By Julie Clover
Apple once developed a Tetris clone called Stacker, and the game was installed on a prototype third-generation iPod. AppleDemoYT, known for finding rare prototype devices, shared images and videos of an unreleased iPod.
The iPod in question is a “DVT” device, meaning it was an interim prototype that was still in the “design proof testing” phase. It has model number A1023, which is not a known model number for any version of the iPod Classic, and has a custom serial interface designed by an Apple engineer.
The third generation iPod was manufactured in week 14 of 2003 (more than a month before the release of the third generation iPod) and was purchased from an electronics recycler in China who sold it “as is” for parts . The device was not functional at the time of purchase, but was able to boot after replacing the hard drive flex cable.
The iPod is running a prototype version of iPodOS 2.0, one from the game “Stacker.” Stacker is a lot like Tetris, where Tetris pieces are moved from left to right using a scroll wheel. Pieces fall when you press the middle button, and the idea is to clear more rows at once to score points.
There are other games on the iPod, and they all have unreleased placeholder names. including Block0, Chopper and Klondike. The device also has a battery testing playlist that plays classic songs on a loop, suggesting that Apple used this iPod to test the battery life of the third-generation iPod before its release.
AppleDemoYT says , that he asked “Godfather of the iPod” Tony Fadell why the Stacker game was not released, and Fadell responded that it was because the games were added “with a later software release.”
Apple indeed added several games to the iPod 3G over time, including Brick, Solitaire, Parachute and Music Quiz. In 2006, Apple released games through the iTunes Store that people could purchase for later versions of the iPod, including the official version of Tetris.
Other games available on the iTunes Store included Bejeweled, Mini Golf, Mahjong, Zuma, Cubis 2 and Pac-Man, which appeared before the App Store.
Tag: Prototypes[ 25 comments ]
