prototype

Rare Apple WALT prototype combines phone and fax machine

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Apple WALT prototype
This is one Apple device you’ve probably never heard of.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

Apple had plans to deliver a phone long before Steve Jobs took to the stage of Macworld 2007 to show off the iPhone.

Around 14 years earlier, the company previewed a prototype device called the Wizzy Active Lifestyle Telephone, or the WALT, which combined a telephone and fax machine into one.

Here’s a rare look at the prototype that shows just what WALT can do.

Apple’s new USB-C fast charger for iPhone leaks out early

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iPhone 18W fast charger
Choose your iPhone fast charger carefully.
Photo: Chongdiantou

Pictures of Apple’s rumored USB-C iPhone fast charger have leaked out ahead of its official debut.

The images claim to show a prototype version of the 18-watt power adapter, which is expected to ship with Apple’s next-generation iPhone lineup later this year. Apple likely will include the USB-C charger with new iPads as well.

Possible iPhone 8 prototype sports huge display

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iPhone 8 prototype
It's ugly, but it's a step forward.
Photo: Benjamin Geskin

An alleged iPhone 8 prototype with a significantly larger display and slimmer bezels has made its way into the wild. Although it almost certainly doesn’t carry the handset’s final design, it’s still surprisingly ugly for an Apple device.

If, indeed, it really is an Apple device.

Leaked Apple injuries report hints at AR glasses

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Google Glass wasn't meant to be a big success... yet.
What will Apple's AR glasses look like?
Photo: Google

New clues about prototype products Apple is currently testing may have just been revealed by leaked documents originating from Apple’s Cupertino campus.

A report on Apple compiled by an Environment Health and Safety contractor has reportedly leaked online today. Inside the report are over 70 different incidents that occurred on the campus. Most of the incidents in the report are fairly ordinary, but a couple entries hint at Apple developing augmented reality glasses.

Foxconn’s next plant could kill Apple leaks

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foxconn
Big Apple leaks could become a thing of the past.
Photo: Foxconn

Foxconn is planning to build a new prototyping facility right alongside Apple’s upcoming research and development center in Shenzhen, China.

The move will “better help Apple create prototypes” of products in the development process, and could mean a lot fewer leaks for curious fans.

New video shows iPhone prototypes going head-to-head

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Apple's earliest iOS prototypes.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

Apple calls iOS “the world’s most advanced mobile operating system,” but it was almost the world’s worst.

Before deciding on the icon-based user interface we know and love today, Apple designed an awful prototype UI that was based on the iPod’s software and controlled with a virtual click-wheel. Check it out in the video below.

Latest iPhone 7 Plus mockup reveals beautiful blue finish

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iPhone-7-Plus-mockup-blue
iPhone 7 Plus looks beautiful in blue.
Photo: Unbox Therapy

Yet another iPhone 7 Plus mockup has been captured on video ahead of Apple’s official unveiling this fall, but this one’s a little more exciting than most.

Not only is it thought to be the most accurate representation of the iPhone 7 Plus we’ve seen so far, but it also comes in a new blue finish that could replace the space gray option in Apple’s next-generation iPhone lineup.

iPhone 6 prototype pops up on eBay with crazy price tag

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$_57
The iPhone 6 prototype runs Apple's in-house debugging software.
Photo: niftynina

If you’re an Apple fan, eBay is a great place to pick up rare bits of Cupertino paraphernalia — whether it’s a vintage Apple jacket of the kind Drake wore at last year’s WWDC, or Steve Jobs’ high school yearbook.

Well, if you’re on the lookout for an even rarer Apple collector’s item — and have more than $4,999 to spend — you may want to check out an auction for an apparent iPhone 6 prototype, running Apple’s in-house debugging software called SwitchBoard, and boasting a red lightning dock port.

Make your app look badass with free trial of Adobe XD

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Get prototyping right on your Mac, for free.
Get prototyping right on your Mac, for free.
Photo: Adobe

If you’ve been itching to design the next big app in your spare time, Adobe’s just made it easier with a free trial of its user interface (UI) design tool, Experience Design (XD) CC for Mac.

Previously known as Project Comet, Adobe XD is a full-fledged design tool that lets you prototype mobile or web apps fast, and you can download a free preview right now.

Apple invents 3D printer for space-age Liquidmetal rapid prototypes

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liquid
Space-age iPhone, coming soon to a 3D printer near you.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

On its journey to product perfection, Apple is well-known for its endless prototyping of the next iPhone, iMac or Apple Watch.

Now the company may add ultra-tough metal alloy Liquidmetal to the list of materials it can use to create these rapid prototypes, thanks to a cutting-edge 3D printer designed for the job.

Alleged iPhone 6 prototype selling for $56k on eBay

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Photo: kimberlyk1018
Photo: kimberlyk1018

Want to own a super-rare prototype iPhone 6, as accidentally sent out to a Verizon customer? You’d better have six-figures to spare.

