The very first iPhone turned 10 this week, so it’s a good time to reflect on just how revolutionary the device was at the time.
For starters, it ditched the physical keyboard, which was goddamn ludicrous in an age where Nokia ruled supreme. How are you supposed to Snake without a fucking keyboard? Forgeddabowdit.
But it bloody worked, and as its evolving iterations became more powerful, so too did its popularity.
To celebrate this huge milestone for Apple, the creator of the aforementioned software keyboard, Ken Kocienda, today tweeted an image of two early iPhone prototypes.
Allegedly, the secret team that Apple had set up to work on the phone’s development called them “Wallabies”, but no one actually knows why.
Here are two iPhone prototypes. We called them Wallabies. I used these devices to make the software keyboard. pic.twitter.com/qbofBL3RUt
— kocienda (@kocienda) June 29, 2017
I kept those devices in my desk drawer for years. When I left Apple, returning this hardware was tough, like saying goodbye to old friends.
— kocienda (@kocienda) June 29, 2017
Look at those things. They’re beefy as fuck. Could you imagine how uncomfortable they would be to hold?
There’s also quite a resemblance to the early iPods, like some kind of mutant creation with ridiculous bezels. They’ve certainly come a long way since then.
The company are currently facing enormous pressure to revolutionise the smartphone once again, with September’s announcement expected to reveal a special 10th anniversary iPhone.
Will it live up to the hype? Probably not. How far can the smartphone really go at this point besides being faster, include a better camera and lighter screen?
Either way, bring that shit on.
Photo: Twitter / @kocienda.