That “Sony-style” iPhone 4-looking mockup from 2006? It's actually based on an earlier design from 2005, codenamed “purple.” Which is a small detail, perhaps, but it shows that the Apple design process isn't magical — it's very, very iterative, as much hard work as it brilliance. All Things D has a few more prototypes, like this one , showing just how true that is.
LINK: The iPhone 4 Design Goes All The Way Back To 2005
That "Sony-style" iPhone 4-looking mockup from 2006? It's actually based on an earlier design from 2005, codenamed "purple." Which is a small detail, perhaps, but it shows that the Apple design process isn't magical — it's very, very iterative, as much hard work as it brilliance. All Things D has a few more prototypes, like this one, showing just how true that is.