The alleged prototype in question has appeared on eBay, running the internal Apple applications the company uses to test new devices as opposed to the consumer version of iOS.

There are no FCC markings or any other text on the handset’s body, other than the word “iPhone.” There is also a red lightning port, which seller kimberlyk1018 claims “is a sure sign of a prototype.”

The full listing reads:

Rare portrait-mode Mac prototype up for auction

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From a rare Apple Lisa computer to the original rainbow-colored signs from the Cupertino offices there have been some great Apple items up for auction as of late. Now you can add “rare Mac prototype” to that list.

A prototype model made out of painted foam, this alternate Macintosh LC model was built in 1989 by Apple’s Industrial Design Group and Matrix Product Design (which later became IDEO). Unlike the actual Mac LC that shipped it has a vertically-oriented screen: possibly targeted toward the business world, rather than the artistic, publishing and educational markets that the Mac traditionally sold to at the time.

This Is The Early iPad Prototype That Made Steve Jobs Give Us The iPhone

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iphoneprototype1

As the story goes, before the iPhone was even a glimmer in Steve Jobs’s eye, Jonny Ive came to him with a prototype for a tablet based on some new touchscreen technology he was working on. Steve Jobs took one look at it, and said it was the future, but “let’s make a phone with it first.” And that’s how the iPhone was born.

Now, an early prototype of a very iPad-ish iPhone prototype from 2005 has turned up, and it’s a marvelous beast, filled with USB, Ethernet and even serial ports.

Seven Bizarre iPhone Concepts That Apple Almost Made For Real [Gallery]

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Apple almost made this iPhone. Really.

Over the past few years we’ve seen hundreds of fake iPhone mockups, some have been bizarre, while others looked so good we wished they were real. What’s been most surprising is that some of the weirdest looking concepts are actually fairly similar to prototypes Apple was working on in their labs.

Thanks to the evidence in the Apple vs Samsung trial, we got to see the different iPhone prototypes Apple was working on, so we’ve gone back and found 7 artists mockups that look a lot like prototypes Apple was working on. 

Rare iPhone 4 ‘N90’ Prototype Surfaces On eBay With Unique Logo

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I bet you've never seen an iPhone 4 like this before.
I bet you've never seen an iPhone 4 like this before.

A rare iPhone 4 “N90” prototype has surfaced on eBay with a strange prototype logo, or “protologo,” on its rear panel. Its seller insists it is the first iPhone 4 prototype to be listed on the online auction site, and they’re currently looking for starting bids of $4,500, or $10,000 for an instant sale.

Jony Ive Says Apple Nearly Axed iPhone Due To Flaws With Dialing

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jony

Apple is one of the world’s only companies that isn’t content to push out a great product with a few flaws. They want everything to be perfect. It’s one of their biggest strengths, but it also prevents a lot of neat products and ideas from reaching production. It turns out that the iPhone was no different during its inception, and even after all the cool prototyping and public demand for a great smartphone, Apple nearly axed the iPhone before it was launched.

Apple’s chief designer, Jony Ive, stated in a recent interview that small design flaws with the iPhone nearly caused it to get shelved, because even though the iPhone was good, it wasn’t excellent until they figured out how to fix some fundamental problems, like the proximity sensor.

These Original iPad And iPhone Prototypes Show What Apple’s Devices Could Have Looked Like [Gallery]

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ipadkickstand

To go along with the recent images of the original iPhone 4 prototype we reported on today, The Verge uncovered a trove of early iPad and iPhone prototype images from the Samsung vs Apple legal documents. At one point Apple was seriously considering an integrated kickstand for the iPad, kind of like the Microsoft Surface.

As far as the iPhone goes, there’s a few ugly prototypes with awkward corners, elongated screens, and bulky cases that look similar to the Lumia 900. It’s interesting to see how much refinement Apple’s design team does on a single idea. Most of the prototypes are a little rough to start out with but as time progresses Apple really nails the simplicity of the device. Check it out:

This Is What The Original iPhone 4 Prototype Looked Like Way Back In 2006

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iphone4proto

In the picture above you can see two iPhone prototypes that Apple was working on way back in 2006. They provide an amazing glimpse of just how long the prototyping phases of iPhones can last, because the original iPhone didn’t come out till June 2007, and then the iPhone 4 wasn’t seen till 2010.

The prototype images come from court filings in the Samsung vs Apple legal proceedings where Samsung plans to argue that Apple ripped off Sony’s design as inspiration for the iPhone. In fact, a few of the renders for the iPhone 4 like device have the Sony logo on them as you can see below:

Apple’s Early iPad Prototype Had 12-Inch Screen, Was 3 Times Thicker Than iPad 2

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This early iPad prototype was a mammoth.
This early iPad prototype was a mammoth.

Remember that early iPad prototype we showed you yesterday, built between 2002 and 2004, which looked like an old white iBook with a touchscreen? Now some new shots have surfaced that show a comparison between this and the iPad 2, and there are some interesting differences.

First of all, Apple originally built the iPad with a 12-inch display, and it was huge.