iPhone

iPhone

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Updated Sep 29, 2023 at 12:08PM EDT by Zach.

Added Feb 12, 2014 at 08:36PM EST by Wumboman9000.

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About

The iPhone is a line of smartphones produced by Apple that run on the iOS mobile operating system. The device features a touch screen interface, which allows users browse the web operating various applications downloaded from the Apple app store. The phones have gathered a substantial following online, bringing much attention, praise and criticism to many of its features.

History

On June 29th, 2007, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone at the Macworld conference in San Francisco.[1] The device was met with largely positive reception, selling 270,000 units by the end of the 3rd quarter.[2] The success of the iPhone brought about major improvements in the annually released generations of the devices, including a front facing camera, a personal voice assistant named Siri, faster processors and data support.



iPhone 6 Announcement

On September 9th, 2014, Apple held a press event to unveil the 4.7 inch iPhone 6 and 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus iterations of the device, each of which were updated with improved processing power and battery life. Video recording features were updated as well, including stabilization and continuous autofocus using the phone's iSight sensor.



iPhone 6 Bendgate

On September 21st, only days after the release of the iPhone6, Macrumors Forum[8] user hanzoh published a new thread titled "iPhone 6 Plus slightly bent after 2 days" describing a potential durability issue with Apple's latest device:

"I received my iPhone 6 Plus 64GB spacegray at about 3pm on Friday and set it up, but haven't worn it out that day, so it wasn't in my pocket.

Yesterday, I left at 10am with the iPhone in my left FRONT pocket of my suit pants. I drove 4 hours to a wedding, which also involved a lot of sitting during dinner etc but also 2-3 hours of dancing. I left at 2am and went to bed, driving home 4 hours back.

So in total, the 6 Plus was about 18 hours in my pocket while sitting mostly.

As I lay it on the coffee table and sat down on the couch to relax from the drive (yes, sitting again ), I saw the reflection of the window in the iPhones slightly distorted. Now I lay it flat with the display side on the table, take a look."


That same day, Twitter user Wario64[9] tweeted out a link to the Macrumors forum thread, to which Twitter user SeanPincombe[10] responded by introducing the Twitter hashtag #bendgate. Within a week, the hashtag was tweeted[11] out over 37,000 times.


one of the early tweets about Bendgate

On September 23rd, The Daily Dot[12] published an article titled "Apple fans' tight pants are bending the iPhone 6 Plus," which highlighted several tweets diagnosing the issue as a byproduct of sporting skinny jeans and tight pants, while the gadget unboxing and review series Unbox Therapy uploaded a video testing the durability of iPhone 6 Plus (shown below). In less than 24 hours, the video garnered more than 7.4 million views. On the following day, the hashtag and problem were covered by Mashable[13] and Newsday.[14]



iPhone 6 Hairgate

On September 27th, during the height of Apple's #bendgate, iPhone 6 user Paul Peavler[22] tweeted a complaint about his hair getting caught in the seam along the side of the device, using the hashtag #seamgate in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the concerns over its hardware durability. In the following days, a number of other iPhone 6 Plus users began tweeting similar complaints about their hair or beard getting pinched by the seam where the aluminum body meets the touch-screen glass.


Tweet by Paul Peavler about the iphone 6 pulling out hairs that get stuck in the seam which became known as hairgate iphone 6 hairgate pic of a man allegedly shaiving using a new iphone 6 woman shaving her legs with an iphone 6 from hairgate

On October 3rd, Apple-related news site 9to5Mac[16] featured a collection of related tweets in an article titled "My iPhone 6 Plus is yanking out my hair," to which Twitter user Peter Phillips[17] responded by dubbing the phenomenon #hairgate. In less than a week, the hashtag[18] was tweeted out over 9,000 times, which also gave rise to a number of parody ads for Apple's iPhone 6 (shown below).


