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But "The iphone design is obvious!", so why on earth are there all these alternative design prototypes... I mean, it's not like they took a long time on working out the exact way a phone like this should look, because that would mean the design patent might be a valid use of the patent system. :rolleyes:

clearly you are not aware of the design process. the "obvious" is the purest and simplest solution. it may sound very simple if you reduce the design process to draw a rectangle with tapered edges and that's it. but thats just silly. to achieve the essence of a product, you could take months or years of R&D, and you may never get there. designing a good product is about focusing on what is crucial, making compromises, testing and, eventually, you'll end up with an "obvious" solution.
but trust me, it's only obvious when you get there! ;)
 
I can imagine Jony Ive's voice as he introduces that prototype: "Until now, people have—albeit inadvertently—associated octagons with authority and restriction. But what we've done is almost mentally rebrand the octagon as something that is really wonderful and liberating. And the end result is practically cathartic."

octophone.png


(I photoshopped/rendered something from this image to really drive the point home)
 
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Amazing that they basically had the iPhone 4 design in 2006 but decided to release a lesser design for the original iPhone (and 3G/ 3GS) in 2007...
 
Always enjoy looking at old prototypes. It's fun to see what we could have ended up with but most of the time I'm glad we didn't. That iPod mini one is hideous. The otco one really isn't that bad when you think about it, that could have been the one to become the 3G, following up the original iPhone. But it was the right move to keep that one stillborn.
 
clearly you are not aware of the design process. the "obvious" is the purest and simplest solution. it may sound very simple if you reduce the design process to draw a rectangle with tapered edges and that's it. but thats just silly. to achieve the essence of a product, you could take months or years of R&D, and you may never get there. designing a good product is about focusing on what is crucial, making compromises, testing and, eventually, you'll end up with an "obvious" solution.
but trust me, it's only obvious when you get there! ;)

"Obvious"ly, the sarcasm in that comment was lost on you. They're saying if it's so obvious, why did Apple have to have so many prototype designs to get to it, thus deflating Samsung's argument that they "didn't copy Apple since the design was so obvious."
 
Anyone notice the 2006 prototype has widget icons ?

Translation
Unit conversation
Tile game
Flight tracker

That yellow one looks very familiar, like maybe an older one.
 
Amazing that they basically had the iPhone 4 design in 2006 but decided to release a lesser design for the original iPhone (and 3G/ 3GS) in 2007...

My guess is that the antenna wasn't technologically feasible at that point.
 
So even when Apple blatantly copies Sony, that is all fine and dandy, but when Sammy was apparently "inspired" by Apple, a court case is immediately started... Ok, then....

Read it again and this time pay attention.

The last thing the internet needs is a group of people with poor reading comprehension skills running around saying Apple copied Sony.
 
So even when Apple blatantly copies Sony, that is all fine and dandy, but when Sammy was apparently "inspired" by Apple, a court case is immediately started... Ok, then....

You do understand that was an internal prototype, right? It wasn't for shipping, it was for study. GROW UP!
 
Yep, wasn't a criticism, reckon the glass front and back wasn't worked out back then either. But it's clear the 4/4S was the iPhone Apple wanted to make going by these images...

Hmm, maybe Apple thought the 4S was far too elaborate and expensive for the first generation and opted for something "safer", cheaper and simpler to manufacturer.

A 4/4S might have been too cost or resources prohibitive for an out the gate endeavor.
 
sony_inspired_iphone_prototypes18_1020_gallery_post.jpg


So this is Apple designed, but has Sony on it, and looks almost entirely like an iPhone 4.

If Apple "drew inspiration" from Sony for this, so when people say Sony copied the iPhone 4's design with the Vita, Sony can say that they basically just "drew inspiration" from Sony's own devices.
 
Some of these designs are potential hits and others are clear misses but I'm glad to have seen them.

From a design perspective, I really appreciate having seen these documents. It gives me an insight into how much work and literally "returning to the drawing board" a product can undergo in the design process.
 
I've always thought that the 4 and 4s resembled something that Sony would design because of the chrome and industrial look. Its good to see that Ives thought the same.
 
Funny enough, if it WAS included, we'd have a "thank god we never got that ugly rounded square"

Not if someone didn't read English. :p

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I notice that in all the pictures they are using Snow Leopard. Also the ones with AutoDesk Alias.
 
Amazing that they basically had the iPhone 4 design in 2006 but decided to release a lesser design for the original iPhone (and 3G/ 3GS) in 2007...

If Apple used that design for the original iPhone, LG Prada would have sued. That is why the design was delayed till 2010 when everybody had forgotten about some silly Asian company that knows nothing about style (sarcasm).
 
But "The iphone design is obvious!", so why on earth are there all these alternative design prototypes... I mean, it's not like they took a long time on working out the exact way a phone like this should look, because that would mean the design patent might be a valid use of the patent system. :rolleyes:

Only people who haven't had to design anything before thinks design is easy.
 
Looks like the Motorola Photon 4G.

thank you for posting that. will people now believe that others can design independently? despite of having 8 edges, the overall basic shape is still a rectangle. as it has always been for nearly 99% of handsets. same goes for tablets. albeit different dimensions of course. after all how different could an object look if it is to maintain rectangular shape? so i have difficulty understanding when people say iphone is copied by company X. i mean, copy exactly what? the shape? the color? is only apple allowed to make rectangular shaped phones and tablets now? it's very easy to accuse (such generalization) but harder to defend with specific examples.
 
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