What I mean is: what was the first cube that was meant to be solved at a faster pace than a normal rubik's cube??
I'll give a quick history lesson on the evolution of the speedcube. My knowledge spans from about 2006, so there are a few years prior that I'm not entirely certain about, but generally around that time, speedcubes became the new norm.
Initially, people were generally all solving Rubik's branded cubes. As speedsolving became more mainstream and competitive, cubers began to find ways to mod store-bought cubes. Mostly, people found ways to break it in, and a well-broken in store-bought cube was quite an achievement in of itself. I remember reading threads that people were using drills and attaching it to each side to break them in right out of the box. There was soon a race to get hands on the original Hungarian Rubik's Studio Cubes, which had exposable center screws, and springs, whereas many store-bought Rubik's cube just had plastic grooves and no springs. These studio cubes were quite expensive, I remember prices around $30, not including the time, effort, and shipping required to get them from Hungary. Pretty soon, though, Rubik's came out with a "DIY" cube, which had adjustable screws and springs. So, I think these were the first "real" speedcubes, as screws and springs allowed cubers to adjust tensions and speed. With a little bit of sanding and breaking in, DIYs were pretty much the norm after they came out.
DIYs saw quick advancements immediately after. Chinese manufacturers began producing their own DIYs, with Cube4You leading the forefront with many types that were produced as frequently as Moyu of today. Pretty soon, Chinese stores moved away from DIYs to pre-constructed cubes, still mostly Cube4You and some other smaller manufacturers. I think shortly after this, Dayan became the big innovator with the Guhong, mainly due to its ability to corner cut, a feature which was basically nonexistent before. With Dayan's success came other competitors, such as Fangshi, Yuxin, YJ/Moyu, Gans, to where we are today.
Hope this was somewhat insightful. I have some gaps in my history due to a long hiatus somewhere in the early 2010s, so people can fill me in on what I missed.
