Regardless of whether you are a fan of the Apple iPhone or not, it is very difficult to argue with the freight train momentum and success that the mobile smartphone has achieved in the last five years. Judging by the statistics that surround the sales of the phone, and the record breaking financial results posted by Apple for the end of 2011, it seems that the popularity of the iPhone is set to rise and rise with every release.
We all know that Apple didn’t invent the smartphone, after all, they have only been producing a mobile phone product since 2007. So, in that respect, the company is still in its infancy when it comes to mobile devices. But we also all know that when Apple gets involved in a particular sector, they like to reinvent the game and produce products which are far superior and advanced than their competitors. Judging by the image which was Tweeted out by aspiring American movie director Josh Helfferich (@Digerati), it seems that the Cupertino company not only reinvented the phone but also had a profound effect on new devices produced by various manufacturers.
The image really speaks for itself in a number of ways and shows a large number of pre-2007 mobile phone which come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes but all pretty much offer the same limited functionality. On the right hand side of the image are the post-2007 devices which have all come on the back of the original iPhone launch. There is something quite eerie about seeing all these devices from different manufacturers side by side, and although some of them are distinctly different, the Apple legal term of "slavishly" copying the company design springs to mind.
They often say that imitation is the biggest form of flattery, which in some cases may be true but in the smartphone industry imitation seems to get you slapped with an infringement lawsuit as Samsung have found over the last six months. But with the iPhone currently setting the standard in the mobile phone industry, just where will Apple go with it next? The iPhone 5 is widely expected to feature a complete redesign when details are announced, so it would be extremely intriguing to sit down for three to four years and looking at a similar image showcasing the smartphone design.
(via CultOfMac)
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