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Early Apple Prototypes Show Sony-Inspired iPhone, iPad With Kickstand

Apple’s ongoing legal battles with Samsung have resulted in old prototype gadgets appearing online, and so far there have been some real gems dug up. Ever wondered what the Apple thought the iPhone might look like before they actually came to the final design?

Jony Ive, head honcho of Apple’s design deparment, is notorious for keeping his future products, designs and ideas completely under wraps. However, due to the recent court battle we’ve been granted an insight into the design process that he went through for both the iPhone and the iPad.

An early iPhone prototype shows that Apple wanted the iPhone to bear resemblance to some of Sony’s earlier products, with one of Ive’s designs even having ‘Jony’ branded on it in the style of the Sony logo. You can see that this design looks similar to the iPhone 4 in several ways, but there are also some strange ideas that were removed before the final design was made – a chunky headphone socket on the left side of the phone, and several buttons below the screen, for example.

The central dock connector seems to always have been in the same place, presumably a follow-on from the iPod range. The rear camera in this early design is also remarkably similar to the actual design.

Apple’s main claim in this patent suit, however, relates to the similarities between Samsung’s Galaxy Tabs and its own iPad. An early prototype of the iPad also appeared, showing a very basic black envelope style metal casing, and a built-in kickstand right in the middle. The design incorporates a kickstand that can be swivelled around to prop up the tablet in landscape and portrait modes. Apple obviously sacked off this idea in favour of the foldable cover, which does the job admirably.

What do you think of the two leaked prototypes?

Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.

Via: Engadget