Phone 6 Our best phone, and our best shave, guaranteed. #HairGate Stay Smooth iPhone 6

On October 5th, several smartphone and tech news blogs[15][19][21][24] began covering the satirical hashtag, with the majority of the publications dismissing the phenomenon as an aftereffect of Apple's iPhone 6 #bendgate and its competitor Samsung Galaxy Note 4's #gapgate[24], which emerged around the same time after several users discovered an unusual gap between the screen and the walls of the device. On October 6th, Mashable posted a video to their YouTube channel[20] titled “#Hairgate is Not a Thing” in which several of their employees demonstrated how difficult it would be for an iPhone6 user to catch their hair on the phone.



On October 7th, Forbes[21] echoed that sentiment publishing an article titled "iPhone 6 'Hairgate' Controversy Is Not The New Bendgate" which explained:

"Having reviewed the iPhone 6 and currently being in possession of an iPhone 6 Plus for Forbes’ upcoming longer term review, I can report the gap between the front glass and aluminium does not exist (photo above). There is a bevel, but the glass front panel is actually fused to the aluminium and the tiny gap you do see is significantly narrower than a human hair."


iPhone 7 Announcement

On September 7th, 2016, Apple announced the iPhone 7 at a special event.[25] Improvements on the iPhone 6 included a 25% brighter screen, water and dust resistance, and a wider color gamut.[26] They also announced an improved camera that allows users to choose between shooting with a wide-angle or telephoto lens.

Loss of Headphone Jack

One of the most drastic changes to the iPhone design for the iPhone 7 is the removal of the headphone jack. In its place, the company will rely on three alternatives: a Lightning-compatible pair of new included EarPods; a pair of $159 wireless Bluetooth AirPods that require no physical connection; and a free dongle to connect old, analog headphones to the device.[27] Backlash to the announcement found customers complaining about the steep price of the BlueTooth AirPods, how seemingly simple it would be to lose the AirPods, and that there would be no possible way to use the pods and charge the iPhone at the same time.[28]

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller drew criticism by saying it took "courage" for Apple to remove the headphone jack, which sparked a shitpost on r/apple of people simply posting the word "courage."[30]

Super Mario Run

Apple also paired with Nintendo and brought Shigeru Miyamoto onstage, where he announced the first traditional Mario game for iOS, Super Mario Run.[29]



iOS10 Backlash

On September 13th, 2016, Apple launched the iOS10 update.[31] Among the things it promised were a redesigned user-interface, a more capable Siri, and improved photo-organization. However, the update was generally met with backlash over some of the new features, particularly over the changes to the home page font and new emojis.[32] Deadspin[33] wrote a particularly scathing review of the new chat function, calling it "a bloated, app-centric, desperate attempt at a Facebook Messenger knockoff that renders something once pristine nearly unusable."


LOLZ Read 10:35 PM Why did apple do this

My Little Pony Porn

On September 14th, 2016, it was discovered that the default GIF library that appears when one types "butt" into the chat finds My Little Pony character Fluttershy in a compromising position. The story was picked up by Deadspin[34] and The Daily Dot[35] before Apple made "butt" an unsearchable term.


Q butt Cancel

iPhone X

On September 13th, 2017, Apple unveiled two new iPhone models at their annual keynote event at the Steve Jobs Auditorium in Cupertino, California. First, the iPhone 8, an updated model of their standard smartphone. However, Apple CEO Tim Cook made surprise "one more thing…" announcement, another iPhone, the iPhone X (pronounced "iPhone 10"). The high-end smart phone comes with a number of features exclusive to this model, specifically no home button, bezel-less screen and Face ID security features.



Face ID

Online, people responded almost immediately to the release of "Face ID," a new security function that requires the phone take a map of your face, allowing the user to unlock the phone by looking directly at the phone. Shortly after the event, people on Twitter began posting jokes about the announcements. Twitter[36] user @LetMicahDown posted a gif of actor Jack Nicholson devilishly nodding in approval with the caption "The CIA during this Face ID announcement." The post (shown below, left) received more than 1,400 retweets and 1,600 likes in two days.

