See the very first iPhone prototype: The Apple design was 2 inches thick and had a huge 5"x7¿ screen Before the slim and sleek iPhone we've all come to know and love there was a much bulkier prototype that was about the same size as an iPad Mini. Apple fans have seen all kinds of iPhone prototypes appear on the Internet over the years, most of which have been similar to the first iPhone that was released in 2007 or later models. Not this one. First iPhone design: The early prototype is about 5"×7" and approximately two inches thick The early iPhone prototype has a number of ports typically found on desktop computers, including USB ports, an Ethernet port, and even a serial port The technology news and information website Ars Technica recently received photos showing an in-house version of the iPhone from early 2005. The images were sent to Ars Technica by a former Apple employee who worked on various company hardware projects in the early 2000s and was able to witness some of the earliest versions of the iPhone first-hand. The former employee asked not to be named out of fear that Apple might retaliate. The early iPhone prototype has a number of ports typically found on desktop computers, including USB ports, an Ethernet port, and even a serial port. Apple never intended for all of these to make it into the final product, the former employee told Ars Technica. First manufactured iPhone: The first Apple iPhone displayed behind a glass enclosure at the Macworld Conference on January 9, 2007 in San Francisco The former employee said that since the device was a development prototype, the extra ports were included to make working on the device easier. The early prototype is about 5"×7" and approximately two inches thick. 'Seems large now,' the former Apple employee told Ars Technica, 'but at the time it was really impressive seeing basically a version of OS X running on it.' The latest model: Apple's iPhone 5 on display in an Apple store in Paris on September 21, 2012