May 6, 2011 17:31 GMT  ·  By

Many will agree that Apple’s original iPhone looks just as great today as it did in 2007, when the handset was originally introduced, much to the skepticism of Apple’s competitors.

Years have passed and the iPhone has conquered the world. We hear it just propelled Apple to the second spot in worldwide smartphone market share.

But there are many versions of the handset. The current model is all covered in glass.

The original, however, had a matte aluminum finish which, given just the right conditions, allows it to age to the point where it looked better than Apple’s finest works.

Here’s the story of one iPhone that aged to perfection, from designer Remy Labesque:

“After 3+ years of having been carried in the same pocket as a ring of keys, the iPhone has acquired a polished patina over its aluminum shell. Abrasion of its hard-anodized surface has revealed the raw aluminum within,” Remy writes.

Click on the image above to see how well it goes with a pair of slightly tarnished jeans, and a brown leather belt - it almost passes for an Apple marketing material.

Remy laments, “The truth is that consumer products are ‘new’ for a very brief moment when they are first removed from the packaging, but spend the great majority of their useful lives as ‘used’ products in the process of decay.”

“Many welcome the breaking-in of products like a leather wallet or a pair of jeans as this wear can be aesthetically-pleasing,” he adds.

Before taking the iPhone to be recycled at a local e-waste facility, the designer leaves readers with a final conclusion:

“Aging with dignity is a criteria designers should recognize in their efforts. I’m thinking of a future when products are designed not for the brief moment when they are new, but for when they have been aged to perfection.”