Being a collector of rare Apple-branded items must be exciting. The rest of us get to live vicariously through that person as they post photos of their finds on the internet. Which is how we get to see crazy things like translucent prototypes of existing products.
Newly-shared images of an early Apple Watch prototype with a ceramic back show that Apple did test the striking material long before the original Apple Watch model arrived back in 2014.
A leaked photograph picturing an Apple Watch prototype indicates that Apple a few years back considered bringing the iPad's Smart Connector to its wearable device.
Apple has a penchant for going to great lengths to protect its secrets, including concealing early Apple Watch prototypes in special cases resembling a bricked-phone design.
The iPhone 5s was available in three color options—White and Silver, White and Gold, as well as Space Gray and Black—but Apple was also testing an unreleased Black and Slate variant.
More than six years ago, an Apple engineer mistakenly left an iPhone 4 prototype on a bar stool in a nice German beer garden in Redwood City, California. The rest, as they say, is history.
The random dude who originally found it didn't really have a clue he'd gotten hold of Apple's biggest secret at the time as the prototype device was cleverly disguised as an ordinary iPhone 3GS.
Australian leakster Sonny Dickson gave MacRumors a closer look at a special stealth case Apple uses to prevent leaks and conceal handset prototypes during transport between its Cupertino headquarters and manufacturing partners in China.
iPhone manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group is building a new research and development facility in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen to help Apple build prototypes of new products, Nikkei Asian Review reported Wednesday. According to two people familiar with the matter, plans call for the new facility to be located next to Apple's upcoming research and development center in Shenzhen.
New photos and a video have surfaced online showing an early-stage prototype of the original iPhone with a click wheel interface. Noted tipster Sonny Dickson is behind the leak, who says Apple called the operating system "Acorn OS."
As you can see in the images, Acorn OS's interface closely resembled that of the iPod, with a touchscreen click wheel and a small gray menu. You can also see phone functions like Dial and SMS, and features like Contacts and Notes.
In a follow-up to his 2012 book 'Design Forward,' industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger released 'Keep it Simple' late last year. The book talks about the collaboration between Esslinger and Steve Jobs during the mid-80s, which led to the creation of several iconic Apple products.
For a little context, Esslinger founded the design firm 'Frog' in 1969, which was contracted by Apple in 1982. Most notably, the firm developed the 'Snow White' design language for Cupertino company, but it was also responsible for designer a number of lesser known prototypes...
The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that Google is building a new tablet with advanced 3D imaging capabilities. The device is being developed as part of the company's 'Project Tango,' which produced a smartphone back in February.
Citing sources familiar with the project, the news outlet says that the tablet has a 7-inch display and is equipped with two rear cameras, infrared depth sensors, and advanced software that can capture precise three-dimensional images of objects...
Both Apple and Google are believed to be working on wearable devices right now with plans to release them before the end of the year. And while we've seen zero physical evidence of Apple's iWatch project, some photos of an alleged Google smartwatch prototype just surfaced.
Android Police has posted photos of what appears to be a Motorola-branded smartwatch in an early development stage. The site says the device would have debuted with the "Google Watch" moniker as part of the Nexus family, but believes Google chose to go a different route...
An alleged iPhone prototype sold on eBay this morning for a staggering $1500. The handset appears to be in excellent condition, and the screenshots provided by the owner show the device running what looks like Apple's internal diagnostic software.
The seller specifically calls it an 'original iPhone engineering prototype,' with signal strength measurements etched on the rear casing. And he says he's selling it because his wife told him he had "too much stuff" and he needed to reduce his collection...