Steve Jobs' hidden agenda: The posthumous rumors

Since Steve Jobs died in early October, rumors have swirled about the iconic Apple co-founder's unfinished work. Earlier this week, it was reported that Jobs had wanted Apple to be its own wireless carrier, with the iPhone relying on Wi-Fi — not At&T, Verizon, or Sprint — for phone service. "He wanted to replace carriers," says wireless industry vet John Stanton, who had discussions with Jobs from 2005 to 2007. "He and I spent a lot of time talking about whether synthetically you could create a carrier using Wi-Fi spectrum. That was part of his vision." Here, three other rumors about Jobs' secret agenda that have surfaced since his death:

1. There was a true iPhone 5 — and Jobs killed it

When the iPhone 4S was introduced in October with the same body as the iPhone 4, many were initially disappointed that it wasn't the dramatically different, long-rumored iPhone 5. But, according to Business Insider, the mythical iPhone 5 did exist; it had a bigger screen, a slimmer profile, an aluminum back (like the iPad) in a rainbow of colors, and no physical home button. But a few months before the iPhone 4S announcement, Jobs reportedly killed the iPhone 5 over issues with battery life and concerns that the bigger screen "fragmented" the different iPhone models.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

2. Jobs had figured out how to revolutionize television

The tech god told his biographer, Walter Isaacon, that he wanted to create an easy-to-use integrated television set, which "would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud." Shortly before his death, he said he'd "cracked it" and figured out a way to revolutionize TV sets, just as he had computers, phones, and music players.

3. Jobs left behind a four-year plan

According to a Daily Mail report, Jobs left behind plans for fours years of Apple gadgets. The roadmap reportedly includes "blueprints for new iPads, iPods, iPhones, and MacBooks," and "groundbreaking products for four more generations."