Scott Forstall to Discuss Creation of iPhone at Computer History Museum Next Week

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California has announced that former iOS chief Scott Forstall will sit down with journalist John Markoff on June 20 for a fireside chat about how the iPhone came to be.

scott forstall original iphone

Forstall was Apple's Vice President of iOS from 2007 until 2012

Forstall will be talking publicly about Apple for the first time since he was reportedly ousted from the company in October 2012, following the botched launch of Apple Maps. Forstall has maintained a quiet presence since then, although he did announce he was co-producing the Broadway musical Fun Home in 2015.

How did the iPhone come to be? The leader of the iPhone software team Scott Forstall sits down with Computer History Museum historian John Markoff to share his experience working with Steve Jobs on the secretive Apple iPhone project, codenamed "Project Purple."

Forstall's fireside chat will be preceded by a panel discussion with a trio of engineers from the original iPhone development team, Nitin Ganatra, Scott Herz, and Hugo Fiennes, who will talk about their work on the transformative device.

The two-part event is part of the Computer History Museum's ongoing "iPhone 360" project this year that explores the story of the iPhone, from its prehistory, inception, and launch, to its evolution and impact.

Coinciding with the 10th anniversary year of the iPhone launch in 2007, iPhone 360 includes integrated initiatives across the Computer History Museum to create new collections of artifacts and oral histories, scholarly research and insights, dynamic events, and educational content and curriculum.

"Putting Your Finger On It: Creating the iPhone" is scheduled for Tuesday between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Pacific Time at the museum's Exponential Center. Check-in begins at 6 p.m. Registration is available online.

June 20 also marks the release of the book The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone by Brian Merchant, in which Forstall is quoted. Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller and former iPod chief Tony Fadell have both turned to Twitter in recent days to refute some of the book's contents.

Popular Stories

apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...
streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
General Apps Messages Redux

Singapore Orders Changes to iMessage by December

Tuesday November 25, 2025 6:39 am PST by
Singapore has ordered Apple to block or filter messages on iMessage that impersonate government agencies, requiring the company to implement new anti-spoofing protections by December as part of efforts to curb rising online scams, the Straits Times reports. Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it had issued an Implementation Directive to Apple under the Online Criminal Harms...

Top Rated Comments

sza Avatar
110 months ago
He should replace Tim as CEO.
Score: 54 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hawkeye_a Avatar
110 months ago
Scott you should have just dropped your ego and said sorry about Apple Maps. Sucks you were so difficult to work with and got fired.
We've missed you and your ego is why we haven't heard any news from you for years. You've become that guy that has already done his best work. Thank you for it but man, you could have done so much more. I hate egos sometimes.
I respect Forstall for not giving in and apologizing for something which wasn't his fault (data). He could have taken the "easy" route and apologized just to kept his job. IMHO Cook was behaving like a goon and a bully. Steve Jobs would have never apologized or pandered to 'haters'. Kudos Forstall, we miss your work.
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FSMBP Avatar
110 months ago
I respect Forstall for not giving in and apologizing for something which wasn't his fault (data). Cook was IMHO a goon and a bully, trying to appease the 'gate-masses', something Steve Jobs would have never done. Kudos Forstall, we miss your work.
I agree...no matter what you say about him, iOS was stable & solid prior to iOS 7. It definitely had bugs here and there but nothing like iOS 7 - 9.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zahuh Avatar
110 months ago
Scott you should have just dropped your ego and said sorry about Apple Maps. Sucks you were so difficult to work with and got fired.
We've missed you and your ego is why we haven't heard any news from you for years. You've become that guy that has already done his best work. Thank you for it but man, you could have done so much more. I hate egos sometimes.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
meaning-matters Avatar
110 months ago
iOS looked BAD after he left.

Most ridiculous the weather app:
- tiny outline weather symbols - unreadable (fixed first)
- no degrees symbol - confusing (fixed later)
- tiny blue rain stripes on blue background - invisible (not fixed yet)

About the second point: In Europe the Celsius temperature and hour values are often in the same range. And they can step up in sync in the morning. You had no idea what was what; just RIDICULOUS. In CA with Fahrenheit scale you don't have this issue. I've wondered if that's why Ive wandered.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joshwenke Avatar
110 months ago
Remember Game Center? :p
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)