10 years ago, on June 29, 2007, the original iPhone kissed the sunlight for the very first time when it went on sale in the United States. On the 10th birthday anniversary of the iconic device on Thursday, Apple is believed to have sold as many as 1.2 billion units of it.
The Cupertino tech giant sold the one billionth iPhone in July 2016. Announcing the achievement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the time that the company's flagship smartphone had become "one of the most important, world-changing and successful products in history."
"We never set out to make the most, but we've always set out to make the best products that make a difference. Thank you to everyone at Apple for helping change the world every day," Cook said.
By the end of March 2017, Apple is estimated to sell 1.16 billion iPhone units, according to a report from Statista.
You will find more statistics at Statista"Having generated more than $700 billion in revenue and in more than $100 billion in net profit for Apple, the iPhone might well be the most profitable piece of technology to ever have hit the market," the report said.
The iPhone also helped Apple transform itself from a company with $19 billion in annual sales in 2006 to the most valuable company in the world today, with $216 billion in its latest fiscal year, according to Statista.
Here's how the hardware of the iPhone has evolved over the years:
| Specification | iPhone | iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS | iPhone 4 | iPhone 4S | iPhone 5 | iPhone 5S | iPhone 5C | iPhone 6 | iPhone 6S | iPhone SE | iPhone 7 | iPhone 7 Plus |
| Display | 3.5 inches | 3.5 inches | 3.5 inches | 3.5 inches | 3.5 inches | 4 inches | 4 inches | 4 inches | 4.7 inches | 4.7 inches | 4 inches | 4.7 inches | 5.5 inches |
| Resolution | 320 x 480 | 320 x 480 | 320 x 480 | 960 × 640 | 960 × 640 | 1136 × 640 | 1136 × 640 | 1136 × 640 | 1334 x 750 | 1334 x 750 | 1136 x 640 | 1334 x 750 | 1920 x 1080 |
| Processor | APL0098 (412 MHz) | APL0098 (412 MHz) | APL0298 (533 MHz) | Apple A4 (800 MHz) | Apple A5 (800 MHz, dual-core) | Apple A6 (1.3 GHz, dual-core) | Apple A7 (1.3 GHz, dual-core) | Apple A6 (1.3 GHz, dual-core) | Apple A8 (1.4 GHz, dual-core) | Apple A9 (1.85 GHz, dual-core) | Apple A9 (1.85 GHz, dual-core) | A10 Fusion (2.34 GHz, quad-core) | A10 Fusion (2.34 GHz, quad-core) |
| RAM | 128MB | 128MB | 256MB | 512MB | 512MB | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB | 2GB | 2GB | 2GB | 3GB |
| Storage | 4GB, 8GB, 16GB | 8GB, 16GB | 8GB, 16GB, 32GB | 8GB, 16GB, 32GB | 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB | 8GB, 16GB, 32GB | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB | 16GB, 64GB, 128GB | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB | 32GB, 128GB, 256GB | 32GB, 128GB, 256GB |
| Rear camera | 2 megapixel | 2 megapixel | 3 megapixel | 5 megapixel | 8 megapixel | 8 megapixel | 8 megapixel | 8 megapixel | 8 megapixel | 12 megapixel | 12 megapixel | 12 megapixel | 12 megapixel, 12 megapixel (wide) |
| Front camera | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0.3 megapixel | 0.3 megapixel | 1.2 megapixel | 1.2 megapixel | 1.2 megapixel | 1.2 megapixel | 5 megapixel | 1.2 megapixel | 7 megapixel | 7 megapixel |
| Battery | 1,400mAh | 1,150mAh | 1,220 mAh | 1,420 mAh | 1,432mAh | 1,440mAh | 1,560 mAh | 1,510 mAh | 1,810mAh | 1,715mAh | 1,624mAh | 1,960mAh | 2,900mAh |
| Weight | 0.30 pounds | 0.29 pounds | 0.30 pounds | 0.30 pounds | 0.31 pounds | 0.25 pounds | 0.25 pounds | 0.29 poounds | 0.28 pounds | 0.31 pounds | 0.25 pounds | 0.30 pounds | 0.41 pounds |
| Dimensions (in.) | 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 | 4.55 x 2.44 x 0.48 | 4.55 x 2.44 x 0.48 | 4.54 x 2.31 x 0.37 | 4.54 x 2.31 x 0.37 | 4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 | 4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 | 4.90 x 2.33 x 0.35 | 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 | 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.28 | 4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 | 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.28 | 6.23 x 3.07 x 0.29 |
| Connector | 30-pin | 30-pin | 30-pin | 30-pin | 30-pin | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning |
| Cellular support | 2.5G networks | 3G networks | 3G networks | 3G networks | 3G networks | 3G and LTE | 3G and LTE | 3G and LTE | 3G and LTE | 3G and LTE | 3G and LTE | 3G and LTE | 3G and LTE |
| Starting price | $499 | $599 | $599 | $599 | $649 | $649 | $649 | $549 | $649 | $649 | $399 | $649 | $769 |
| Release date | June 29th, 2007 | July 11th, 2008 | June 19th, 2009 | June 24th, 2010 | October 14th, 2011 | September 21th, 2012 | September 20th, 2013 | September 20th, 2013 | September 19th, 2014 | September 25th, 2015 | March 31st, 2016 | September 16th, 2016 | September 16th, 2016 |
| Misc. | No third-party apps, brought multitouch touchscreen to market | Introduced the App Store with iPhone OS 2, first iPhone with 3G | Improved camera and faster processor | Introduced high-pixel density "Retina Display" | First iPhone with Siri | Taller 4-inch screen was a first for iPhone line, as was LTE | Introduced Touch ID fingerprint sensor | Cheaper, plastic variant of the iPhone 5 released alongside the 5S | Also available in larger 5.5-inch Plus model, which features a larger battery | "3D Touch", also available in larger 5.5-inch Plus model, which features a larger battery | Fingerprint sensor | IP67 water resistance, "Force Touch" home button, no headphone jack | Dual-camera system, IP67 water resistance, "Force Touch" home button, no headphone jack |
