Apple, Samsung, Nokia, HTC, Motorola – mobile phones have been around for over 50 years. On October 17, 1973, Martin Cooper filed the patent for a radio/telephone system, making it official. Shortly before, Cooper made his first phone call while on the road – and of all people, he called his rival landline competitor.
But it took a while for mobile devices to become established. For a long time they were too expensive, too heavy, too impractical or simply not necessary. That only changed many years later, when devices became more compact and affordable – and thanks to loud television advertising and text messages, there was no way around the phenomenon.
Four billion people have a smartphone
Today, around four billion people in the world use a smartphone – one in two people. The proportion of devices that paved the way for the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and Co. is likely to decline. Since 2007 at the latest, a telephone function has hardly been enough to secure a permanent place in buyers’ pockets.
It was already the case before: If games or individual ringtones were not part of the basic equipment, cell phones had a difficult time. But it’s strange: While the display of three SMS messages in succession was still considered a feature at the turn of the millennium, the devices have to be 20 years later can do significantly more than a full-fledged computer to get some attention.
To celebrate the day, you can see some devices in the gallery that are still fondly remembered today – and those that didn’t make it despite exciting innovations.