Apple as soon as designed a Tetris clone referred to as “Stacker,” with the sport featured on a prototype model of the third-generation iPod. AppleDemoYT, identified for sourcing uncommon prototype gadgets, shared pictures and a video of the unreleased iPod.
The iPod in query is a “DVT” gadget, which suggests it was a mid-stage prototype that was nonetheless in “Design Validation Testing.” It has a mannequin variety of A1023, which isn’t a identified mannequin variety of any model of an iPod Traditional, and had customized serial interfacing designed by an Apple engineer.
The third-generation iPod was manufactured in week 14 of 2003 (over a month earlier than the discharge of the third-generation iPod), and it was bought from an electronics recycler in China that offered it as is for elements. The gadget was non-functional when it was bought, however was capable of boot when the laborious drive flex cable was changed.
The iPod runs a prototype model of iPodOS 2.0, and one of many video games is “Stacker.” Stacker works rather a lot like Tetris, the place the Tetris items are moved from left to proper utilizing the scroll wheel. Items fall when the center button is pressed, and the thought is to clear extra strains directly to rack up factors.
There are different video games on the iPod, and all of them have placeholder non-release names, together with Block0, Chopper, and Klondike. There’s additionally a battery testing playlist on the gadget that has classical songs that play in a loop, suggesting Apple used this iPod to check the battery lifetime of the third-generation iPod earlier than it was launched.
AppleDemoYT says that he requested “iPod godfather” Tony Fadell why the Stacker recreation was not launched, and Fadell mentioned that it was as a result of video games had been added “with a later software release.”
Apple did add a number of video games to the iPod 3G over time, together with Brick, Solitaire, Parachute, and Music Quiz. In 2006, Apple launched video games by way of the iTunes Retailer that individuals may buy for later variations of the iPod, together with an official model of Tetris.
Different video games accessible by way of the iTunes Retailer included Bejeweled, Mini Golf, Mahjong, Zuma, Cubis 2, and Pac-Man, all of which pre-dated the App Retailer.