Others made jokes about the Game of Thrones character Arya Stark, who frequently wears other people's faces on the series. Twitter[37] user @SuperSaf posted a gif of Arya and the caption "Apple, 'Face ID can't be fooled easily.' Arya Stark, 'We'll see about that.'" The post (shown below, right) received more than 6,300 retweets and 10,400 likes in 48 hours.


The CIA during this Face ID announcement GIF Apple, "Face ID can't be fooled easily." Arya Stark, "We'll see about that" #AppleEvent《 #iPhonex GIF

That day, professional wrestler John Cena, who is known for waving his hands in front of his face and saying, "You can't see me," tweeted[38] about the face ID. He captioned the post "Sooo #iPhoneX about #FaceID …ummmmm …. what do I do?" The post (shown below) received more than 330,000 retweets and 560,000 likes.


John Cena @JohnCena Sooo #iPhoneX about #FaceID ummmmm what do I do? 3:55 PM - 12 Sep 2017

Notch Controversy

Due to the size of the screen, which encompassed the entire body of the phone, the front-facing camera created a notch in the screen at the top of the phone (shown below). The notch creates a black bar on video, when the phone is in full-screen mode, as well as white bars on the sides of the screen when viewing webpages. Because of this, many critics reacted negatively to the design of the phone. Business Insider[39] called the phone "stunning," except for the "hideous" notch.


Notch 9:41 Mail Photos Camera Ear Ear Clock Weather News App

On Twitter, users also complained about the design of the notch. On September 12th, Twitter[40] user @thomasfuchs tweeted (shown below, left) "iPhone X renders webpages with literal white bars on the sides," garnering 1,000 retweets and 1,300 likes in three days.

Other Twitter users made jokes about the notch. Twitter[41] @ivdv posted a picture of Bert from Sesame Street with the notch serving as the puppet's unibrow. They captioned the post (shown below, center) "So here’s a nice wallpaper for your iPhone X, OWNING the notch." The post received more than 1,200 retweets and 2,900 likes in two days.

Twitter[41] user @matthijsklaver made a mock-up of the device without the notch. He posted them to twitter (shown below, right) with the caption "I would have been just as happy with an iPhone X with slightly larger top and bottom bezels instead of a notch. Made these quick mockups."

Several media outlets reported on the controversy of the notch, including Business Insider,[39] The Verge,[43] Mac Rumors,[44] BGR[45] and more.


iPhone X renders webpages with literal white bars on the sides 을 stackingthebricks.com STACKING BRICKS iPhone X-iOS 11.0 So here's a nice wallpaper for your iPhone X, OWNING the notch. 9:41 Tuesday, September 12 I would have been just as happy with an iPhone X with slightly larger top and bottom bezels instead of a notch. Made these quick mockups. 13:37 Tuesday, 12 September

iPhone XS

On September 12th, 2018 Apple unveiled three new iPhone models: iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. The announcement, made at Apple's campus in Cupertino, California, introduced the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, two sizes of the company's new flagship smartphone, boasting new cameras, processors and battery life. The iPhone XR replaces the iPhone X in the company's lineup as mid-priced model.[46]



Following the announcement, many online joked about the name of the phone, particularly how to pronounce XS, which when spoken allowed sounds similar to the words "excess" or, in the case of "10 S," "tennis." Some made jokes on Twitter about the name (examples below).


Introducing iPhone INXS #AppleEvent《 Tennis" or Excess - How will you mispronounce the name of Apple's new XS phone? #AppleEvent

Some took issue with the line of phones, particularly because none of the phones feature a headphone jack, and Apple would no longer be selling the adapter that allows a traditional eighth inch headphone jack to be used on the phone. Twitter[47] @SomeGadgetGuy tweeted, "Apple: 'We were able to keep the price of the iPhone Xs the same as the iPhone X by courageously removing the dongle for your headphones! Now you don't need to worry about losing the dongle we never gave you!'" The tweet (shown below) received more than 760 retweets and 3,100 likes in 24 hours.

