Fascinating iPhone and iPad Prototypes Revealed by Samsung Trial Documents

[Maura]

Apple’s forthcoming court case with Samsung may not even have started yet, but already it’s throwing up some fascinating insights into Apple’s design process, The Verge reports. Several previously top-secret photos of early prototypes of both the iPhone and iPad have emerged prior to the start of the trial, including photos of a Sony-design-inspired iPhone prototype created by Shin Nishibori, with one version even including a Sony logo that had been tweaked to read “Jony”, possibly referring to Apple’s Jony Ive. The Verge also posts several fascinating pictures of iPad prototypes, including ones with a variety of kickstands, a 16:9 version with wide handles at the sides, and an iPhone with eight sides and sloped corners. Also interesting to note is that many of the early iPad designs seem to have been named “iPod”, indicating that Apple may have been thinking of calling it that to begin with.


Source: Early 'Jony' iPhone concept shows Sony design influence | The Verge
The iPad that never was: kickstands, curves, and 'highly confidential' Apple prototypes revealed | The Verge