iPhone, 1st generation thumbnail 1
iPhone, 1st generation thumbnail 2
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

This object consists of 7 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

iPhone, 1st generation

Apple IPhone
2007 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The iPhone 2G was developed by Apple Inc. in 2005 and launched in 2007, it is the first generation of iPhone which has quickly become one of the most recognised brands in the world.

It was conceived under the name Project Purple 2 from an idea that Steve Jobs had of interacting a computer with a multi-touch screen, removing the need for a keyboard and a mouse. Apple had previously collaborated unsuccessfully with Motorola on the Motorola RORK E1 and decided to collaborate instead with AT&T (formerly Cingular Wireless) which gave Apple the freedom to develop the hardware and software in-house. The development cost of the collaboration was estimated to have been $150 million over a 30 month period. The phone was introduced by Jobs on January 9, 2007 with the tagline “today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.”
Although by no means the first smartphone, the original iPhone nonetheless captured the public imagination into what a mobile phone could be. It was responsible for popularising the smartphone as a touchscreen device that had internet connectivity. The design revolutionised the phone industry as well as the way we go about our daily lives.

This iPhone 2G was acquired as part of the Shekou Project, an international partnership be-tween the V&A and China Merchant Shekou Holdings (CMSK) to open a new cultural plat-form called Design Society in Shekou. The iPhone was included in the inaugural exhibition, ‘Values of Design’, in the V&A Gallery at Design Society as an example of how design can instill a sense of awe and expand our imagination as to what the material world can be.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 7 parts.

  • Mobile Telephones
  • Mobile Telephones
  • Mobile Telephones
  • Mobile Telephones
  • Mobile Telephones
  • Mobile Telephones
  • Mobile Telephones
TitleiPhone, 1st generation (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Brief description
iPhone, 1st generation, 2007, designed by Apple Inc.
Physical description
A mobile telephone in black. Rectangular with rounded edges. The back side is black with the apple symbol top centre with a camera and flash top left. top side of the phone has a black screen with a ear peice at the top centre with a camera to the left. There is a single circular home/ touch id button at the bottom centre of the phone underneth the screen.
Dimensions
  • Height: 11.5cm
  • Width: 6.1cm
  • Depth: 1.1cm
Gallery label
This object sits in the "Data and Communication" section of the Design 1900-Now gallery, opened June 2021

The phone that changed everything
In January 2007, Apple launched the iPhone.
Billed as a ‘revolutionary product’ designed to fit
comfortably in your hand, it was the first device to
feature touchscreen technology and new, mobilespecific software. Intuitive to use and featuring an
array of apps, the iPhone – and the smartphone era
it spawned – have fundamentally altered how we
work, socialise, behave and share our lives.

Touchscreen smartphone
iPhone, 2007

Designed by Jonathan Ive
Manufactured for Apple, USA
Glass, aluminium, plastic casing and electronic
components
Given by Apple Inc.
Museum no. CD.97:1-2016
iPhone
Jonathan Ive / Apple
USA, 2017

The first iPhone looked and operated unlike anything else. Its touch screen eliminated the need for a keypad, and the powerful operating system and array of apps meant that numerous tasks could be performed on a single compact device. It revolutionised the mobile phone industry as well as the way we go about our daily lives.

Given by Apple, Inc.
Credit line
Given by Apple Inc.
Object history
This iPhone was included in ‘Values of Design’ at the V&A Gallery, Design Society in Shenzhen, China in 2017.
Summary
The iPhone 2G was developed by Apple Inc. in 2005 and launched in 2007, it is the first generation of iPhone which has quickly become one of the most recognised brands in the world.

It was conceived under the name Project Purple 2 from an idea that Steve Jobs had of interacting a computer with a multi-touch screen, removing the need for a keyboard and a mouse. Apple had previously collaborated unsuccessfully with Motorola on the Motorola RORK E1 and decided to collaborate instead with AT&T (formerly Cingular Wireless) which gave Apple the freedom to develop the hardware and software in-house. The development cost of the collaboration was estimated to have been $150 million over a 30 month period. The phone was introduced by Jobs on January 9, 2007 with the tagline “today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.”
Although by no means the first smartphone, the original iPhone nonetheless captured the public imagination into what a mobile phone could be. It was responsible for popularising the smartphone as a touchscreen device that had internet connectivity. The design revolutionised the phone industry as well as the way we go about our daily lives.

This iPhone 2G was acquired as part of the Shekou Project, an international partnership be-tween the V&A and China Merchant Shekou Holdings (CMSK) to open a new cultural plat-form called Design Society in Shekou. The iPhone was included in the inaugural exhibition, ‘Values of Design’, in the V&A Gallery at Design Society as an example of how design can instill a sense of awe and expand our imagination as to what the material world can be.
Collection
Accession number
CD.97:1 to 7-2016

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Record createdJanuary 13, 2016
Record URL
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