You have all heard about the security measures that Apple imposes on all its partners or those who test prototypes of new terminals. In what follows I will tell you story to a developer who received a prototype of an iPad tablet before it was released. The developer claims that he was the 6th person who received an iPad tablet in tests and the requirements of those from Apple started with a windowless room in which the tablet can be used. That room had to be constantly locked, the company that received the prototype being forced to change the locking mechanisms of the door that provided access to the room and only the developers working with the tablet would receive a key. Of course, Apple asked for all the data of the developers who worked with the tablet in order to know who has access to it and who could publish images of the prototype on the Internet.
The tablet was delivered in a special case that offered access only to the screen and that was connected to the table with the help of a bicycle chain. The developers couldn't figure out what shape the tablet had, only being able to connect to it and use its screen to test applications. Apple also took pictures of the table to which the tablet was attached in order to be able to identify it in case any picture of the product appeared on the Internet. Finally, the developers who worked there were not allowed to tell anyone about the work they were doing, not even their own bosses or wives. Basically, Apple imposed extremely strict security measures that kept the product away from the eyes of the media until the day of the launch when Engadget managed to obtain the picture above just an hour before the presentation of the tablet by Steve Jobs.
Having said that, now you know why a clear image of the iPhone 5 has not been published on the Internet.
I was probably the sixth person to get an iPad.
We got two of them blown out.
The criteria was that we had to have a room with no windows. They changed the locks on the door.
Three developers and I were the only people allowed to go in the room. Apple needed the names and social security numbers of the people who had access.
Apple needed to be able to drill a hole in the desk and chain the devices to the desk. They used those bicycle cables.
They had these custom frames built around them so we couldn't even tell what the iPads looked like. We could plug into them so we could code to them and we could touch the screen and play with that, but we couldn't see the form factor.
Then they took pictures of the wood grain. If any pictures leaked out, they could trace it back to which desk they came from.
I wasn't allowed to tell our CEO. I wasn't allowed to tell anybody anything about what we were doing. I couldn't even tell my wife. She was like, "You're going to get fired if this doesn't work."
