuff!happydancing/Shutterstock
Beyond the touchscreen and sleek design, the defining concept of modern smartphones is apps. Unbelievably, when Apple first launched the iPhone it had no App Store.
Steve Jobs wasn't sure if he wanted to have one because of his desire to totally control the experience. Eventually, he relented. And it's a good thing he did, because Apple's App Store set the standard for how to extend smartphone functionality.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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