In 2002, Finnish startup MyOrigo built MyDevice, a prototype phone with finger-swipe navigation, auto-rotation, tilt-based scrolling, and internet browsing... ideas years ahead of their time.
When shown to Apple, Steve Jobs tried it himself and was notably intrigued by its web capabilities. Hmm....
Five years later, Jobs launched the iPhone, hailed as revolutionary for its multi-touch input, orientation sensing, smooth browsing, and minimal buttons.
Many of these echoed MyDevice’s concepts, making it a fascinating precursor that Jobs had seen firsthand... though Apple never acknowledged direct influence.