William Gallagher
A purported first generation iPad prototype has been shown with two 30-pin ports for charging in either portrait or landscape.
Giulio Zompetti, who collects rare Apple devices, has shown off images of what he claims is a first-generation iPad test design. As with a model that was auctioned on eBay in 2012, it shows a dual charging system.
Here is a detailed view of both the hardware interfaces. #AppleCollection #Apple #iPad #prototype pic.twitter.com/CcWWAUPcz9
— Giulio Zompetti (@1nsane_dev) March 27, 2021
Images on eBay for the 2012 auction concentrated on the screen and interior of the device. Then others revealed in court filings showed a thicker iPad design.
These new photographs of a model that appears to also date from before the design was finalized, show a slightly bulbous back. However, the main feature is the presence of two docks, which Zompetti says allowed for concurrent charging.
In October 2010, after the iPad had gone on sale, purported photos of the read of a prototype also showed openings for two 30-pin dock connectors.
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2 Comments
I remember reading about this some time ago. There were two ports on it until they started practising for Steve's demo, and no matter what they tried they couldn't get the product shots to look right. Eventually the guy doing those shots just Photoshopped the port out when it was being held in portrait mode and Steve loved it. Then he realised what had been done and told the dev team they had to remove the second port.
The fact they’ve not found a solution for this problem (nor has anyone else), even a decade later, is an annoyance.