Would you buy a QWERTY Apple iPhone?
Five years on from its 2007 release, the iPhone continues to be the phone to beat. Its multi-touch display kickstarted a phone phenomenon. However, things could have been very different. Ex-Apple executive Tony Fadell says Apple considered a physical QWERTY keyboard and iPod-style click wheel..
Speaking to The Verge Fadell says that discussions over a QWERTY keyboard were a “heated topic”, with some in the company wanting to go with a physical keyboard, and others not so willing.
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But even Fadell was unsure whether the multitouch display we have today would have worked, but he wanted to give it a go.
“I didn’t know a lot about touchscreens and I was sceptical, so I wanted to try it first. I wanted it to work because it made sense to have a big screen and not just a little keyboard,” he said.
Fadell revealed that Apple had three prototypes lined up, one of which was iPod-like, with a wheel.
“There were three different types of iPhone. There was an iPod + Phone, then there was the iPhone and then there was the next generation iPhone, which was the one that actually showed up.”
“The biggest problem with the iPod + Phone was that we had this little wheel… Sometimes you have to try things to throw them away.”
It’s safe to say the decision to go multitouch was the right one. Since them we’ve seen every major smartphone manufacturer implement capacitive displays that work without the need for a stylus. Even the Samsung Galaxy series could have been very different were it not for the original iPhone. Would you have purchased a QWERTY iPhone?
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User comments (3)
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Anonymous30 April 2012
I don't think a physical qwerty keyboard would be a good idea because it hasn't worked out well for blackberry and it would take up a lot of room and weight, it would make it annoying having to slide it up to input text or it would be in your way if it was permanently there and also the current one is good enough (even though it might be a bit slow on fast typing and not input it automatically) because it lets you know if you are actually typing something because the keyboard is there, instead of typing everything and having to write it out again. It is good enough how it is!
Report as inappropriateferdaus04 May 2012
i think it would work if it was slide out to the side and if the made the phone really tough so that you would not need a case. it worked for the blackberry torch why wouldn't it work for the iPhone. BUT THEY NEED A BIGGER BATTERY AND TO IMPROVE THE SIGNAL FIRST BEFORE ANYTHING.I WOULD NOT MIND A THICKER PHONE IF IT HAD BETTER BATTERY. the physical key board would also mean more apple customers and longer battery life from using the screen less.
Report as inappropriateKay17 May 2012
What???? It has got a qwerty keyboard, just touch screen! Unless I'm mistaken? But I'm typing from it right now! X
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