Latest iOS beta release includes a subtle tribute to the late Steve Jobs

Late last month we pointed out that the iPhone had celebrated its 15th year of existence. There are many iPhone users who aren’t old enough to remember the excitement and hype that was generated during and after the introduction of the device at Macworld which was hosted by the late Steve Jobs. If you do remember that day (January 9th, 2007), you might recall that the wallpaper used on the iPhone when it was first introduced showed a couple of Clownfish.

This wallpaper was also used on the first television ad for the iPhone, the famous “Hello” spot that showed  actors in various scenes from different movies answering a phone call and saying “Hello?” As iconic as this wallpaper became, it should be noted that Apple never shipped it for the iPhone. It was released for the Mac a couple of years after appearing in the iPhone commercial.

A tweet from Twitter user and self-proclaimed tech geek Jack Roberts points out that in iOS 16 Beta 3, the Clownfish wallpaper has returned as an option for some iPhone users. The tweet from Roberts caught the eye of Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman who disseminated a tweet reading, “Some users appear to be seeing a new Clownfish wallpaper in iOS 16 beta 3. This is the wallpaper Steve Jobs used when the original iPhone was announced in 2007 — but it never actually ever shipped with any iPhone. Here we are 15 years later.”

What we don’t know is whether Apple will include the Clownfish wallpaper with the final, stable version of iOS 16 which should be released in September. Additionally, not every person rocking an iPhone running iOS 16 Beta 3 has received the Clownfish wallpaper. It appears to be a completely random process.

This is Tim Cook and the rest of the crew in Cupertino saluting the man who had the vision to make Apple what it is today.