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+----- Thread: [iOS] [Interesting iOS Fact] The First iPhone Didnt Even Have an App Store (/showthread.php?tid=6322017)
[Interesting iOS Fact] The First iPhone Didnt Even Have an App Store - techpacket - Mar 15, 2026
Today it’s hard to imagine an iPhone without millions of apps. The App Store is one of the biggest parts of the iOS ecosystem.
But here’s something many people forget — the first iPhone didn’t even have an App Store.
When iPhone launched in 2007, the operating system that later became iOS only allowed Apple’s built-in apps.
At that time, Steve Jobs actually suggested that developers should create web apps instead of native applications. The idea was that websites optimized for Safari could act like apps.
Developers weren’t very happy with this limitation. People wanted real applications that could access the device hardware and run faster than web apps.
Because of that pressure, Apple eventually introduced the App Store in 2008 alongside iPhone OS 2.
And the impact was massive.
Within the first weekend, millions of apps were downloaded, and it quickly changed how smartphones worked forever. The entire mobile app economy that exists today basically started from that decision.
It’s funny to think that one of the biggest parts of the iPhone ecosystem today almost didn’t exist at all.
💬 Curious question for the community
• What was the first iPhone model you ever used?
• Do you remember the first app you downloaded from the App Store?
• Do you think smartphones would be as popular today without app ecosystems?
Always interesting hearing early smartphone stories. 👀📱