From the humble beginnings of a bulky, handheld mobile device that looked more like a walkie-talkie than a phone, the 80s saw the rise and eventual fall of mobile phones as we know them today. As the technology progressed, so did the design and functionality of mobile phones, paving the way for the sleek and sophisticated devices we have today.
In the early days of mobile phones, they were a luxury item with a high price tag. The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, released in 1983, was one of the first portable cellular phones available to the public, and it came with a hefty price tag of $3,995 (equivalent to over $10,000 today). Despite its high cost, the weight of the DynaTAC-2 Response was a cumbersome 1.75 lbs, and its features were limited solely to calling, and receiving calls.
As the decade progressed, mobile phones became more accessible to the general public. In 1985, the Nokia Mobira Talkman was released, the first transportable phone compatible with the first Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) standard. Shape and weight remained an issue, as the device weighed in at a whopping 11 pounds.
However, it was in the late 1980s that mobile phones truly began to advance in features and design. In 1989, the Motorola MicroTAC 9800X was released, the world’s first clamshell mobile phone. This phone was a breakthrough, enabling the phone to be considerably smaller than previous models. It included a flip-top that helped protect the screen and keyboard, and with dimensions of 9cm x 5cm x 2cm, the MicroTAC was much more pocket-friendly.
Unfortunately, as the 90s approached, the mobile phone industry saw the arrival of the first digital devices, marking the start of the downfall of 80s mobile phones. The first GSM standard and CDMA systems were released in the early 1990s, making previous models obsolete. These newer models offered features such as SMS messaging, calendars, and many others that the previous models just couldn’t match.
In conclusion, while the 80s mobile phones were impressive in their own right, their downfall was ultimately inevitable as technological advancements continued to occur. Devices that were once seen as top-of-the-line eventually became outdated, with sleek and sophisticated designs pushing bulky 80s models out of homes and pockets around the world. Nevertheless, their innovation and impact on the telecom industry cannot be understated, paving the way for the smartphones we rely on today.
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