this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2023
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• Steve Jobs faked full signal strength and swapped devices during the first iPhone demo due to fragile prototypes and bug-riddled software.

• Engineers got drunk during the presentation to calm their nerves.

• Despite the challenges, Jobs successfully completed the 90-minute demonstration without any noticeable issues.

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[–] aeronmelon@lemm.ee 100 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Calling the stage units prototypes is being nice. The reality was that at that point the iPhone had barely gotten to a proof of concept stage. Months before this event, the developers were still using a giant desktop tower to simulate the phone's hardware.

That the photos of the phone were real and not concept art, that the stage units weren't just unusable rubber dummies was a magic trick itself.

When the developers revealed years later that the iPhone presentation (just the presentation, not even the actual launch) was a make or break moment for the company, they absolutely were not kidding.

And then they went from "should not even be working" test units to fully functional production units in six months!

Whatever your opinion of Jobs or Apple, credit where credit is due.

[–] nyar@lemmy.world 82 points 1 year ago

To the engineers.

[–] 1847953620@lemmy.world 54 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Jobs: Ass

Apple: Ass

Engineers: overworked

[–] LWD@lemm.ee 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[–] Mereo@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago

This is marketing. Showing the phone as a working product ready to be shipped is a tactic to scare off the competition, demonstrate that you have the upper hand, and entice customers to buy it.

That is marketing in our capitalist system. I'm not saying it's right, just that it's a fact.