{
  "id": 7772664,
  "title": "Forget the iPhone Duo — the First iPhone Had More Hype and a More Shocking Price",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/forget-the-iphone-duo-the-first-iphone-had-more-hype-and-a-more",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-16T11:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CNET",
    "slug": "cnet",
    "url": "https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/forget-the-iphone-duo-the-first-iphone-had-more-hype-and-a-more-shocking-price/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The first iPhone, released in 2007, garnered significant hype but had its drawbacks, as noted by Kent German and Donald Bell in their review of the device. German and Bell praised the iPhone's sleek interface, top-notch music and video features, and innovative design. However, they also highlighted a host of missing features, a dependency on a sluggish EDGE network, and variable call quality. They found the $499 starting price for the first iPhone to be excessive, given the device's shortcomings and the dependence on a two-year contract with AT&T. At the time, $499 equated to approximately $800 in today's dollars. For context, most phones prior to the iPhone cost between $100 and $150, with an additional $200 required for an AT&T contract. Comparatively, the iPhone Duo, announced by Apple with a starting price of $2,000, seems to be generating a similar mix of hype, wonder, and shock.",
  "summary": "CNET reviewed the first iPhone 19 years ago. We found it innovative and easy to use, but it lacked too many features and wasn’t worth the $499 price.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}