I can't find any explicit denials by Apple, though. Digging through some 2005-2006 news archives, I find Apple denying some specific rumors, but neither confirming nor denying whether they would come out with a phone in general.
They (Apple) were actually working on a phone in 2005 which they announced in September of that year - the first "iPhone" before the iPhone - http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/rokr/. Of course, that turned out to be a crapfest noone was happy about and Jobs couldn't help wincing even while presenting it.
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I know Google did, e.g. here's a 2007 story on that: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/general/108490/google-denies-...
I can't find any explicit denials by Apple, though. Digging through some 2005-2006 news archives, I find Apple denying some specific rumors, but neither confirming nor denying whether they would come out with a phone in general.
They (Apple) were actually working on a phone in 2005 which they announced in September of that year - the first "iPhone" before the iPhone - http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/rokr/. Of course, that turned out to be a crapfest noone was happy about and Jobs couldn't help wincing even while presenting it.