Before the iPhone, every smartphone on the market had a little screen, a
tiny thumb keyboard, and a user interface that confused even the
experts. Then, in June of 2007, everything changed. In the three years
since the introduction of the first iPhone, we've seen a tremendous
change in the way that people work with smartphones and computing
devices in general. Most smartphones have emulated the touch screen and
gesture-based user interface of the iPhone in an attempt to cash in on
the success of the device. It's estimated that Apple has sold more than
100 million iOS devices (which includes the iPhone, the iPod touch, and
the iPad), making the platform a roaring success. But the iPhone has
continued to evolve in those three years. In 2008, the iPhone 3G was
released, linking the iPhone to a much faster data network and providing
true geolocation through the addition of a built-in Global Positioning
System receiver. In that same year, developers were given the tools with
which to create new applications to run on the device, and the App Store
opened to rave reviews. Suddenly, purchasing games, utilities, and other
apps became as easy as browsing an electronic store and pushing a Buy
button.