10 Products Apple Said it Would Never Make

Image via Complex Original

Did it make it?: No

When developing the Macintosh, Steve Jobs had a host demands for his engineering crew. One of them was that the mouse which was to accompany the new machine only have one mouse. Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, even asked Jobs if he thought consumers would fare better with two mouse buttons as opposed to one. Jobs, in usual fashion, responded with: "You know, Paul, this is all about simplicity versus complexity. And nobody needs more than one button on a mouse."

Did it make it?: Yes

In the early 2000s, Apple's iPod was the darling of the consumer electronics industry. The possibilities for the product seemed boundless. In 2004, rumors began to swirl around that Apple was going to introduce a version of the music player that also played video. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Jobs squashed the rumors saying, "One of the things we say around Apple, and I paraphrase Bill Clinton from the 1992 presidential race, is 'It's bout the music, stupid." Jobs went on to say that there is a difference in the way people listen to music and watch videos: "You can't watch a video and drive a car," he said. "We're focused on music."

Unsurprisingly, those rumors turned out to be true, as Apple released the iPod Video the following year.

Did it make it?: Yes, sort of

One of Steve Jobs's most infamous quotes occurred when he was speaking with the New York Times about the probability of Apple making the "iPod of Reading": "I doesn't matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don't read anymore… The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don't read anymore."

Years later, Apple would enter the e-reader market, not with an e-reader, but with its iBooks e-reader that would run on the iPad and iPhone, and iPod touch.

Did it make it?: Yes

Rumors of Apple creating a tablet sparked as soon as it released the iPod. However, before Apple removed the curtain and revealed its tablet, Steve Jobs went on the record with The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg and said "There are no plans to make a tablet…Tablets appeal to rich guys with plenty of other PCs and devices already."

We all know what happened next.

Did it make it?: Yes

In the same interview with Walt Mossberg, Steve Jobs also denied that the company was thinking of working on an cell phone. "We didn't think we'd do well in the cell phone business. What we've done instead is we've written what we think is some of the best software in the world to start syncing information between devices. We believe that mode is what cell phones need to get to."

Four years later, Apple would release the iPhone which, unsurprisingly, did just that.

Did it make it?: No

There are somethings Steve Jobs just didn't believe in. The stylus was one of them. When Apple released the iPhone, Steve Jobs took the stage and proclaimed that "Nobody wants a stylus." In 2010, while speaking at an iPhone OS 4 event, Steve let his true feelings go when asked about multitasking: "It's like we said on the iPad, if you see a stylus, they blew it."

To this day, no Apple product since the Newton has come with a stylus.

Did it make it?: No

Considering Apple's tight relationship with Intel, many wondered if Apple would use the behemoth's chips in its mobile products like the iPhone and iPad. The answer was no. Apple had no intentions of using Intel's technology on their future breadwinners. Why? We'll let Steve Jobs explain it to you.

"There were two reasons we didn't go with them. One was that they [the company] are just really slow. They're like a steamship, not very flexible. We're used to going pretty fast. Second is that we just didn't want to teach them everything, which they could go and sell to our competitors."

Did it make it?: No

Apple's recent relationship woes with once bosom-buddy Adobe has been well documented. In 2010, things came to a head when Apple announced it would not allow Adobe's Flash technology, the same technology that powers a good majority of video on the Internet, would not be supported on the iPhone or iPad. To address the issue, Steve Jobs took to Apple's website and penned an open letter titled "Thoughts on Flash" in which he outlined six reasons as to why you will never see an Apple product running flash.

We suggest you give it a read.

Did it make it?: No, not yet

It seems every few weeks there's a new rumor that insists Apple plans on releasing a smaller tablet. The rumors sprout from analysts, people who claim familiarity with Apple's supply chain, or folks who are just guessing. Looking at the current tablet market, it's easy to see why the masses believe Apple will create a companion for its best-selling iPad. However there's a one little thing they're overlooking: Steve Jobs' hate for smaller tablets.

In 2010, Jobs hopped on an October earnings call with share holders to explain why he thought making a smaller tablet was a horrible idea:

The reason we wouldn't make a 7-inch tablet isn't because we don't want to hit a price point, it's because we don't think you can make a great tablet with a 7-inch screen," Jobs said. "The 7-inch tablets are tweeners, too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with an iPad."

We'll see what happens in the fall.

Did it make it: No, not yet

The same thing goes for a larger iPhone. With Android devices sporting screens that border on pocket-busting, Apple has been under pressure to release a complimentary device that can compete with the 4-inch displays that seem to popular Best Buys all around the country. However, a source speaking to Business Insider said that the original version of the iPhone 5 was scrapped because the screen was too big and Jobs felt that the device's larger screen "fragmented" iPhones, which in turn would disrupt the simplicity of the product line.