A recently revealed early iPhone prototype from early 2005 confirms that the device was originally tested in a size closer to the iPad—the first physical evidence of Steve Jobs’ 2010 revelation that the iPhone began life as a tablet project.
From early 2005, the early prototype features a 5” x 7” screen and a number of ports, including USB, Ethernet and serial ports.
An anonymous former Apple employee noted that “at that early date no one knew what (the final device) would be.” The prototype was never meant to be anything more than that, and Ethernet and serial ports were only included for development purposes.
