iPhone

iPhone. Apple Industrial Design Team. United States, 2009. Arsenic-free glass, stainless steel, polycarbonate. Courtesy of Apple

The design of the Apple iPhone accentuates virtual interface over physical presence. The object itself is a sleek, monolithic slab that recedes in favor of what’s happening on the screen. While the traditional cell phone marries a mechanical keyboard with a small screen, the front of the iPhone gives way almost completely to a touch-sensitive surface, which responds to a tap, flick or pinch of the fingers. iPhone is far more than a device for making calls. It combines three devices in one: a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device. Introduced in January 2007, the iPhone became an instant design icon. The App store helps users do more with iPhone. Consumers can choose from a vast range of applications in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. For many consumers, it is a product synonymous with “design.”