Apple Shows Rare Prototypes Even Tim Cook Had Never Seen Before [Video]

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently joined The Wall Street Journal to look through a collection of rare company prototypes and archival documents as Apple marks its 50th anniversary.



Cook and WSJ columnist Ben Cohen reviewed items from Apple's archives, some of which Cook admitted he had never seen before. The collection included the patent application for the Apple II, which Cook noted was the first patent the company ever filed. Today, Apple holds over 140,000 patents. The interview follows Cook's recent open letter and television appearances reflecting on the company's five decades in business.


The pair also looked at a first-generation iPod from 2001. Cook, who joined Apple in 1998, recalled how groundbreaking it was to carry a thousand songs in your pocket instead of relying on a bulky CD changer. He pointed to the challenge of scaling production, noting that output grew to roughly 14 to 15 million units in a three-month period as demand increased.

A 2006 iPhone prototype tethered to a massive testing circuit board was also on display. Cook called the 2007 iPhone launch his favorite moment at Apple because it replaced what he described as a poor smartphone experience with a touch interface that "worked like your mind worked." He also shared a story from development, explaining how early testers scratched the plastic screens by putting the devices in their pockets with keys. This prompted a classic Steve Jobs mandate to switch the display to glass in just a few months, a massive engineering hurdle Cook described as a "man on the moon" project.

Moving to wearables, Cook looked at an early Apple Watch prototype that required a tethered iPhone to function. He noted the device was not originally envisioned as the health and fitness companion it later became. When asked about Apple's biggest failures over the last 50 years, Cook said the company treats failure as a chance to learn, getting up the next day and moving on to the next project.

Cohen briefly raised the idea of smart glasses, which Apple is reportedly developing. Cook laughed off the question, stating only that Apple's future lies at the intersection of hardware, software, and services to enrich users' lives. He also touched on executive succession, sharing the advice Steve Jobs gave him to never ask what Jobs would do, but to just do the right thing. Cook confirmed he plans to pass that exact advice to his eventual successor. The topic of leadership has been heavily discussed recently, with hardware chief John Ternus emerging as the likely candidate to take over the CEO role.


Take a look at the video below...