It’s hard to believe that the world’s first mobile phone was released over 40 years ago by early pioneer Motorola on April 3, 1973. This was a time when Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) had just started its operations, and Google Inc. (a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and many other tech giants had not even existed. The simple act of being able to make a call wirelessly was a huge technological step forward in the information age.
The first mobiles were heavy brick-like devices, almost unrecognizable from the sleek mini-computers we carry in our pockets today. Since then, the mobile industry has been through many technological shifts and transformations, there have been four generations of mobile devices and each generation has had its own share of breakthrough devices.
Evolution Of Mobile Phones: World’s First Mobile Phone, First Flip Phone, First Smartphone
Through this infographic, “History of Mobile Phones,” we can understand just how far mobile devices have evolved, with radical improvements and declining costs in every generation.
- The world’s first mobile phone Motorola Dynatac was made available to the public in 1983. It had a price tag of $3,995 and weighed almost 800 grams, with a battery life of just 18 mins.
- The Motorola Microtac was the world’s first flip phone. It was released in 1989, with a price tag of almost $250. It was truly the world’s first pocket phone.
- The world’s first smartphone IBM Simon was introduced in 1993. It was a revolutionary touchscreen-equipped device that could send and receive faxes and e-mails, and it even had an address book. It originally sold for $899.
- The Motorola StarTac was the smallest and lightest phone at the time of its release, weighing in at just 88 grams.
- The most recognizable phone of all time is the Nokia 3210. Released in 2000, it became a cultural icon and introduced texting to the market. It sold 160 million units worldwide and remained one of the best-selling phones of all time.
- The third generation of mobile devices saw the introduction of mobile broadband. The era of Apple and Android dominance began with the release of the first iPhone in 2007 and HTC dream in 2008.
- The HTC EVO was the world’s first 4G-ready device to be made publicly available in 2010. The HTC EVO was the world’s first 4G-ready device to be made publicly available in 2010. The device was powered by Android 2.1 and featured one of the largest touchscreen displays, an 8MP camera, HD video capture, HDMI output, and Mobile Hotspot capability.
We are now in the fourth generation of mobile devices. These devices are designed to boost broadband speeds and promote the high-speed transfer of data. As a result, we can use our smartphones to read news/books, watch movies, listen to music, play games, and do a variety of other things from anywhere in the world. This is called the true evolution of mobile phones. There were 4.33 billion mobile users worldwide in 2013 and this figure is likely to touch 5.13 billion by 2017. Consumer interest in wearable technology is growing rapidly and it may be possible that these devices will herald the next generation of mobile devices.
