The first Apple Watch was launched in April 2015, but Apple had started working on the device long before that. Now, thanks to rare Apple device collector Giulio Zompetti, we can take a look at one of them first prototypes of the Apple Watchbuilt more than a year before its official launch.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a pre-production prototype of the original Apple Watch. In 2021, Zompetti had already shared images of a prototype from early 2014. However, the photos were shared 9to5Mac they show a prototype from December 2013.
According to the collector, this prototype runs a version of SwitchBoard based on an iOS 8 build for the iPod touch. For those who don’t know him, Switchboard is Apple’s internal launcher for testing hardware features. This allows engineers and people involved in the assembly process to check whether components such as the camera, display and speakers are working as expected.
On the back this prototype of Stainless steel Apple Watch It has the same layout as the 2014 prototype, with three heart rate sensors aligned horizontally. It also has generic laser markings instead of the final ones with the model number.
Zompetti lets you know that this Apple Watch has one different charger compared to the final version. Although it is similar to the current Apple Watch charger, this version is not compatible with other Apple Watch models. The Digital Crown also has a slightly different shape than the one used in the final version.
Apple Watch
