Project Purple: Behind the Scenes of How the iPhone Was Born

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Apple and Samsung are in the middle of a pretty big court battle, with close to $950 million on the line. While court proceedings are revving up again, Greg Christie, Apple's senior software engineer, dished out some details about his role in the creation of the iPhone in 2005. 

Back then, the project was codenamed "purple," and Christie and his small team were busy trying to perfect things like the speed of scrolling, sliding to unlock, placing calls from the address book, and bouncing when reaching the end of a list.

In late 2004, Mr. Christie was working on software for Apple’s Macintosh computers when Scott Forstall, a senior member of the company’s software team, walked into his office, closed the door and asked if he wanted to work on a secret project, codenamed “purple.” The team would develop a phone with an integrated music player, operated by a touch screen.

Christie had to give two progress reports to Steve Jobs every month, which took place in a windowless room where even cleaning people weren't allowed inside. Every image concerning the iPhone had to be encrypted at Jobs' demands, as well. Jobs ended up being dissatisfied with the work Christie and the team were doing, so he gave them two weeks to come up with something he liked, or he'd switch it to another team. 

"Steve had pretty much had it," said Mr. Christie, who still heads Apple's user-interface team. "He wanted bigger ideas and bigger concepts."

Christie was able to satisfy Jobs at the deadline, and shortly after they presented Jobs, Jony Ive, and Apple director Bill Cambell with designs for the phone, which they approved, and would launch two years later.

Check out the entire story at the Wall Street Journal.

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