Apple phone leaked video is... definitely not the iPhone

Makes the original iPhone look modern.
Image credit: TechRadar / Apple

At TechRadar we report on all the latest iPhone, iPad and Mac news and rumors, but a leaked video of a different Apple product has surfaced that's a little more old-school than any of these.

The WALT phone was an early Apple phone prototype that was never available to the public, and a video of it in use has been leaked by Sonny Dickson.

The footage shows someone scrolling through its address book, and hand-writing some notes using an attached pen.

Meet WALT

WALT isn't a WALL-E style cutesy name for a piece of tech – it stands for Wizzy Active Lifestyle Telephone (although we're not sure we'd deem 'Wizzy' any more professional).

It was shown off by Apple in 1983 but never made it to the public, and only a few prototypes have survived, and of those limited survivors we're not expecting many are used often – especially not with how slow the phone is to load in the video.

We can see some hints as to future Apple products though – its pen peripheral is reminiscent of the Apple Pencil, and a tablet-sized touchscreen that can also make calls is how modern iPads like the iPad Pro 11 work.

In the fast-moving world of tech a product like WALT seems archaic now, fast-bound for a museum (or rubbish dump), but it paved the way for later Apple products like the iPhone and iPad, so let's show it a little respect.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.


He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.