iOS was introduced with the original iPhone over a decade ago, and has since become a
ubiquitous part of our everyday lives.
But there are some things about the operating system that you may not know, like the fact
that Apple initially developed it for the iPad, not the iPhone.
But since its release in 2007, iOS has not only become one of the most powerful mobile
operating systems in the world, but it’s helped reshape the entire tech industry.
iOS has transcended the iPhone to become an integral part of multiple apple products,
with underpinnings of the operating system present in the Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple
TV.
And its influence on software in other products like cars, appliances, kiosks, and even vending
machines are undeniable.
So in this video we’re going to explore the history of iOS and find out why it’s
one of the most important operating systems ever made.
This is Greg with Apple Explained, and if you want to help decide which topics I cover,
make sure you’re subscribed and these voting polls will show up in your mobile activity
feed.
So iOS started off as what we might consider today a very basic operating system, only
capable of specific functions like playing music, browsing the internet, sending texts,
and making calls.
After all, the original iPhone only had 15 apps, and the App Store hadn’t been invented
yet so there weren’t any third party applications available.
But at the time, iPhone’s OS was considered to be the most advanced mobile operating system
ever built, and it took Apple years to create.
Not only had there never been a mass-market touch-based operating system before, but Apple
had never even made a mobile phone.
So they were creating the iPhone’s hardware and software all from scratch.
Although this turned out to be for the best, since the iPhone’s software would be perfectly
optimized for its hardware, and deliver a user experience that no one had ever expected
on a mobile device.
But the roots of iOS actually go back further than the iPhone, because Apple was actually
working on a multitouch tablet, the iPad, before a smartphone.
And it wasn’t until Steve Jobs saw inertial scrolling running on a large multitouch display
that he realized the software was perfectly suited for a small mobile phone.
That’s when Apple put the tablet project on hold and decided to start working on the
iPhone instead, which would eventually lead to the first version of iOS.
Now I should mention Apple never actually gave the iPhone’s operating system a name
until the second version, which they dubbed iPhone OS 2.
And it’s name wouldn’t change to iOS until the fourth version in 2010.
But despite not having a name, iPhone OS 1 became widely-recognized and respected the
day it was introduced.
Primarily because it redefined what a smartphone was capable of.
And I think it’s important to remember what smartphone software looked like before the
iPhone.
Here’s one of the most popular mobile phones of 2006, the BlackBerry 8700.
You might think it looks more like a pager than a smartphone, but this BlackBerry was
incredibly popular and represented the most advanced technology on the market at the time.
That may come as a surprise since its operating system looks so archaic, but it did have more
functionality than standard, less expensive cell phones.
Its advertised features included things like internet browsing, email, and music playback.
But the interface was so clumsy and its technology was so limited that very few people took advantage
of all its capabilities.
In fact, here’s what its internet browser looked like.
So you can see why people would rather’ve used their computers for any serious web browsing.
And that’s exactly why, when Jobs introduced the iPhone, he said other smartphones have
baby internet and baby email, whereas the iPhone delivered a desktop-class experience
that rivaled computers.
And that was a serious assertion to make back then, since mobile devices were nowhere near
as powerful as desktop computers.
Now I should mention that there were limitations to iPhone OS 1.
For example, it didn’t have Adobe Flash, which used to be a very popular web media
format used to create internet applications, websites, web browser video players, among
other things.
And this meant you’d come across holes in websites where flash was being used.
Apple gave a few reasons why they decided not to run flash on iOS.
First, it was a very buggy format that was known to crash frequently, even on desktop
computers.
Second, Flash was not power efficient, which caused battery drain on mobile devices like
iPhones.
And lastly, it was slow and old.
With its technology dating back to the mid 90s.
So instead of including Flash on iOS, Apple decided to bet on HTML5 instead.
It was a more modern format that could be used for some aspect of web content, although
the technology was much different from Flash.
This turned out to be the right move for Apple, since Adobe announced in 2017 that that’d
be killing Flash in 2020, due to the transition to HTML5.
But despite some limitations, iPhone OS 1 was a leapfrog operating system that far outstripped
anything its competitors were doing.
More importantly, it set the stage for new players to enter the smartphone market with
similar advanced touch screen devices that traditional phone manufactures were, at the
time, unwilling to make.
Mainly because companies like Blackberry and Microsoft were convinced that business customers
needed smartphones with physical keyboards.
And not only was this assumption a critical mistake, but it demonstrated how being stuck
in traditional ways of thinking can cloud your understanding of where the future is
headed.
Even when it was staring them right in the face with the iPhone.
Looking back, it’s easy for us to see iPhone OS 1 and saying “that was definitely the
future of technology.”
