11 July 2008 · iPhone

iPhone 3G

16 GB · 8 GB

iPhone 3G product photograph

JoBot164 · CC0

Why it mattered

The iPhone 3G's hardware change was modest: 3G data and GPS. The software change was huge: the App Store opened a day before launch, turning the iPhone into a platform. Apple also moved to subsidised carrier pricing, cutting the headline price to $199 and expanding to over 20 countries.

Models and prices

Model / configReleasedKey specsUS launch priceIn 2025 dollars (estimate)
iPhone 3G 8 GB11 Jul 20083G, GPS, 3.5-inch$199 on 2-yr contractn/a (contract price)
iPhone 3G 16 GB11 Jul 2008same$299 on 2-yr contractn/a (contract price)

Inflation-adjusted prices are estimates: launch price × (US CPI-U 2025 annual average 321.943 ÷ CPI-U annual average of the launch year), rounded to the nearest $10. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, series CUUR0000SA0. US list prices only; they ignore currency, taxes and carrier subsidies.

What came before and after

Before: original iPhone (2007). After: iPhone 3GS (June 2009).

Buying and collecting notes

Plastic backs crack around the dock connector; white 16 GB models are more sought-after.

Questions

When was the iPhone 3G released?
11 July 2008, after being announced at WWDC on 9 June 2008.
How much was the iPhone 3G?
$199 (8 GB) or $299 (16 GB) with a two-year contract in the US.
What was new in the iPhone 3G?
3G data, GPS and launch alongside the App Store.
What came after the iPhone 3G?
The iPhone 3GS in June 2009.

Sources

  • Wikipedia: iPhone 3G
  • EveryMac.com
  • Apple press release 9 Jun 2008

iPhone 3G was released on 11 July 2008.

The iPhone 3G is a smartphone developed and marketed by Apple. It is the second generation of iPhone, successor to the original iPhone, and was introduced on June 9, 2008, at the WWDC 2008 which took place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

The iPhone 3G is internally similar to its predecessor, but included several new hardware features, such as GPS, 3G data, and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA. The device was originally loaded with the concurrently launched iPhone OS 2. In addition to other features (including push email and turn-by-turn navigation), this new operating system introduced the App Store—Apple's new distribution platform for third-party applications.

Commercially, the iPhone 3G was successful. Its sales numbers were significantly higher than the first generation iPhone and pushed the iPhone's commercial popularity above the company's Mac products. By the end of 2008, the iPhone 3G had become the best-selling cell phone domestically, overtaking the Motorola Razr V3, while Apple also overtook RIM to become the second-largest vendor of smartphones. Its succeeding third-generation iPhone, the iPhone 3GS, was released in June 2009.

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