Subscribe to receive a weekly roundup direct to your inbox.
The first true smartphone made its debut in 1992. Created by IBM, the ‘Simon Personal Communicator’ was released more than 15 years before Apple released the iPhone.
IBM’s Simon was the first phone to meld together the functions of a cell phone and a PDA. It featured an LCD touchscreen with a stylus allowing for note writing, an address book, calendar, clock, and a way to schedule appointments. Aside from its calling capabilities you could also use the Simon to send and receive emails.
While the Simon would never achieve the widespread acclaim of the iPhone or Android phones, IBM did manage to sell approximately 50,000 units.
