Apple Just Showed Us Rare Prototypes—Even Tim Cook Hasn't Seen Them | WSJ

TL;DR

WSJ got exclusive access to Apple's 50th anniversary archive, where even Tim Cook saw prototypes and documents for the first time.

Key Points

• 1.Apple's archive includes items Tim Cook had never personally seen before. Apple has no dedicated display space for its history, so many artifacts — including the company's first-ever patent filing for the Apple II and early iPhone circuit boards — were new to Cook himself when preparing for the 50th anniversary.
• 2.The original iPhone prototype was a massive circuit-board the size of a cutting board. Early iPhones also had a scratching problem from keys and change in pockets, prompting Steve Jobs to make a last-minute 'man on the moon' decision to switch to glass between January and June of launch.
• 3.The original Apple Watch prototype ran off an iPhone and was worn by Tim Cook on stage at its announcement. Cook says the watch's evolution into a health guardian — adding ECG and fitness features — was never envisioned at launch, and 'overnight successes' like the iPod, iPhone, and Watch all required years of continued innovation.
• 4.The WSJ presented Cook with the first-ever mention of Apple in the Journal — buried in paragraph 16 of a page-40 story in 1978 — and a 1998 clip about hiring a Compaq executive named Tim Cook. Cook called the 1978 clip spine-chilling and said his 50th-anniversary gratitude is for everyone who has been on the journey.