8GB iPhone 2G from 2008 (Photo: Philip Rood, CC by 2.0)
It was the device that changed the world forever: Apple’s first iPhone. Now, AT&T has disconnected the 2G smartphone from its network, rendering it inoperable.
AT&T has officially disconnected the original iPhone, released by Apple in 2007. Those still using the devices, wherever they are, will be forced to upgrade. And, try out some newer apps (like those released after 2009).
So far, very few seem to be complaining, though the move is indeed symbolic.
The game-changing iPhone was originally an AT&T exclusive in the US, riding on the 2G network. Ten years later, it’s considered a watershed for both mobile devices and computing technology in general.
That is, if you can remember it. Of course, this all sounds like ancient history for younger users, especially teenagers sporting iPhone 7s with wireless Beats in tow. But back in the day, fans waited in long lines to sample the big-screened, computer-like ‘smartphone’ before ‘Android’ existed. Those who got their hands on a limited-quantity device were quickly the life of the party.
Ten years later, the seminal smartphone is officially a legend. For starters, it’s credited with overturning a generation of clamshells and ‘feature phones,’ some of which have also still survived. And, further building Apple into the largest corporation in the world (at least for a moment).
And looming large over this is the legacy of Steve Jobs, a huge visionary and proponent of smartphone technology. Jobs boldly held the first iPhone in front of a crowd in San Francisco, a remarkable upgrade to the then-popular iPod. Actually, Apple’s little smartphone not only decimated the iPod, it also destroyed an entire generation of standalone, portable mp3 players. It was another example of how Jobs fearlessly cannibalized older technologies, even those generating billions for Apple.
RIP iPhone 2G (2007-2017).