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Sure, it was a downgrade in some ways. A major upgrade in others (aesthetics, UI, web browsing, maps, camera, etc.). I didn't say it was better in every way, ju

Sure, it was a downgrade in some ways. A major upgrade in others (aesthetics, UI, web browsing, maps, camera, etc.). I didn't say it was better in every way, just that it was better. Although that year it was still outsold by Blackberry -- the last time that would happen. The 3G was the first unit to outsell RIM.

Jtsummers 5y ago
It was a downgrade for everyone but consumers who already weren't using PDAs or Blackberry. Until the app store opened up (a year after the first iPhone was released) the iPhone family was not a competitive device for the same space as those devices. It was much better than any feature phone at the time, but nowhere near what the competing market had. The original comment I responded to was about the original iPhone, not the 3G which was released after the app store opened up. I would consider the iPhone 3G a sidegrade for PDA and Blackberry users, which eventually led to an actual upgrade as more applications came out and with the release of the 3GS which had a clear technical advantage over the other systems of the time. > Seems a bit revisionist to claim that the original IPhone was ropey or average. From your original comment. The first iPhone may not have been ropey, but it was average for everything but consumers coming from feature phones. It was an upgrade for consumers coming from feature phones as it offered much better capabilities there, merging an iPod (better music and video support) with a mobile web browser and email client. But until the app store came out with the iPhone 3G, the iPhone was just a good consumer device (and a really good one given the price and AT&T's unlimited data plan options), but was a distinct downgrade for PDA and Blackberry users in nearly every way.