History
2007 - The Original iPhone
Revealed on January 9, 2007 and released June 28 that same year, the Apple iPhone was a truly revolutionary communication device. The iPhone had the combined functionality of a cell phone, a GPS, a computer, and an mp3 player in a pocket-sized, touchscreen device. No other phone on the market could compete with the iPhone's convenience or utility.
2008 - The First Android Phone
On October 22, 2008, just over a year after the iPhone's release, the first Android smartphone, the T-Mobile G1, hit shelves. Drawing direct inspiration from the iPhone, the G1 sported a touchscreen and roughly the same functionality as its competition. The main differences between the T-Mobile G1 and the iPhone are their operating systems and the presence of a physical, blackberry-style keyboard and trackball.
Apple Versus Android (Samsung)This graph shows the percentage of the global market share controlled by Samsung (in blue) and Apple (in gray) from 2009 to 2023. Android is often perceived as only Samsung phones, when in reality, many more companies use Android operating systems in their phones. Still, Samsung is the biggest distributor of phones with Android operating systems.
Despite Apple's initial advantage and general popularity, Samsung was able to take the top market share spot from Apple for multiple quarters. Recently, the brands have had roughly equal shares in the smartphone market. This is likely due to the current plateau in advancements in smartphone technology. During the height of the two brands' competition (I would say from Quarter 2 2011 to Quarter 2 2020), smartphone technology made leaps and bounds in every regard. Cameras, screens, and chipsets are all exponentially more powerful now than they were at the smartphone's conception. In the past four years however, this smartphone arms race has slowed down, resulting in Samsung and Apple's yearly flagship phones being comparable.
Impact
Staying Connected
The advent of the smartphone revolutionized communication. With smartphones came the rise of messaging applications and social media, two forms of communication through which any person with a smartphone could reach another person, so long as they also had one of their own. Smartphones have quickly become vital to staying up to date and in touch with friends, family, and current events.
In addition to reshaping how we communicate, smartphones have created a variety of norms and stigma, altering our perceptions of others. It is considered taboo to not have a smartphone, and people without them are perceived as out of touch or behind the times. The stigma even go so far as judgement based on what smartphone you might have. Due to Apple's unique standing as the original smartphone brand, the iPhone is seen as a status symbol. The newer your iPhone is, the more affluent and contemporary you are perceived to be. Though functionally identical and comparably priced, Android phones are seen as the poor person's smartphone. This social norm is reinforced by Apple's iMessage lowering the quality of videos and photos sent from Android phones as well as having messages sent by those phones appear in green bubbles instead of blue ones.
Until the next groundbreaking invention in communication, the smartphone will continue to shape the way we connect with others, receive our information, and live our lives.
Sources
Wired article on the iPhone:
https://www.wired.com/story/guide-iphone/
Statista Apple vs. Android graph:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/271496/global-market-share-held-by-smartphone-vendors-since-4th-quarter-2009/
Textline Smartphone History Article:
https://www.textline.com/blog/smartphone-history
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