The preliminary version of the iPhone has exclusively been shared online by Sonny Dickson. They have released a number of photos and videos which give us a peek into an early prototype of the iPhone from Apple. Much like the first generation of iPhones, the prototype has some similar features such as an aluminium chassis, multi-touch compatible screen, 2G connectivity and WiFi radios but it is still very different from the iPhones we are acquainted to.
Instead of the present touch driven interface, the prototype features the click wheel system, similar to the original iPod lineup. The operating system was called “Acron” and it featured an on screen click wheel at the bottom half of the screen and the menu system on the upper half. Various options such as rewind, menu, play/pause, and fast-forward buttons appear in the center of the screen. Encircling the click wheel allowed you to navigate around the menu list which comprised of “Favorites”, “SMS”, “Music”, “Settings” and “Recents” options. However, if you observe closely then you’d notice that the browser option is absent.
Also, the name of the OS was most likely an internal code name, and Apple would have not released it with the same name. However, the interface detailing suggests that it might have been designed for a market release. The interactions with the original iPhone:s interface would have been identical to the iPod’s interface.
The release states that,
Not much else is known about the device, apart from the fact that it differs heavily from the iPhone we know today, and that very few units running “Acorn OS” exist, with most of them likely being destroyed by Apple, a company in which there is a specific job role in relation to the destruction of prototypes
Sonny Dickson also provides a reference of one of Apple’s patent for “multi-functional hand-held device”, filed in 2006, in order to confirm the authenticity of this revelation. This means that such a prototype actually existed and was an alternate version for the iPhone. One of the drawings of the patent clearly shows the drawing of a click wheel as the input method.
Well, considering the reputation of Apple, one could very well imagine the amount of preparations it made before entering the smartphone market. Infact Tony Fadell, called the father of iPhone, and Macintosh executive Scott Forstall were made to clash in order to get the idea for the best operating system. However, it was Forstall’s side that won the clash, and who knows, this prototype could be the loosing sides work.
