16 years have passed since the first iPhone was released with the legendary Marimba ringtone. The new iPhone 15 was recently released last month, but the feelings of iFans who grew up and matured with Apple’s smartphone line have never changed.
My sister just sent me a couple of selfies that we took together many years ago. If I remember correctly, we took those photos with her old iPhone 3GS. Seeing those photos brings back a lot of nostalgic memories. My favorite English word is “nostalgia” because the softness of the sound is consistent with the meaning it suggests. Nostalgia is the familiar feeling you get every time you com the smell of the favorite food that your grandma used to make, the smell of soil after the rain, the sound of a rooster crowing every morning, or the sound of school bells ringing in the end of each period.
To me, and to many others who grew up after 2007, nostalgia is Marimba – the iPhone’s default ringtone before IOS 7. This sound was so unique that every time it sounded in a movie, we could easily recognize that the character in that scene was using an iPhone. Even with the default ringtone now being Opening, that feeling still hasn’t changed.
I still vividly remember the feeling of holding my sister’s iPhone 3GS in my hands for the first time. On the outside, its plastic back, camera, and screen were unimpressive, but everything changed when the device turned on. and sees that this phone has all the applications right on the home screen, without having to go to a menu at all. The sight of the iPhone’s home screen, with its applications waiting in neat, convenient rows for the user, was astonishing. The iOS interface back then was nothing compared to its current state, but at that time, it was truly a new horizon with intuitive touch operations and smooth transition effects.
That was before I got my hands on an iPhone 4.
Now – 16 years later – many people still believe that the iPhone 4 is the crystallization of all the most perfect elements of Apple design under Steve Jobs. The square, regular design with front and back glass and metal frame, flat camera, and moderate size that comfortably fits in the palm of the hand has made the iPhone 4 an aesthetic monument, and, to many, Apple’s “vedette.“
But design alone is not enough to make the iPhone 4 a monumental achievement that pushed Apple to the ranks of the most successful phone manufacturing companies of all time. At WWDC that year, Steve Jobs said that “iPhone 4 is the biggest leap we’ve taken since the original iPhone.”
He wasn’t wrong. iPhone 4 is the first iPhone – one of the first smartphones – to carry a front camera and Retina screen. Although the image quality is not excellent, this camera has changed our lives in ways that no one could have predicted. For the first time, the concept of “selfie” and “video call” was popularized with the public. The “selfie” has truly created an unprecedented revolution in the way we take photos.
When I was little, my parents were always wondering about why my siblings and I kept taking pictures with our phones in front of the mirror, making cringy faces with puffy cheeks and tongues sticking out. Nowadays, it has become common for people to post their selfies all over social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and BeReal.
Gen Z and Apple Products
To date, 16 years have passed since the iPhone was born. Coincidentally, that is also the time it took for a generation clearly defined in books – Gen Z – to come of age. The iPhone was born and developed alongside the explosion of social networks and digital content. During the late 2000s and early 2010s, a series of technology giants that dominated the social media sector arose and created a revolution for the Internet: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram… In addition to fanning the flames of selfie culture, they contributed to shaping and molding the lifestyle and thinking of an entire generation. Gen Z went through its rebellious youth during the social media revolution.
Gen Z, as the first generation to use smartphones during their formative years, has become more “addicted” to mobile phones than any other generation. What’s more special is that they are “addicted” to iPhones. According to one recent biannual teen survey by investment firm Piper Sandler, 87% of teenagers in America own an iPhone. This is more than double the percentage from 10 years ago. I don’t understand why, but the Apple products in general have a strange appeal compared to other brands. The fever leading up to Apple’s annual iPhone launch event is always higher than other manufacturers’ launches. iPhone searches on Google have always surpassed all other competitors now.
Most importantly, the iPhone separates users of the Apple ecosystem from those on other platforms. iPhone uses a separate operating system. Its proprietary operating system and limited number of yearly product launches makes the iPhone “unique” and valuable as a “hype beast” item. It not only has the role of a technology item but also takes on the task of a “jewelry” item – a status symbol.
The reason why the iPhone is so “valuable” is because of Gen Z’s shopping and consumption mindset. Unlike earlier generations, Gen Z uses social networks and interacts on these platforms to a certain degree. That habit makes them tend to choose products based on “visual engagement. They are greatly influenced and receive information mostly from influencers, online review videos, product launch events, advertising videos, and reactions on social networks. For a generation that is less guided and taught by their parents and spends most of their time on social networks, influencers define “cool.”. Knowing that, guess which brand of phones most celebrities use? In addition, according to many studies, Gen Z is also loyal and chooses products based largely on the brand or popularity among friends.
Saying this does not mean that other products are not classy, but simply that Apple’s strategy has made the iPhone satisfy the needs and psychology of self-expression while also following the trend of Gen. Z.
As part of Gen Z, I admit I have been an iPhone addict since around 2013, when my sister upgraded her iPhone 4 to the gold iPhone 5S with the gold color. That year, the game Flappy Bird came out and became a global phenomenon. Everyone was addicted to it, and I borrowed her phone all the time to play that game, day to night. My sisters were often mad at me because I always drained her phone’s battery, so she couldn’t spend much time calling her former boyfriend.
Although I’ve been an iPhone addict since a young age, I didn’t own one until 2017. That was when I first came to the United States from Vietnam. My aunt bought me a used iPhone 6 so I could contact family members. I used that phone to call my friends in Vietnam all the time because I missed them a lot. I still do miss my friends overseas and call or text them every day – through my iPhone of course.
Later, as an artist, I learned to stay active on social media to share my works with an audience. During the COVID–19 pandemic, the iPhone was my companion through the boring, isolated days. I spent probably 8 or more hours a day scrolling through TikTok, YouTube, and other social media. I wouldn’t say that I am proud of that. When I went to study abroad in Costa Rica with the Servant Leadership Program during the Spring Break of 2023, I stayed in Rancho Quemado, a pretty small village. My phone didn’t have any services over there; however, unconsciously, I kept pulling out my phone every 10 minutes to check for nothing. I realized I was addicted to the iPhone and that I am privileged compared to many people.
I have owned at least 4 different generations of iPhones – iPhone 6, 7, X, and currently iPhone 12. The new iPhone 15 just came out last month, and it caught my attention. I may not want to upgrade my phone yet, but the new Apple product will have some interesting features, such as new colors, a better camera, lighter weight, and USB-C charging port.
Apple decided to replace the Lightning port with a USB-C port after the European Union (EU) signed an official document setting December 28, 2024 as the deadline for all new smartphones to be sold in their market. The fact that the iPhone 15 was changed from Lightning port to USB-C charging port is something that users have been extremely interested in recently. I bet a lot of iFans would love to experience this new product.
iPhones have become indispensable for many people. It is not an exaggeration to say that iPhone and Gen Z grew up together. Perhaps, no phone is as special to young people as the iPhone. Since its first appearance, the iPhone has accompanied us on a long journey through the years, marking every milestone and every trend in our lives around us. Looking back at the development and changes of the iPhone, we can also look back at a period of our own adulthood.
