---
title: "How AT&T created the most iconic phone ever"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/282447866.md"
description: "The article discusses the Western Electric 500, a landline phone that became an iconic symbol in the United States, dominating the market for decades. It highlights how this phone was so prevalent that it became synonymous with the term \"The Phone.\" The piece also touches on its influence on modern technology, such as the design of the Phone app on iPhones. The story is explored in an episode of Version History, featuring insights from David Pierce and Nilay Patel."
datetime: "2026-04-12T13:37:28.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/282447866.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282447866.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/282447866.md)
---

# How AT&T created the most iconic phone ever

For years, even decades, virtually everyone in the United States had the same phone. Nobody really thought about it, it didn't even matter what it was called - it was just The Phone. Well, The Phone was called the Western Electric 500, and when landline phones ruled the world, the Western Electric 500 ruled the landlines. It was so ubiquitous for so long that even if you've never touched a landline, you've encountered the 500. The Phone app on your iPhone? Looks like a 500.

On this episode of _Version History_, we tell the story of the Western Electric 500, and the deeply strange world it came to represent. David Pierce, Nilay Patel, and pro …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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