This is the unassuming secret room in which the original iPhone was born

Apple’s senior software engineer Greg Christie described the very first iPhone’s origin story to The Wall Street Journal, and it really highlights just how far we’ve come.

In a secret windowless room with water damage on one wall and a ‘Think Different’ poster adorning another, Christie and his team shackled together a giant fankenphone to test out what would later turn into iOS.

An old Mac chosen to mimic the power of weaker mobile hardware was running the early version of the original iPhone’s software, which was displayed on a large touchscreen codenamed ‘Wallaby’.

Christie and his team frantically worked to build and expand those very early sparks of iOS, having been motivated by Steve Jobs’ ultimatum to produce something tangible within two weeks, or lose the iPhone project to another team.

Cleaners weren’t allowed inside the unassuing room, and very few people had access to it. Jobs also ensured that everyone in on the project encrypted any images of the device, to avoid any leaks. 

Challenges tackled and won in the room by Christie’s small team included how to rearrange text messages into an IM-style group of conversations as opposed to random texts listed in chronological order, as well as cracking the ‘bounce effect’ when scrolling to the end of a list.

Two progress reports were delivered directly to Jobs each month inside the room, and eventually, in 2005, the iPhone design was signed off by Steve Jobs, Sir Jony Ive and Apple director Bill Cambell.

The sneak peek into the early history of the iPhone comes as a result of Apple’s upcoming patent infringement trial against Samsung, which will be kicking off soon.

If more information like this is shared each time, then they can have all the patent trials they want as far as we’re concerned. 

READ MORE: These are the guts of the very first Apple Mac – can you spot the 128KB of RAM?

[The Wall Street Journal via Mac Rumors]

Esat Dedezade Contributor

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Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.