That day, Redditor[51] hexcruncher posted about the lack of adapter in the /r/Apple subreddit. The post received more than 12,000 points (91% upvoted) and 2,700 comments in 24 hours.


Apple: "We were able to keep the price of the iPhone Xs the same as the iPhone X by courageously removing the dongle for your headphones! Now you don't need to worry about losing the dongle we never gave you!" What's in the Box Phone EarPods with Lightning Connector Phone Lightning to USB Cable 5W USB Power Adapter

Twitter[48][49][50] published several Moments pages, cataloguing the reaction to the new phones.

Online Presence

On January 25th, 2008, the /r/iphone subreddit was launched for discussions about the mobile devices. On March 16th, the site iPhone Forums[5] was created, featuring discussion boards, media gallery and a blog. On July 27th, the iPhone Wiki[6] was launched to collect information about the devices. On September 29th, 2009, the /r/jailbreak[4] subreddit was created for users to discuss ways of removing default limitations within the iOS operating system.

Cydia

Cydia[7] is a software distribution platform developed by SaurikIT for jailbroken iOS devices. The application was released in February 2008 as an open-source alternative to the iOS Installer.app.

iPhone Whale

The iPhone Whale is the name given to an ad-hoc emoticon found within the iPhone's iChat app. A screenshot of the whale was spread around Tumblr and Reddit, and has spawned many derivatives.



iPhone 4 Death Grip

The iPhone 4 Death Grip refers to a design fault within the iPhone 4, by which the phone's antenna was blocked from receiving a signal as users held the phone in their hands. It was seen as a catastrophic mistake by tech experts and inspired a series of photoshopped images.


CB Hold Different

Shit That Siri Says

Shit That Siri Says is an expression that humorously refers to unusual responses made by Apple's voice-activated command program, Siri, which was introduced with the iPhone 4S.



iPhone 5's Extended Height

While the release of iPhone 5 in September 2012 had been regarded as a commercial success (with more than two million units pre-ordered within the first 24 hours), the phone garnered mixed reviews from the tech news blogosphere, many of whom described the fifth generation model of the smartphone device as "boring." Meanwhile, others on 4chan, Tumblr and Twitter began commentating on the slightly longer dimension of the device, dubbing the iPhone 5 with the nickname "LongPhone" through photoshopped images


12 Settings Phone the new Apple LongphoneTM We need to go longer. iPhone 101 The tallest iPhone in the world. Ever iPhone 10 The tallest iPhone yet. YouTube 0) Voice Memos Setings Sctings
iPhone 3 iPhone 4 iPhone 4S iPhone 5 12 4 2 YO DAWG, I HERD YOU LIKE CONNECTORS, SOI PUT A CONNECTOR IN YOUR CONNECTOR SO YOU CAN CONNECT WHILE YOU CONNECT engadd

Autocorrect

Autocorrection is a spell-checking function commonly found in word processors that automatically corrects spelling and/or grammatical mistakes made by the typist. Screenshots of iPhone text messages conversations featuring autocorrect failures are often posted in various community sites online.


Messages Eait Awwwwi miss you too don't think I'm weird but i am sleeping with that s--- you left in the bathroom :) WHAT?!??! yea it smells like you and it makes me feel better when you're not here! If you're trying to be cute or funny it's not working godddddddddddd SHIRTS I am going to kill myself right now

Apple Maps

Apple Maps is an application packaged with Apple’s iOS 6 publicly released on September 19th, 2012. Due to the amount of errors in the app, many iPhone users began posting screenshots of the faulty application or creating parodies of it, criticizing the way locations are displayed.

iOS7 Waterproof Prank

Shortly after the release of Apple’s iOS7 in 2013, a group of pranksters on 4chan launched a hoax campaign to sabotage the early adopters by creating a series of Apple-esque advertisements claiming that the latest software update will make iPhone devices waterproof.


