Before the App Store, Apple forced developers to build only for the mobile web
In short: When the first iPhone launched in 2007, it lacked an app store and native third-party software. Apple initially directed developers to build web applications accessible through Safari. This restrictive approach defined the early mobile experience, forcing users to rely on a limited, albeit revolutionary, touch-based interface for their daily computing.
The creation of iPhone OS 1 was a clandestine, high-stakes endeavor within Apple. Development involved two competing internal philosophies: one team attempted to adapt the iPod into a phone, while another sought to shrink the Mac OS X operating system for mobile hardware. Under the leadership of Scott Forstall, the latter team developed a compressed version of Mac OS X codenamed Purple, which was designed to run on an ARM chipset. This approach eventually triumphed over a Linux-based alternative known as Acorn, which was spearheaded by Jon Rubinstein.
The project was shrouded in such secrecy that team members were initially unaware of their specific assignments. Steve Jobs insisted on prototyping numerous concepts, including a multi-touch click-wheel, despite skepticism from some staff who remained convinced that users would prefer physical keyboards over glass touchscreens. When the system was finally unveiled at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco on January 9, 2007, Jobs famously claimed the device ran a version of OS X, a statement later confirmed in official briefings.
Upon its release on June 29, 2007, the operating system was celebrated for its intuitive multi-touch gestures, Safari browser, and Visual Voicemail. However, it was also criticized for its significant limitations, including the absence of cut, copy, and paste functionality and the lack of support for native third-party applications. Customization was equally restricted; users could not edit their home screens until the 1.1.3 update, which also introduced Web Clips, allowing for the creation of custom home screen icons. This early iteration of the software set the stage for mobile computing, even as it left many standard features for later releases.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: IPhone OS 1
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