‘Highly confidential’ iPad and iPhone prototypes revealed in trial

Court documents have revealed ‘highly confidential’ photographs of early iPad and iPhone prototypes.

This month, photos of the earliest known iPad prototype were discovered in some Apple vs Samsung court filings. Now, further images have been revealed ahead of Monday’s trial between the two companies, showing a rare glimpse of early iPad and iPhone design prototypes.

Apple has been forced to disclose the images by Californian Judge Lucy Koh as part of the trial with Samsung, commencing on 30 July.

The prototypes reveal that Apple considered adding a kickstand to the iPad, and one of the mock-ups was of a much larger device with handles on either side. The tablets pictured have the word “iPod” on the back, suggesting that Apple had not yet settled on a name for the device, or that it was thinking of including the iPad in its iPod lineup.

Interestingly, some of the iPhone prototypes have similar design aspects to the sixth-generation iPhone’s rumoured design, including a two-tone aluminium and black back-plate.

One of the iPhone prototypes shown has eight sides with diagonal corners rather than the rounded corners found on the iPhone today. Another shows a thinner, taller iPhone with the screen only taking up half of the device’s front surface.

Although these prototypes didn’t get past the testing stage, they provide a fascinating insight into Apple and the process it goes through when designing its iOS devices. Do you think Apple’s final design was the right choice? Let us know your thoughts in our comments section below.

For the full gallery of photographs, visit The Verge.

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