Steve Jobs of Apple first introduced the iPhone on January 9, 2007. The unveiling was a bit premature, as the operating permits from the FCC had not yet been approved. It was not until June 29, 2007 that the iPhone went on sale to the public in the United States. There had been much publicity on this new form of a smartphone that possessed a combination of functions apparent in many smartphones plus much more.

The iPhone is a camera phone that includes text messaging and voicemail plus e-mail capabilities. There is also a portable media player, web browsing and the ability to connect to Wi-Fi. The appearance was different than any other mobile phone on the market by other suppliers because it did not resemble a phone at all. The iPhone does not have a number pad for dialing numbers but a virtual keyboard with a multi-touch screen. The screen takes up most of the face of the unit and has different apps that lead you to a specific function.

The very first model did not have third-party applications that Apple made available through the App Store that was launched just a year later in 2008. These applications include GPS navigation, social networking, celebrities, games, reference and many other functions to select from in addition to a regular cell phone and Internet capacity. In the beginning there was a problem with third-party companies selling cell phone numbers to others. Unfortunately, this was not something that the No-Call-List law or reverse phone lookup could help with. Cell phone users were willingly inviting them in.

The large screen was the brainchild of Jonathan Ive, the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple Inc. Jobs had directed Ive and his team to create a touch-screen in 2003 and the crew got to work. Apple had already released the ROKR E1in 2005 in conjunction with Motorola as the first mobile phone that displayed pictures and video and came complete with the new iTunes.

The touch screen on the iPhone is 3.5 inches with a scratch-resistant glass. The first three models of the iPhone had a resolution of 320 x 480 at 163 ppi but the iPhone 4 has a resolution of 640 x 960 at 326 ppi. There is very little hardware to worry about using on the iPhone. On/off, button to answer calls, and adjustment controls are situated on the side of the unit so as not to interfere with the screen. There are three sensors that control the display of the touch screen, changes the orientation of the portrait and landscape mode and a gyroscopic sensor that enhances the unit's perception of movement.

There is a speaker and rechargeable battery that is said to be able to provide six hours of web browsing, eight hours of talking, 24 hours of music or seven hours of video. These were the standards of the first iPhone and have increased with each new model. A safety measure is the iPhone's ability to change colors when brought into contact with water. The icons on the front of the unit include Messages, Calendar, Photos, Camera, YouTube, Stocks, Maps, Weather, Notes, Clock, Settings, Calculator and Voice Memos. The iPhone 4 also has a Compass. Along the bottom are the icons for Phone Mail, Internet and Multimedia, the main purposes of the iPhone. Icons can be added or deleted and the screen can hold up to 16 icons at once.

Having Internet capability within a cell phone is a huge asset even without all of the other entities. Checking reverse phone lookup while on the phone to check out a caller is easy to do or looking up information that is needed on an important phone call. According to Google, there are 50 times the search requests done by the iPhone than any other mobile unit.

There have been several lawsuits filed in regard to the similarities of the iPhone as opposed to other manufacturers models even though Apple filed over 200 patent applications for the technology of the iPhone in both the United States and other countries. Cisco and Nokia is just a couple of the larger companies filing complaints of infringement of copyrights. Apple's disassociation with Motorola has made the latter a strong competitor and knowing many of Apple's designs and technology, is running a close second with the Motorola Droid. But Steve Jobs is not thin skinned when it comes to competition or getting what he wants for his company.

Everyone is watching the competition closely. Pricing seems to be a main factor in comparing the closely ranging technology and functions on iPhones, Droids, Nokia, Blackberry and countless international technological companies jumping on the bandwagon. Others feel the creative apps will be the final determining factor as smartphones progress. At the present time, the iPhone has over 300,000 apps available through their App Store and intend to stay in front.

The iPhone does have one leg over competitors of only being available on AT&T. The company is also a benchmark for sleek and innovative design that leaves competition in the dust. In comparison, the BlackBerry, Google's Android and the Palm Pre by Sprint have much to offer in lifelong costs factors. But for now, the iPhone is raking in the vast majority of sales with everyone on the edge of their seats to see what new models are in store for the future.