You are right on the date. Off by some months that year... in any case, just to make sure I'm not off again, we can just go back to an early iPaq, such as the 3100.
Announced in 2001. A mere six years before the iPhone was announced. Sure, doesn't look exactly like the iPhone, but if one can't see that the evolutionary footprint wasn't established, they aren't looking very hard.
Put it another way, if you show me an iPaq in 2001 and say in 10 years phones will look like the Samsung Galaxy my response would probably be, "disappointingly little will change over 10 years".
I agree completely. And if we're going that far back in time, I'd say that Apple's Newton MessagePad was closer to the iPhone than the iPAQ 3100 was.
So there we are, back where we started. I propose we just wait until we know exactly what Apple is suing Samsung for. To name one possibility, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple uses one of its multitouch patents against Samsung.
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2001pmc/pr2001012902...
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/10680_div/1068...
Announced in 2001. A mere six years before the iPhone was announced. Sure, doesn't look exactly like the iPhone, but if one can't see that the evolutionary footprint wasn't established, they aren't looking very hard.
Put it another way, if you show me an iPaq in 2001 and say in 10 years phones will look like the Samsung Galaxy my response would probably be, "disappointingly little will change over 10 years".