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Smartphone at 20: IBM Simon to iPhone 6
On the 20th anniversary of the IBM Simon going on sale, Sophie Curtis takes a look at how smartphones have evolved
It is the device that paved the way for the worldwide smartphone revolution; now, 20 years after going on public sale, the IBM Simon is set to become one of the star attractions at a new exhibition at the Science Museum in London, exploring the history of information and communication technologies.
The Simon took the best technology that handheld computing could offer at the time and combined it with a mobile phone, to create a device that could do much more than simply make phone calls. It was the first mobile phone to feature software applications, or ‘apps’, using a stylus and touchscreen – allowing users to sketch a drawing, update their calendar, write notes, and send and receive faxes.
The unit on display at the Science Museum – as part of its new permanent Information Age gallery, opening on 25 October – was once owned by a project manager for construction works in the United States, who used the Simon to receive, sign off, and return technical drawings by fax, without having to print anything on paper.
However, at a weight of half a kilo, and with a battery life of only an hour, it was impractical as a portable device, and its $899 price tag was prohibitively high for most people. It only worked in the United States, and there was also no mobile internet at the time, so although it was fax-enabled it could not be used to send emails unless it was connected to the web via a PC.
Despite being a commercial flop, the IBM Simon laid the groundwork for a new category of device that combined the functions of mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The word ‘smartphone’ was not coined until the year 2000, when Ericsson launched the R380 – the first device to use the new Symbian mobile operating system.
The smartphone revolution really got going in 2002 with the launch of the Palm OS Treo, featuring both a touchscreen and a full keyboard, and the popular BlackBerry Quark series of smartphones the following year. Manufacturers started adding new features to their mobile devices around the same time, such as MP3 players, cameras, and wireless technology.
However, it was not until 2007, and the launch of Apple’s original iPhone, that consumer interest in the technology began escalating rapidly. The iPhone was the first commercial smartphone to use finger input as its main means of interaction, instead of a stylus, keyboard or keypad. It sold around 6 million units in its first year, and now accounts for around 15 per cent of worldwide market share.
The initial success of the iPhone prompted an explosion of similar devices from mobile phone manufacturers such as HTC, Samsung, LG and Sony. The HTC Dream (or G1), launched in 2008, was the first device to run Google’s Android operating system. Android is now the dominant mobile operating system, with around 85 per cent of worldwide market share.
In 2013, smartphone sales surpassed sales of more basic mobile phone handsets for the first time, thanks to an influx of cheap handsets from Chinese brands spurring growth in developing markets. Analysts predict that smartphone sales will represent 88 percent of global mobile phone sales by 2018.
In just 20 years, smartphones have transformed the way we work, live and play. However, with the rapid growth of tablet PCs, and a new era of wearable devices on the horizon, smartphones will need to keep evolving if they are to maintain their dominance over the next 20 years.