Apple designer takes the stand, shows off more prototypes

posted by Alan F.

Aug 01, 2012, 12:16 AM

Apple designer takes the stand, shows off more prototypes

Apple Industrial Designer Christopher Stringer took the stand at the event that has the world tuned in for drama, the Apple v. Samsung District Court trial. Day 2 saw both sides make their opening statements with Apple claiming that Samsung would be using the ole "Devil made me do it" defense while Samsung said that while it competed against the Apple iPhone, it never copied it.

Courtroom sketch of Christopher Stringer's testimony

During his testimony, Stringer revealed that Apple has a small group of 15 or 16 that design all of the tech titan's products, and do this while sitting around a kitchen table. Next comes a design put through a CAD program and if warranted,a physical version is next. Stringer, who said that there could be 50 designs for something as mundane as a button, said this is the process that led to the design of the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad. With the iPhone, Stringer said Apple wanted a design that would make people say "Wow!" because Apple was new to the market. Stringer, whose immediate boss is design chief Jonathan Ive, says he has been involved with every product developed by Apple since he arrived at Cupertino in 1995.

While on the stand, Stringer testified to an interesting historical note. On the back of one of the many pictured Apple iPhone and Apple iPad prototypes he brought to court (see below) was an iPhone labeled iPod on the back. When asked by the court for the reasoning behind this, Stringer said that either Apple was using that name before settling on using the iPhone moniker, or else it was trying to disguise the true identity of the product.

The trial continues tomorrow.

source: TheVerge, AllThingsD,

Apple iPhone and Apple iPad Prototypes

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31 Comments

27. Aeires unregistered

Some of these designs actually look great. Looking at what they released and are still releasing, seems like their designs are going backwards from a style aspect. And get rid of that clunky home button already. They make a decent looking phone but dumb it down to kindergarten level with the home button.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 7:07 AM 0

24. Reverence

Posts: 224; Member since: Jul 16, 2012

These prototypes are useless becuz apple will never change the front of their devices and for the back the max they will do is that they will remove that iGLASS.......and then they will say its an all new design!

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 3:52 AM 0

20. taco50

Posts: 5506; Member since: Oct 08, 2009

I think it's cool how much care Apple takes to make a product. 50 prototype to just make a button.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 2:36 AM 2

30. gallitoking

Posts: 4721; Member since: May 17, 2011

is the same thing Motorola is doing. with the RAZR.. but they called them HD Maxx Droid 4, and whatever they can come up with..

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 4:55 PM 1

13. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

other than the fact that those prototypes look pretty much like other phones at the time.. there is nothing non descript out of them. They are plain, minimalist squares and rectangles. The only difinitive apple mark is the logo on it. They dont have a trademark for "square/rectangle + minimalist".

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 1:54 AM 1

11. chemhaz

Posts: 161; Member since: May 04, 2012

In the images above I see a couple of LG look a liikes. With so many prototypes from Apple, I'm sure other manufacturers have dozens that fell by the way side, there is bound to be similarities........ after all there isn’t much you can do with a candy bar touch screen device without making it ridiculous. If anything Samsung have huge variations, the large chrome bezel on the iPhone for example is an eyesore, it distracts the user from the screen especially when light reflects off it....... bad design, on my old SGS, it had a non reflective metallic bezel.... or maybe that how I remember it towards it's end days. Oh and what about the useful menu and back touch buttons on the Samsung, a huge difference/improvement. Front facing camera.... I had never mistaken a boring one button face of the iPhone for a SGS. Personally I think Apple hoped they made a phone as advanced as the original SGS and have been in damage control ever since.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 1:22 AM 1

10. Hammerfest

Posts: 384; Member since: May 12, 2012

In my own view at least, Samsung Android devices took after: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LifeDrive rather then anything else... they compressed the 4 buttons down and kept the aspect for the center button Which was released in 2k5 but was designed prior I look at this and think leveled screen area and singular row of interface buttons are the only changes made... maybe PALM er HP should sue!!!!

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 1:20 AM 0

12. Hammerfest

Posts: 384; Member since: May 12, 2012

anyone with remotely ANY interest should take a look at PALM and HP devices PRIOR (as in PRIOR art) to the iPhones "supposed" 2005 renders, both Samsung, Sony, and Apple take design aspects from Palm devices, sure, they where changed, but NOT enough to warrant "billions" of dollars in lost sales... The BIGGEST differences I can see between the Lifedrive and newer devices is the screens... honestly... and it was GOING in that direction anyway because hardware design was making it possible, not because Apple had a wild hair idea up their arse... lets not forget that the middle button on the Samsung looks almost EXACTLY like the Palm devices rather then the Apple ones... I feel old... and yet im only in my late 20's...

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 1:31 AM 1

8. wendygarett unregistered

Pic #8 9 10 for me The rest are brick...

