Redditor u/FizzyBeverage (You can tell I’m on Reddit a lot) found an old forum post on DSLReports.com. A person with the username Cortland predicted the iPhone with an entry called “Why Apple Must Come Out With iPhone:”
This is an important opportunity for Apple. And the window is a good three years. Right now Windows phones are stuck in a dead end with bugs, crashes and an operating system that needs to be purged. But their ego and inertia won’t let them backpedal.
Whether Cortland had inside information or just did some educated analysis, it’s an interesting comment. Not many people believed him/her either. User MacThrasher wrote in response: “I think the phone market is well saturated enough that the iPhone would not be much money for Apple.”
Check It Out: This Person Predicted the iPhone Two Years Before Launch
A LOT of people were predicting an Apple Phone in that time period. Admittedly I was on the doubting side, but I remember a lot of posts, and articles to that effect.