Early iPad prototype is really big compared with current iPads
New pictures show that the early iPad prototype discovered this week is a lot bigger and thicker than current iPads.
Known as the 035, the prototype iPad was discovered in court filings related to a case between Apple and Samsung, and pictures of the device were posted online Wednesday.
Those images show an Apple tablet that looks similar to what ultimately became the iPad, but with a design representative of its early 2000s time period that makes it look very similar to the iBook G4, a predecessor to the current line of MacBooks.
Buzzfeed posted more pictures from the filings on Thursday, and those images show that although the 035 is similar to current iPads, it is much bigger.
The images present the 035 lined up with the iPad 2. Not only does it look like the iPad 2 could fit within the touchscreen of the 035, it appears that the 035 is at least twice as thick as the iPad 2.
You can see more pictures of the 035-iPad 2 comparison on Buzzfeed.
Disregarding its size, the 035 is similar to current iPads, but the prototype lacks any cameras or a home button. A power button and volume control also appear to be missing.
There’s a good chance the 035 was a terrible device, but it’s pretty cool to view the iPad’s early roots and see that Apple already had a different vision for what tablets should be at a time when others were presenting offers that looked like this.
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