Inside the Room Where Apple Developed the Original iPhone Software

[MacRumors]

With permission from Apple, senior software engineer Greg Christie recently spoke with The Wall Street Journal about the development of the original iPhone, disclosing some details ahead of a new patent trial involving Samsung. The original article focused on the iPhone's software features, while a follow-up report highlights the environment and hardware that was used in this software development process.

Apple's hardware setup for testing early prototype iPhone software​

According to Christie, design decisions on early versions of Apple's iPhone OS were made in a drab, windowless room with Mac hardware running the software and a large touchscreen device, "Wallaby", simulating the screen of the mobile device. The room is also where Christie met with Steve Jobs to present the iPhone team's work.

It doesn't mean that the windowless room, lit by fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling, looked like anything special. Christie recalled the walls had signs of water damage from a flood in an adjacent bathroom. A few images covered the walls including one of Apple's "Think Different" posters of famous graphic designer Paul Rand and another of a large chicken running around without its head.

These details on the development of the iPhone were released in advance of a second U.S. patent infringement trial between Apple and Samsung that is set to begin March 31. Apple prevailed in the first trial and was awarded a judgement of $890 million. This upcoming trial targets more recent products such the Galaxy Note II, the Galaxy S III, the iPhone 5, and the iPad 4.

Article Link: Inside the Room Where Apple Developed the Original iPhone Software

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

I can see myself in that room.

 

[PlainviewX]

It's amazing to see the humble beginnings of the OS that revolutionized the mobile industry.

 

[simonb76]

Right... so why do I see an iphone 4 on the table then?

 

[jshulman10]

Would love to see the evolution from that to the first version of IOS. Crazy what its become.

 

[george-brooks]

Strange, the G3 would suggest that this was happening in the early 2000s but then the iPhone prototype hooked up to the machine looks a heck of a lot like an iPhone 4. So maybe Apple has the iPhone 8 in the works right now?

 

[WaxedJacket]

Depressing room is depressing. Sounds like something out of Portal.

 

[jayducharme]

Right... so why do I see an iphone 4 on the table then?

I'm wondering if that's the "touch screen" that's mentioned. It might look like an iPhone but act more like a simple trackpad.

 

[WillFisher]

Right... so why do I see an iphone 4 on the table then?

I might be wrong, but I think I remember seeing drawings/designs of the original iPhone looking like the iPhone 4?

Surely if someone was to stage this picture they wouldn't be so careless as to leave an iPhone 4 there?

Still weird though.

 

[dannyyankou]

Strange, the G3 would suggest that this was happening in the early 2000s but then the iPhone prototype hooked up to the machine looks a heck of a lot like an iPhone 4. So maybe Apple has the iPhone 8 in the works right now?

They hooked it up to an outdated Mac so it could simulate the slower speeds of the phone's hardware, and this was apparently in 2006. Not sure why the Macrumors article doesn't mention that, but oh well!

 

[brendu]

I'm wondering if that's the "touch screen" that's mentioned. It might look like an iPhone but act more like a simple trackpad.

Yeah that's what I was thinking. At first I thought it looked like an iPhone 4 but it seems much thicker. It seems like basically a very early prototype iPod with touch display.

 

[MacMan988]

Right... so why do I see an iphone 4 on the table then?

That iPhone 4 is used to call Steve Jobs whenever there were something requiring his attention during the development of the original iPhone.

 

[Tanegashima]

Lol, were they using that power supply at apple, a multi-hundred-billion-dollar company? Lol... I would expect something more classy like Agilent or keithley. I have the same one, it's a PS-305D, it's a no name brand, it's cheap, but good enough for most of us.

 

[goobot]

Look at that phone that's hooked up to 20 different things.

 

[ouimetnick]

State of the art hardware.. Power Mac G3.

 

[pierino84]

The handset is connected to what appears to be a development board for the baseband, which is connected to the white box. That one is connected to the G3. The black stick in the bottom right seems like a pair of speakers.

 

[Macrolido]

That PowerMac G3 looks great!

 

[Rogifan]

I might be wrong, but I think I remember seeing drawings/designs of the original iPhone looking like the iPhone 4?

Surely if someone was to stage this picture they wouldn't be so careless as to leave an iPhone 4 there?

Still weird though.

The 'purple' prototype from 2005 looks like a white iPhone 4. Not sure if that was ever built into a physical prototype. But from all the books I've read, Steve didn't allow the software guys to see the hardware design and vice versa. Allegedly Ive secretly had two software guys mock something up for his team. He was the only one on his team who was allowed to know what the software UI looked like.

 

[7thson]

I did a double take when I looked at the picture. The two speakers looked like bongs

 

[musika]

The inspiration for the original iPhone: a large chicken running around without its head. You can't make this stuff up, people.

 

[0007776]

Lol, were they using that power supply at apple, a multi-hundred-billion-dollar company? Lol... I would expect something more classy like Agilent or keithley. I have the same one, it's a PS-305D, it's a no name brand, it's cheap, but good enough for most of us.

Why would they waste the money on an expensive power supply when they can just buy a cheaper one that works just as well for what they are using it for?

 

[sportsfan]

I still own that speaker system!

 

[MacVista]

The handset is connected to what appears to be a development board for the baseband, which is connected to the white box. That one is connected to the G3. The black stick in the bottom right seems like a pair of speakers.

I think that's the microphone.

----------

I did a double take when I looked at the picture. The two speakers looked like bongs

Altecs with their subwoofer in between.

 

[dejo]

Altecs with their subwoofer in between.

Harmon Kardon SoundSticks, I'd say.

 

[sero323]

Right... so why do I see an iphone 4 on the table then?

I agree. Dont think this image is legit.