The original iPod ‘prototype’ was an Apple design to prevent leaks
Photo by Panic It's hard to believe that the prototype for the original iPod is something that you can't even fit into your pocket. Panic, a software development group for macOS and iOS, dredged up the prototype for the original iPod - something that Apple probably never wanted to see again - in honor of the iPod's 20th anniversary (via 9to5Mac).
Photo by PanicAs funny as it would be if Apple was actually trying to make the iPod look like a failed attempt at a pocket-sized DVD player, that's (sadly) not the case. A tweet from Tony Fadell, the inventor of the iPod, confirms that the prototype was designed to prevent the real iPod design from getting leaked ahead of its launch.
This is a P68/Dulcimer iPod prototype we (very...