The history of smartphones

The mobile phone turns 35 this year. Without meaning to belabor the point too much, it has come a long way since the release of Motorola’s DynaTAC, which had been in development since the mid-1960s, but finally released to the public in 1983. Devices from these early days are referred to as “bricks” due to their bulky size. Indeed, one could do worse to shield themselves against the elements than to make a shelter out of discarded DynaTACs.

Ever since manufacturers made phones portable, it was always the goal to make them pint-sized - a goal achieved in spades.

By the l a t e 90s, these mobile manufacturers got the form factor down to the size of a candy bar. Further innovations to the core concept however came slowly; text messaging capabilities were added to supplement voice calls, and cameras began to be a staple after the turn of the millennium. Still, these devices were relatively lacking in tech specs, but the next decade’s leap in technology gave phones the power that we now value them for. Upon the release of the first iPhone by Apple, whose adverts touted the ability to look at the “actual internet” on the device as a major selling point, the smartphone unlodged the long dreamed-of “smart watch” (more on this in a moment) as the device of the future.

The rest is a history that we’re living. MMS came along as SMS became its own kind of communication entirely, further bolstered by the advent of emojis. With respect to cameras, there haven’t just been more megapixels or more lens options, but more cameras altogether! Dual-camera setups are now the norm. Messaging, photography and videography innovations integrated into mobile phones have ballasted social media and shaped the instantaneous sharing culture of the present day, with the newest innovation being the addition of augmented reality and virtual reality technologies into device firmware, making use of those dual cameras. Whether doing tasks for ourselves, engaging with others or sharing with the world, we turn to our smartphones for everything.