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Comment by fsh | Hacker News Reader

I would argue that the first iPhone is in a different device category than its successors. It had only a 2G modem (very slow even in 2007) and (at launch) no third-party app support. It was essentially a dumb phone with a gimmicky interface that could be also used for surfing the web while on WiFi. The iPhone 3G was the first true smartphone from Apple. I therefore find it not surprising that many journalists where not impressed by the first iPhone.

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Those shortcomings didn’t matter because the interface, screen, safari, iTunes and Google maps were so good. If I recall correctly, every iPhone plan was unlimited data or at least much more data than people normally got meaning you could browse the full featured web (ok without flash). Most phones before it with web browsers were convenient in a pinch for looking up an address or something, but didn’t feel like pocket computers.

Maps was yet another gimmick on the first iPhone since it did not have GPS. Other high-end phones at the time had turn-by-turn navigation and offline maps. It is funny to rewatch the original iPhone presentation. It had so few useful features, that Jobs spent a considerable amount of time explaining the voice mail app.

It didn't have GPS but it did work well in cities using skyhook.

Calling it a dumb phone with a gimmicky interface doesn't add up to me. Yes, it had a 2G modem, but it was still running OS X under the hood just like all the following models and had a suite of apps that worked way better than existing smartphones.

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