Apple has routinely launched at least one iPhone model per year since the original iPhone was debuted in 2007, however the company’s naming of iPhones has not always been easy to understand and predict. That’s why, despite the fact that there is a second-generation iPhone, it isn’t referred to as iPhone 2.
The first iPhone was announced at Macworld 2007 by late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and the event marked the beginning of a new era in the mobile phone market. Apple simply dubbed the gadget “iPhone” at the time, and the graphical user interface (GUI) was known as “iPhone OS.” In 2008, the second-generation iPhone was released as a direct replacement for the original iPhone, but with a unique moniker.
Apple has traditionally used incremental numbers to track iPhone updates, but there have been moments when things have gone the other way. Apple utilizes the letters “S” to denote upgrade versions, “C” to denote color, and “Plus” to denote a large size. To specify the size and premium feature set, the company has launched “Pro” and “mini” options. In 2017, Apple released the iPhone X to commemorate the iPhone’s tenth anniversary. Apple skipped the iPhone 9 in that endeavor, so the iPhone 2’s omission in 2008 shouldn’t be surprising.
Instead of the iPhone 2, Steve Jobs used the Macworld 2008 stage to introduce the iPhone 3G, which came with a slew of new capabilities. The iPhone 3G gets its name from the fact that it includes a 3G antenna band, which Apple claims helps it provide a connection twice as fast as its predecessor. The moniker was appropriate at the time because the initial iPhone was dubbed the iPhone 2G. The iPhone 3G’s software has also been updated to automatically transition between network options in order to preserve speed.
Aside from that, the iPhone 3G adds a few essential capabilities, including as compatibility for MobileMe, which will eventually become iCloud, a cloud-based service. Even back in 2008, the program allowed customers to sync crucial data between their iPhone and Mac, like as email accounts and calendars. It also allows push notifications, which is a very useful function nowadays.
With the iPhone 3GS introduced in 2009, Apple’s naming conventions remained. The iPhone 4, which came after, had a design language that was comparable to that of today’s high-end iPhones. With the release of the iPhone 4, nomenclature became more consistent, with major versions being designated by numerals and smaller updates being designated by the letter S. Apple has only utilized it once since introducing the iPhone 7. When it debuted the iPhone XS in 2018, Apple added the S suffix to its product range.
Following the release of the iPhone 11 in 2019, the names of iPhone models became more predictable, and this trend continued in the following years, with the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. iPhone 14 is most likely to be the next name. Apple’s product line should be followed.
