iPhone was 'nearly shelved'

The Independent reports.

Ive said Apple and its late founder, Steve Jobs, were so focused on excellence that they were willing to reject potential ideas because they were merely good rather than great.

“We nearly shelved the phone because we thought there were fundamental problems that we can't solve. With the early prototypes, I held the phone to my ear and my ear [would] dial the number,” The Telegraph quotes Ive as saying.

“You have to detect all sorts of ear-shapes and chin shapes, skin colour and hairdo...that was one of just many examples where we really thought, perhaps this isn't going to work.”

Although seemingly unrelated, the comments come soon after early prototypes of the iPhone were unveiled, thanks to an impending patent lawsuit between Apple and Samsung, writes eWeek.

In Samsung's filing attachments were photos of iPhones and iPads in early design stages, some looking very similar to the first generation iPhone that eventually debuted in 2007, but a few that suggested a boxier design or different color schemes.

Since its debut, Apple has sold around 250 million iPhones worldwide, with anticipation reaching fever pitch as the company plans for the release of the newest version of the handset, commonly referred to as the iPhone 5, sometime this fall.