Wired magazine has published a lengthy and very interesting article about the conception and birth of the iPhone.

The 4 page article entitled “How the iPhone Blew Up the Wireless Industry,” reveals previously unknown details surrounding the development of the iPhone.

Sources disclosed to the publication that up to $150 million was spent of the research and development of the iPhone.

“To make sure the iPhone didn’t generate too much radiation, Apple built models of human heads — complete with goo to simulate brain density — and measured the effects,” wrote Wired’s Fred Vogelstein. “To predict the iPhone’s performance on a network, Apple engineers bought nearly a dozen server-sized radio-frequency simulators for millions of dollars apiece.”

The entire story began after the failed partnership with Motorola, the ROKR handset was the first iPod and phone convergence but was branded a disaster, at this point, Apple CEO Steve Jobs knew what was required.

Jobs reportedly met with Cingular in February of 2005 to discuss a Motorola-free partnership, during the meeting Jobs laid out three key points to Cingular chief, Stan Sigman.

- Apple had the technology to build something truly revolutionary, “light-years ahead of anything else.”
- Apple was prepared to consider an exclusive arrangement to get that deal done.
- But Apple was also prepared to buy wireless minutes wholesale and become a de facto carrier itself.

Jobs was reportedly confident of his promises as Apple hardware engineers had spent over two years working on touchscreen technology for a tablet PC and had convinced him that they could build a similar interface for a phone.

Through the entire process the highest level of secrecy was being kept with the project being known as P2, P1 reportedly being another iPod phone project.

The article continues to write about how hardware and software engineers never met, most not knowing what they were working on. “Whenever Apple executives traveled to Cingular, they registered as employees of Infineon, the company Apple was using to make the phone’s transmitter,” Wired claims.

In January 2007, Jobs announced the iPhone at Macworld, only 30 or so of the most senior people on the project had seen it.