Former Apple employee reveals 2005 iPhone dev kit, complete with 8.6-inch screen and serial port

Last summer, a number of iPhone and iPad prototypes were revealed as part of the Apple vs. Samsung patent lawsuit — but the device Ars Technica has uncovered is something else entirely. A former Apple employee sent the site images of what can be best referred to as a very early development kit. The massive screen measures about 8.6 inches on the diagonal, and its exposed circuit boards are on display for the world to see. The kit even includes a host of development ports, including a serial port and ethernet. In all likelihood, this 2005 device was meant solely for testing and developing the iOS UI. While it looks comically clunky and oversized right now, the former Apple employee told Ars that “at the time, it was really impressive seeing basically a version of OS X running on it.”