File: 1379753959248.jpg-(6 KB, 299x168, losfags.jpg) ■ Anonymous 09/21/13(Sat)04:59:19 No. 507 1324 10 Replies: >>507133 113-07133325 >>50 Can we come up with some kind of scheme that IOS7 waterproofs your phone? Get a cool official like poster going, and then post it to the relevant social networking sites. come on /bl remember the lphone in the microwave? Lets get round 2 going Os 6 OS 7 >s Anonymous 09/21/13(Sat)05:01:33 No.507132591 bumping

Waterproofing covered by Apple's warranty policy What is iOS? iOS is the foundation of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. It comes with a collection of apps that let you do the everyday things, and even the not-so-everyday things, in ways that are intuitive, simple, and fun. And it's loaded with useful features you'll wonder how you ever did without ■四。 Additional protection. With the new features and groundbreaking innovation of iOS 7, your iPhone is able to instantly detect sudden changes in thermo- distribution with the touch sensitive screen and home button. San Francisco Mostly Suhey 63 Tuesday Today 68 54 29M 1PM 2PM 63 65 66 67 68 68 75 Update to iOS 7 and become waterproof. In an emergency, a smart-switch will shut off the phone's power supply and corresponding components to prevent any damage to your iPhone's delicate crcuitry.
Unrealised until now Indispensable from now on A chip with 64-bit architecture. A power supply that recognises water and shuts off when wet. A fingerprint identity sensor. A better, faster camera. And an operating system built specifically for 64 bit. Any one of these features in a smartphone would make it ahead of its time. All of these features in a smartphone make it an iPhone that's definitely ahead of its time 令 09:41 100% Tuesday 7 OS 7 For the accident prone. iOS 7 provides a fantastic array of new features reconstructed from the ground up, apart from just one other 令 9 41 AM A groundbreaking new technology unseen in mobile devices, until now Introducing iDamp, a powerful new feature which presents the IOS 7 system with the power to detect liquid entry inside the device. WeatherClock ios 7 activates virtual moisture sensors located inside the constuction allowing the device to activate emergency shut down, preventing any possible damage caused by liquid entry to the device. Forget about liquid damage and warranty voiding moisture indicators on your devices thanks to the all new feature, iDamp Notes Reminders Stocis G Game Cente Damp Newsstand Tunes Store App Store Comput ke with the folowrg dviceaiOS 7 Settings iDymp Phone Safari Unrealised until now Indispensable from now on Built with help from H20 hardware, we are now happy to present the first waterproof iPhone. Not only can it withstand up to 50 metres of submersion, but it can also be dropped, frozen and left in the Mojave without a problem. With a screen built of Gorilla glass, and a processor that knows to turn off when wet, you'll never need to get a replacement again.

The fake advertisements were complemented by a fabricated Facebook status update from Apple's CEO Tim Cook confirming the false rumor that "the iOS7 can now survive 99% exposure to water accidents."


Tim Cook Due to the increased cpu efficiency algorithms with the update, the iOS7 can now survive 99% of exposure to water accidents. The instant water touches any part of the phone, the new OS begins shutting off all circuitry and power starting nearest the point water contacted the device. The new efficiency allows the update to 'save' the phone via extremely quick emergency shutdown and purge mechanisms, after which a small physical trigger disconnects the battery, preventing damage from it malfunctioning. #ForwardThinking Like to spread the word! Comment 9 minutes ago 7,259 people, AT&T, Samsung, Verizon. Write a comment

In the following days, a variety of facetious messages praising iOS7's waterproof feature emerged on Twitter, as well as several angry reactions from iPhone users who presumably fell victim to the prank.


