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Network World's iOnApple reports on a recently-unsealed deposition given by Apple design chief Jonathan Ive in the ongoing patent war between Apple and Samsung, a session in which Ive was shown photos of Apple's earliest iPad mockups that apparently date to some time between 2002 and 2004. From Ive's testimony:
My recollection of first seeing it is very hazy, but it was, I'm guessing, sometime between 2002 and 2004, some but it was I remember seeing this and perhaps models similar to this when we were first exploring tablet designs that ultimately became the iPad.
early_ipad_mockup_1.jpg

As the report notes, the mockup is quite similar to what was eventually released as the iPad well over five years later, although it was significantly thicker given the state of the technology at the time.

early_ipad_mockup_2.jpg

Notably, the mockup lacked a home button but in other respects from the general form factor to the presence of a dock connector certainly mirrors the final shipping product.

Additional photos are included in the original report.

Article Link: Photos of Early iPad Mockup Surface in Samsung Lawsuit Documents
 

lifeinhd

macrumors 65816
Mar 26, 2008
1,428
58
127.0.0.1
If it had a dock connector it's not from 2002. Dock didn't come out until 2003.

EDIT: Though theoretically, they could have invented the dock back in 2002 (iPod w/dock was released April 03).
 

ironsienna

macrumors regular
Oct 28, 2010
215
0
Maybe thicker, but personally I still find something really appealing to it's design... I think the proportion of the black bezel to the white sides maybe...

I really really would like to know what was Steve Job's first reaction holding it in his hands...
 

DipDog3

macrumors 65816
Sep 20, 2002
1,191
812
If they used today's technology and built an iPad with that thickness, just think of the battery life it would have. Probably be somewhere along the lines of 48 hours use.

Of course it would take forever to charge it...
 

usptact

macrumors regular
Apr 2, 2011
157
0
In a decade or two, our iPads 2 and "the new" iPads will seem exactly that much thicker than the future products.
 

davie18

macrumors 6502
Dec 29, 2010
287
339
No surprise that they had prototypes that early. I mean I'm sure Steve Jobs said that they were going to enter the tablet market, but then decided to hold off and enter the phone market first instead. I at least remember reading something along those lines.
 

Gemütlichkeit

macrumors 65816
Nov 17, 2010
1,276
0
That looks so much better than any tablet/slate on the market at the time. However it wouldn't of made as big of a splash being that thick with a mechanical HDD in it.
 

nednarm

macrumors 6502
Apr 26, 2010
460
19
U.K
Why do the photos look like they're from the 1940's? I'm pretty sure digital cameras were around 10 years ago.
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
I'd love to know what OS was on that thing, or at least the OS they were planning to use on it.
 
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