Background information
50 years of Apple
by Samuel Buchmann
How the iPhone 3G feels in 2026
Apple’s turning 50. And I’m dusting off the first iPhone you could get in Switzerland. Using it again makes it clear how far smartphones have come. But not everything’s an improvement.
For English subtitles, click the gear icon, «Subtitles/CC» and «Auto-translate».
The iPhone’s Apple’s most important product. It generates the most sales and has had the biggest impact on the world. Yes, smartphones existed before 2007, but the iPhone steered and accelerated their development in a new direction. When the first Apple phone was unveiled, Blackberry’s manufacturer RIM was convinced that Steve Jobs was exaggerating – surely a device like that was technically impossible at the time? Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer predicted a market share of two to three per cent for the iPhone, while a TechCrunch editor explained to the world why the device would be a massive flop. These miscalculations demonstrate just how much the iPhone disrupted the status quo.
The iPhone 3G was the second iPhone – and the first that Apple brought to Switzerland. It’s also the first where you could install apps from the App Store.
This article is part of our series celebrating Apple’s 50th anniversary. You can find the list of all articles here:
Things that don’t work anymore
In his legendary 2007 keynote address, Steve Jobs announced three revolutionary devices – an iPod, a phone, and an «Internet communications device». The punchline: it was all the same device. The iPhone was three in one.
Little of that magic remains today. You can’t make calls anymore because the 3G network’s been shut down. You can still connect to Wi-Fi, but you can’t use the web browser or other internet apps because the device doesn’t recognise modern security certificates. The app store doesn’t work anymore either.
All of this means you can’t use the iPhone 3G as it was back in 2008. To retain a bit of nostalgia, I’ll limit my report to what’s still possible.
It feels good
The screen’s tiny by today’s standards. However, the iPhone 3G fits better in a trouser pocket and feels much more comfortable in the hand than today’s giant phones. Although it’s quite thick, its rounded shape stops it feeling bulky. While it’s lying on my desk, I often pick it up and press the barely protruding yet tactile power button on the top – it just feels good!
Ergonomically, the old iPhone’s incredible. I never press a button accidentally. I still do it on newer iPhones even after having them for years.
Easy to work out, but not flawless
The home button feels unfamiliar now, but I’m back into the swing of things immediately – it’s incredibly easy to use. Without a fingerprint scanner or face recognition, you have to enter the passcode every time. At least it stops you constantly checking your phone.
The device runs iOS 4. It looks really similar to the very first version of the system. The design follows the principle of skeuomorphism, with the Notes app looking like a paper notepad. Things are different now because people are more familiar with electronic notes than analogue ones. The problem with modern flat design (from iOS 7 onwards) is that everything looks similar, and it’s not easy to distinguish between the different apps or features. So, the old-fashioned design gets my vote.
The user interface is so simple that a toddler could work it out. However, it lacks the practical shortcuts we’ve come to expect. You can’t swipe down to bring up the Control Centre. To turn on Bluetooth, you have to open the Settings app and navigate through a menu structure. And by today’s standards, the iPhone’s incredibly slow. This is definitely related to iOS 4, which was originally developed for the iPhone 4. It brings back an unpleasant memory: system updates were a double-edged sword. They slowed down older devices but changing them back was either impossible or extremely long-winded.
The lack of gestures also has an upside: unlike with a modern phone, you never accidentally press, swipe or otherwise activate something.
Music: files rather than streaming
The music app’s called iPod and does what the old iPods did: plays the songs stored on the iPhone. It can’t stream, and you can’t install an app for that, but you can copy music over from a modern computer. Luckily, I don’t need iTunes for this on my Mac; it works with Finder. But it’s still just as complicated – there’s no access to individual files on the Mac and no way to copy anything from the iPhone. You can’t even see what you’ve already manually downloaded to the iPhone.
You can connect headphones via both cable and Bluetooth, but the sound’s only good via the former. The iPhone supports Bluetooth 2.0, probably with SBC as the only audio codec.
Photos: 18 years behind
For 2008, the camera’s good, even though it’s the same one as in the iPhone 1. Comparing the photos with a Nokia phone from the same year, the iPhone’s the clear winner. In the test image, the Nokia 5220 shows overexposed areas, even though the light was soft. Plus, the Nokia’s much more awkward to use. For example, you have to navigate through a menu to zoom or even take a picture.
In good light, the old phone performs surprisingly well compared to today’s iPhone 17.
The difference is particularly noticeable when zooming in: 2 megapixels vs. 24.
The iPhone 3G shows its age in low light too.
It’s amazing what it can’t do
The iPhone 3G can’t record videos. Even the Nokia phone can, albeit with abysmal quality. The quality would probably be poor on the old iPhone as well, because the live camera image wobbles and drifts so badly it makes me feel queasy. This would also be visible in a video. This is where Steve Jobs’ philosophy shines through: if a feature isn’t good enough, it gets left out. It’s as simple as that.
There’s also no front-facing camera for selfies. Taking a selfie with the rear camera isn’t easy at all, because there’s neither a timer nor a physical shutter button. You have to blindly tap the virtual shutter button on the touchscreen.
Getting the photos off the iPhone’s also surprisingly difficult. I understand that you can’t use AirDrop or iCloud on an old iPhone. But I thought transferring them via cable would be easier.
On Windows, the iPhone appears as storage with a photo folder inside. On a Mac, there’s no such access – the photos have to be imported via the Photos app. But this doesn’t work because the app thinks I need to unlock the iPhone. Even though it’s already unlocked.
Copying on the Mac only works if you boot up virtualised Windows and access the phone from there.
I’d like it with new technology
I like the feel, the ergonomics and even a bit of the charm of the old interface. But, despite all the nostalgia, I don’t want to go back. I’d miss too many things, from the Control Centre to AirDrop to the video function. I think an anniversary edition of the first iPhone with modern technology would be very appealing. Same form factor, same buttons, but with modern performance. Hardly realistic, but one can dream.
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
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