Oh memories of old phones and then changing their way to become smarter and smarter now. We’re talking about the history of the smartphone, so let’s reminisce how it was like about 20 years back – the phones were quite big bulky and did just the voice activity. And now everything has changed for good.
Smartphone or Feature Phone?
Here’s where we have to start, because the line is blurry. For the sake of argument, let’s say that a smartphone would need to have not only keyboard function (be that physical or on-screen), but also some basic “digital assistant” features, too.
Taking that definition, we have to go all the way back to 1992 and the introduction of the IBM Simon.
The Early Days of Smartness
IMB had big plans for the Simon, but they never really panned out that well. The phone, however, was likely just too advanced for its day. It included a touchscreen, operated by stylus, that would let you send and receive fax messages. But it also of course had a notepad, an email client and a calendar. Without a doubt, the Simon was the first smartphone, but it would retire before gaining fame and fortunes on global stage. However, it will always be highly regarded on the innovation bit of those times.
Then, Ericsson was the first brand to actually coin the phrase “smartphone”, with the release of its GS88 in the year 1997. By all accounts, though, Nokia actually beat Ericcson to the finish line a year earlier with what many consider to be the quintessential smartphone, the Nokia 9000 Communicator. Awesome device!
In the years that would follow, from 1996 to 2011, the Symbian OS would be the world’s leader for smartphone operating systems. Ericsson’s R380 was the first phone to ship with the OS, which (due in no small part to its open-source nature) would gain popularity around the world, only to be unseated by Android in the recent times of smartphone wars.
Fast forward to 2001 and we see Palm OS, BlackBerry OS and Windows CE coming onto the scene. Palm had a respectable position in the market during this time, after releasing the Kyocera 6035, the basic form factor by which the rest of Palm’s line until the advent of WebOS would continue.
The design was so popular, in fact, that mobile manufacturer Handspring copied the idea for the release of its PalmOS-based Treo, a brand which would eventually become synonymous with Palm through the greater part of its life.
With this, also began the era of selecting a phone depending upon the requirements of where you worked. Some IT departments refused to work with anything other than BlackBerry, setting up RIM to take a formidable hold over the corporate world for years to come. Still others, however, were fans of the Windows CE format, which interfaced exceptionally well with desktop Windows installations, though the glory would be short-lived.
Then came, Android, iOS and Today’s Smartphones
It might seem that we’re skipping a few years here, but that’s somewhat intentional. Devices changed pretty drastically between 2002 and today, but the operating systems were largely unaffected. That is, at least, until 2007.
When Apple Inc. introduced the iPhone, it was the first real change that we saw in the market since the market was born. Smartphones had always been seen more along the lines of something that business people used, and Apple did a rather magnificent job translating the idea over to something that a consumer would desire.
Initially, however, the iPhone and its platform were seen to be entirely too closed (an argument that persists today, but for different reasons) because it lacked the ability to have third-party applications installed. It wasn’t until six months later that the ability to add third-party apps was introduced.
Quietly, however, another operating system was stretching its wings. Android, an open-source project which would eventually be backed by Google, made the promise of a reliable, robust operating system that could be installed onto any number of devices.
In 2008, HTC signed up to be the first manufacturer to make Android phones after the backing of the project by Google. Soon after, the OS got considerable attention from other manufacturers, including Samsung, LG, Motorola and many more.
Now with globally omnipresent brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, and Lumia – the smartphones are getting smarter, day by day and also packing in more power and capabilities to target a number of user communities.
Additionally, there is a major change in the way these devices are being sold now. Yesteryear’s channel model of having distributors, sub distributors and channel partners is making way for online retailing of these tech devices.
So we have a number of e-commerce companies such as Flipkart.com snapdeal.com etc heavily banking on smartphones for their growth. This trend is likely to continue and actually intensify in the years to come.