Apple's iPhone Name Was Almost Not Theirs: A Story of Innovation and Partnership

Apple's iPhone name was not originally theirs to claim. The American networking company Cisco held the trademark for this name until Apple launched their own iPhone.

The story of how Apple obtained the iPhone name is a fascinating one. In January 2007, Steve Jobs took the stage at the Moscone Center in San Francisco and unveiled the first iPhone. This was a device that combined three things: a mobile phone, a touch-enabled iPod, and an internet communication device.

The first iPhone had no 5G, App Store, Face ID, or AI capabilities but its 3.5-inch touchscreen changed the way phones were operated. The need for buttons and keypads was eliminated as users could tap with their fingers to navigate the interface.

Fast forward to today, Apple has sold over 3 billion iPhones worldwide, with more than 2.5 billion of them still active. This is a remarkable achievement considering that just eight years ago, this number was around 1.3 billion.