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APPLE Inc. is the biggest technology company in the world, with an annual income in excess of £40 billion.

The success of the iPhone and Mac Book has been so globally dominating that other tech companies struggle to compete.

 From small beginnings, Apple is now a globally dominating brand
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From small beginnings, Apple is now a globally dominating brandCredit: EPA

But it hasn't always been that way.

In the early days of Apple, ideas for new technology were sprouting all over the place, and company's designers came up with some products they thought would change the market forever.

Unfortunately, a number of them never even made it past the prototype phase, and they were deemed too bizarre or not appealing enough for the public market.

Never given the chance to see the light of day, these are the strange Apple products that failed to make their production line.

The Dual-screen Mac

 The dual-screens were too small and impractical
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The dual-screens were too small and impracticalCredit: Imgur

While a great idea in essence, this product wasn't executed all that well.

Designed by Hartmut Esslinger, Apple's Dual-Screen Workstation was supposed to make it easier for users to multi task.

However, when it was produced the screens proved too small and its look wasn't very appealing, so the tech giant decided to scrap it from their production list.

The Octagon Phone

 Apple went for the rounded corner design for its production iPhone
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Apple went for the rounded corner design for its production iPhone

One of the possible design shapes for the early iPhone, the Octagon phone aggravated tensions between Apple and rivals Samsung.

As is clear in their current phone, Apple opted to round the corners on their rectangular phone rather than cutting them off.

The Bashful

 The Bashful developed into the Newton, which was a massive failure for Apple
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The Bashful developed into the Newton, which was a massive failure for AppleCredit: Twitter

Looking slightly like an early iPad, the Bashful was one of the prototypes prior to the Newton, which did make it to market.

Also called the Macintosh Surface, the Bashful would have come with a keyboard and a stylus pen has it made it to the factory.


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The product that did eventually make it to market, the Newton, was met with severe backlash as the personal digital assistants' hand writing recognition technology showed massive faults and frustrated users.

The Time Band

 The Time Band slightly missed the mark for an electronic watch
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The Time Band slightly missed the mark for an electronic watchCredit: Zac Davies/Flickr

Apple's first attempt at the electronic watch came in the form of a chunky wrist computer.

Its image was published only in Japan as a concept in Axis Magazine, but the 1991 idea never came to fruition - possibly because it looked more like something out of Inspector Gadget than a stylish watch.

They were on the right track though, as the Apple Watch continues to rise in popularity more than two decades later.

The MacPhone

 The Macphone was pushed aside so that the Mac could finished for the consumer market
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The Macphone was pushed aside so that the Mac could finished for the consumer marketCredit: Twitter

A product of the early 80s, the MacPhone was a combination of a landline phone, a tablet and the Mac processing.

The company produced two prototypes; the Apple Snow White 1 Tablet Mac and the Apple Snow White 3 Macphone between 1982 and 1984.

But rather than push these out, they focused their attention on developing the Mac, which was officially released in January 1984.

The N90

 The N90 may have been an early iPhone 4
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The N90 may have been an early iPhone 4

Taking a similar shape to the modern seventh generation iPod Nano, Apple's angular phone was likely an early prototype for the iPhone 4.

It also caught the attention of the Samsung patent row, and was scrapped from production.

The Concept 2

Designed by the same man who came up with the dual screen Mac, the "Concept 2" was a monitor far taller than it was wide.

Essentially one half of the dual screen design, the Concept 2 didn't seem practical enough to be successful on a global market.

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