Behold! Photos of early iPhone development prototypes!
An early iPhone prototype has surfaced, different from others that we’ve seen before, and much closer akin to the aspect ratio we're now used to in the iPad. It's also caught on camera. While we have previously seen design concepts and renders, it’s rare that we see a development prototype. From early 2005, the prototype has a 5"×7" screen and is two inches thick. It also has a number of ports that would never make it to the final iPhone design. According to Ars Technica:
The engineering team was impressed that they were essentially running Mac OS X on a machine of that size. In only two years, this device would be refined and become the iPhone we all know and love, making its first appearence at Macworld 2007.
It’s funny to think that from this device, and others like it, no doubt, has come most if not all of Apple’s current success. Years from now, we’ll undoubtedly see more such prototypes for devices that we haven’t even seen yet.
Source: Ars Technica. Image: Ars Technica
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Joseph Keller is the former Editor in Chief of iMore. An Apple user for almost 20 years, he spends his time learning the ins and outs of iOS and macOS, always finding ways of getting the most out of his iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.