!▼ 步Follow LilUglyJapp @mathbinder Who ever said ios7 was waterproof.. you ←Reply Retweet yr Favorite More 5:43 AM-20 Sep 13 from Tustin, CA ▼ 步Follow joe @sweenz001 Ok whoever said IOS7 is waterproof GO YOURSELF Reply 다 Retweet ★Favorite More 2:40 PM- 22 Sep 13 wihe @wihe123 1▼ 步Follow w-- #iOS7 isnt waterproof! ! ! now my phones at the bottom of the river # Reply 다 Retweet ★Favorite More 2:51 PM-21 Sep 13

Search Interest

External References

[1] Cnet – When iPhone Met The World

[2] Apple (via Wayback Machine) – Apple Inc. Q3 2007 Unaudited Data

[3] Reddit – /r/iphone

[4] Reddit – /r/jailbreak

[5] iPhone Forums – iPhone Forums

[6] iPhone Wiki – The iPhone Wiki

[7] Cydia – Cydia

[8] Macrumors- iPhone 6 Plus slightly bent after 2 days

[9] Twitter- Wario64

[10] Twitter – SeanPincombe

[11] Topsy – #bendgate

[12] The Daily Dot – Apple fans' tight pants are bending the iPhone 6 Plus

[13] Mashable – The Apple iPhone 6 Plus 'BendGate' Is Already Out of Control

[14] Newsday – #Bendgate: iPhone 6 Plus has a bending problem

[15] The Independent – 'Hairgate': iPhone 6 users encounter latest Apple problem after 'bendgate'

[16] 9to5mac- My iPhone 6 Plus is yanking out my hair

[17] Twitter- hozman911

[18] Tospy- #hairgate

[19] Tech Times- #Hairgate is the iPhone 6's latest problem

[20] YouTube- Mashable

[21] Forbes- iPhone 6 'Hairgate' Controversy Is Not The New Bendgate

[22] Twitter – Paul Peavler's Tweet

[23] TechCrunch – Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Suffering From #GapGate

[24] Business Insider – #HairGate: iPhone 6 Customers Are Complaining That The Phone Is Ripping Out Their Hair

[25] Apple (via Wayback Machine) – Apple Special Event. September 7, 2016.

[26] The Verge – The 11 most important things from Apple's iPhone 7 event

[27] The Verge – Apple says it took 'courage' to remove the headphone jack on the iPhone 7

[28] Telegraph – Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: backlash begins against 'water-resistant' phone and whether AirPods are safe

[29] The Verge – Nintendo’s first true smartphone game features Mario and is exclusive to the App Store

[30] Reddit – Why do r/apple users keep using the word courage?

[31] Apple.com (via Wayback Machine) – More personal. More powerful. More playful.

[32] Digiday – The internet hates Apple iOS 10's new font and emojis

[33] Deadspin – Don't Update Your Fucking iPhone!

[34] Deadspin – There's My Little Pony Porn Hiding In iOS 10

[35] The Daily Dot – Apple forgot to censor 'My Little Pony' porn on iPhone's new GIF keyboard

[36] Twitter – @LetMicahDown's Tweet

[37] Twitter – @SuperSaf's Tweet

[38] Twitter – @JohnCena's Tweet

[39] Business Insider – The new iPhone X looks stunning, except for that hideous notch at the top of the phone

[40] Twitter – @thomasfuchs' Tweet

[41] Twitter – @ivdv's Tweet

[42] Twitter – @matthijsklaver's Tweet

[43] The Verge – Apple’s iPhone X notch is an odd design choice

[44] Mac Rumors – Everything You Need to Know About the iPhone X's Controversial Notch

[45] BGR – Why I think Apple botched the iPhone X’s notch

[46] The Verge – The 4 biggest announcements from the Apple September event

[47] Twitter – @SomeGadgetGuy's Tweet

[48] Twitter – INXS and tennis get pulled into the iPhone name game

[49] Twitter – Apple killed off the last of its headphone jacks and dropped dongles

[50] Twitter – The new iPhone lets you change the depth of field in pictures

[51] Reddit – And the lightning to 3.5mm adapter is no longer included.

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