How AT&T created the most iconic phone ever
SMRTR summary
The Western Electric 500 became America's universal landline phone for decades, so iconic that even today's iPhone phone app mimics its design. AT&T's monopoly power allowed the company to control what phones appeared in American homes, and the 500 represented the peak of that dominance during the landline era. This ubiquitous device was so standard that most people simply called it "The Phone," making it one of the most recognizable consumer products in history.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to The Verge.
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