California Governor Newsom once said: Steve Jobs once showed him the first-generation iPhone in advance.

IT Home, February 25 — According to today’s report by Business Insider, California Governor Gavin Newsom revealed in his new book that he had seen an actual prototype of the original iPhone before its official release.

In his memoir, Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery, Newsom wrote that during his tenure as San Francisco mayor, he met with several tech industry leaders in a penthouse suite at the Fairmont Hotel.

Among these industry giants were Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, as well as Steve Jobs, who was then CEO of Apple. “In the room, I was the only one wearing a suit and tie. Sergey and Larry were in T-shirts. I remember Steve wearing blue jeans and a black turtleneck.”

Newsom recalled that Jobs pulled him and Google co-founders aside and showed them an unprecedented sleek device: a solid piece of glass, without a keyboard, that could be held in one hand. “He was swiping on the screen, and we all exclaimed ‘Wow!’ He let each of us swipe it, and I said ‘Wow’ again.”

Summary of some content from IT Home:

We clearly realized that what he shared was akin to state secrets—proprietary technology in the fullest sense, potentially making him a billionaire. But Steve didn’t seem to care about that. He just wanted us to understand how it worked internally, to share the creativity behind its elegant design, perhaps with a touch of showmanship. As an old art history student, I couldn’t help but wonder if San Francisco at the turn of the century possessed a spirit similar to Florence on the eve of the Renaissance.

Newsom used this story to illustrate the rise of San Francisco’s tech industry, which almost paralleled his own growth from a local politician to mayor. “We matured at the same time and place. We both started with a ‘nothing to lose’ mindset.”

He also mentioned that he gained “quite a few insights” from friends in the tech industry. “If you think San Francisco can solve problems by clinging to old visions, you’ll miss the magic that technology brings.”

The report notes that today’s iPhone has become Apple’s main source of revenue. Apple’s total revenue last quarter was $143.8 billion (IT Home notes: approximately 990.665 billion RMB at current exchange rates), with over $85.3 billion (approximately 587.648 billion RMB) coming from iPhone sales.