But back in 2007, that would’ve been a very controversial statement.
Some might say the iPhone was simply a toy for people who don’t understand how to use
real smartphones.
They might say a touch-based operating system doesn’t make sense for a mobile device since
it needs the precision of a stylus.
And one of my favorite criticisms of the iPhone from a friend in high school was “who would
want to touch their phone’s screen all the time?
It’s going to get so many fingerprints.”
And this is where I think the iPhone and its OS doesn’t get enough credit.
They single handedly convinced an entire industry that the way they’d been doing things for
the past thirty years was wrong.
Mobile phones aren’t meant to have dozens of plastic buttons that take up half of the
device.
No one cares if they have fingerprints on their screen.
A software keyboard is something you can get acclimated to and perhaps even type better
on with features like predictive text and swipe keyboards.
And once people became receptive to these new concepts, other companies were able to
explore similar approaches to their products.
And this is how the touch screen era was born.
Not only did other smartphone makers adopt multi touch displays, but they also began
appearing in things like appliances, computers, and cars.
Now when it came to iOS, Apple began iterating on it every year.
And one of the most notable additions came in iPhone OS 2 with the App Store.
A concept that Steve Jobs was initially opposed to, since he thought third party developers
should simply create web apps instead.
Well, the App Store turned out to be a huge hit, and allowed for a vibrant app ecosystem
that to this day remains a big reason why people choose iPhone.
But I should mention a phenomenon that occurred in the early days of iOS that young people
today may not know about, and it was called jailbreaking.
You see, Apple has always been known to take time when implementing new software features.
So as competitors like Google were adding features like custom wallpaper, multitasking,
and cut copy and paste to their Android mobile operating system, iPhone users were forced
to wait on Apple to introduce similar features to iOS.
And because of this high demand to access more advanced functionality, it became fairly
common for iPhone users to jailbreak their device.
This would remove Apple’s software restrictions and allow installation of software that wasn’t
available through the App Store.
A program called Cydia allowed users to download apps, games, and even operating system tweaks.
You could change the layout of the home screen, download ad-blockers, and customize the keyboard.
Jailbreaking was a very important part of the development of iOS.
Because although Apple heavily discouraged users from doing it, there were some features
borrowed from the jailbreak community and implemented natively on iOS.
Things like screen recording, a customizable control center, one handed keyboard, QR code
scanning, and Files were all features that originated in jailbroken iPhones.
And I actually think this helped Apple understand what features their users wanted most since
they could simply see what Jailbreak tweaks were most popular.
Now today Jailbreaking isn’t nearly as popular as it once was.
Mainly because iOS has absorbed many of those advanced functionalities that users wanted,
giving users less reasons to Jailbreak in the first place.
Now today iOS is about more than just the iPhone.
It runs as a slightly modified OS on the iPad, and provided the groundwork needed to create
watch and tvOS.
And although the Mac’s operating system has existed for decades, it’s being influenced
by iOS more and more with every annual update.
In fact, Apple recently introduced Project Catalyst.
Which would allow developers to bring iPad apps to the Mac.
It’s a huge step in the direction of universal apps which would not only result in more high
quality apps being available on the Mac, but hopefully mean more capable, desktop-class
applications for the iPad.
And while Apple has made it clear that they don’t intend on merging MacOS and iPadOS,
they are trying to make all of their operating systems work together as seamlessly as possible.
But iOS’s influence has reached further than the Mac or Apple Watch.
Take a look at some of the touch-based software we’re seeing in products I mentioned earlier.
Kiosks at McDonalds and even newer vending machines are designed to function like a touchscreen
smartphone.
Cars like the Tesla Model 3 have taken a very software-centric approach to its functionality.
Eliminating nearly all traditional buttons and dials, in favor of a large display powered
by a multi-touch operating system.
Sound familiar?
iOS essentially started what I call the touch era of technology.
Where software is designed around our finger instead of a cursor or stylus.
And I think that makes it one of the most influential operating systems ever made.
So in order to show some appreciation for your iPhone and its OS, I recommend giving
it some protection with a clear ESR smartphone case.
These two models have actually been named Amazons’ Choice.
They’re grippy and feel great to hold, the cutouts on the bottom line up perfectly with
the lighting port and speaker grill, and the side buttons are firm and easy to press instead
of being soft and squishy like on silicon cases.
But my favorite feature is this metal kickstand, whether I’m watching YouTube videos or FaceTiming
my family.
So click the link in the description to check these cases out for yourself, which are not
only available for the iPhone X but also older iPhone models and Android devices.
Thanks to ESR for sponsoring this video and be sure to order by July 5th with these promo
codes to get 10% off!
Alright guys thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time.