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 1:09 AM 1

14. cepcamba

Posts: 717; Member since: Feb 27, 2012

8 and 9 looks like HTCs :p

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 1:58 AM 2

5. Roomaku

Posts: 278; Member since: Feb 06, 2012

Im suprised Apple hasn't taken Nokia to court yet over the n9 or something... Honestly just wish Apple would bite there tongue on this and let everyone move on to making phones, because after all your design and work you put in makes the product great regardless of what others are doing.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 12:58 AM 2

7. bachelorrn0121

Posts: 57; Member since: Jul 13, 2012

because nokia has low sales of their phone.. if nokia surpass the iphone sale. they will bring it to the court.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 1:06 AM 6

16. JC557

Posts: 1927; Member since: Dec 07, 2011

Of course Nokia did bring a somewhat successful lawsuit to Apple but the result was basically peanuts. I've seen similar designs in the past before the iPhone made its debut but from small companies and some from the giants we have today. The problem was the tech wasn't fully available: die shrinkage, low power RAM, mass production on high tech screens, etc. I remember picking up copies of MaximumPC, PCWorld, and some mobile mags back in 2003 - 2005 that showed the future to come and some of it resembles what we have available now. Not to mention the stuff from Star Trek in which many nerds have helped bring many of those devices to life or are in the process of. Also from our friend and genius from Xerox: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laApNiNpnvI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8lCetZ_57g HP would like to have a word:http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonhiner/4540423971/ I can post more stuff

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 2:01 AM 1

17. JC557

Posts: 1927; Member since: Dec 07, 2011

Another nugget: Go Corporation http://www.businessinsider.com/startup-failures-2011-5?op=1

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 2:02 AM 0

25. jackhammeR

Posts: 1548; Member since: Oct 17, 2011

Nokia is too powerful when it comes to patents and like someone said above, not enough handsets were sold to push apple to take Nokia to the court...we all know how apple works.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 4:06 AM 1

3. pikapowerize

Posts: 1869; Member since: May 03, 2012

i kinda like the prototype... looks nokia-ish (n9 but thinner) but i likey!!!! i hope apple debut this phone!!!

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 12:33 AM 5

2. pikapowerize

Posts: 1869; Member since: May 03, 2012

GO APPLE..... i mean it!!!!!

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 12:28 AM 8

4. mas11

Posts: 1034; Member since: Mar 30, 2012

Then you really don't care about the consumer.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 12:37 AM 11

23. pikapowerize

Posts: 1869; Member since: May 03, 2012

didnt see the sarcasm there? go apple...

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 3:41 AM 2

9. Rocksteady unregistered

Can't you see how broad the designs are?! This way they can sue anyone who tries to invent or create new phones or pads, which leads to complete market control. If this works out as apple plans in their sick minds, then they can demand ridiculous prices for their products, and the consumer's got no choice but to pay and go under the control of their operating system.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 1:13 AM 6

15. taco50

Posts: 5506; Member since: Oct 08, 2009

The issue is that Samsung took great care to have their product look like the iPhone. You don't see the Razr getting sued for example.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 1:58 AM 2

18. p0rkguy

Posts: 685; Member since: Nov 23, 2010

Because attacking Motorola would mean attacking Google head on. Google is too powerful for Apple. The most used search engine along with the most visited site at ~10m+/day, Apple doesn't really stand a chance no matter how big of a cult it is. They are trying to nibble on Android through Samsung though.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 2:33 AM 3

19. taco50

Posts: 5506; Member since: Oct 08, 2009

Apple is suing Motorola so there goes your point out the window.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 2:35 AM 3

22. p0rkguy

Posts: 685; Member since: Nov 23, 2010

They're suing over a Qualcomm license. Which is a counter-sue. Apple isn't attacking, they're defending. Let me know when Apple actually attacks Motorola.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 3:35 AM 2

31. jalva30

Posts: 14; Member since: Jul 07, 2012

Haha it's funny how most of the "prototypes" look like Nokia or Sony designs! Come on apple all smart phones are "candy bar" design they all are going to be rectangular!! Is everyone suppose to make triangle shaped phones! ?

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 9:05 PM 0

26. Aeires unregistered

A lot of what you said is actually happening. They do demand ridiculous prices and consumers do go under Apple's control with iOS.

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 7:04 AM 1

21. nastynaps

Posts: 93; Member since: Aug 16, 2011

Maybe he means go apple, like go away?

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 3:10 AM 2

29. Ohrules

Posts: 327; Member since: Jun 11, 2012

that's why he said "i mean it"

posted on Aug 01, 2012, 1:00 PM 1

1. p0rkguy

Posts: 685; Member since: Nov 23, 2010

Prototypes don't really mean anything anymore. Any large scale businesses will consist over a million designs. They can probably throw out triangle designs and still have them somewhere. Designs are submitted everyday, the public product is just the one that made it through.