Revealed: The Apple computer prototypes from the early 1980s which were the forerunners of today's iPads and MacBooks

It is a company which is renowned worldwide for its forward thinking and original designs.



But despite today's astonishing success of the iPhone and iPad, Apple has not always been successful.



Back in 1982, the firm - led by a 28-year-old Steve Jobs - was in crisis.

Forward thinking: Despite today's astonishing success of the iPhone and iPad, Apple has not always been successful. These pictures show early prototypes of new designs which would help revolutionise the firm

Bold: Apple turned to Hartmut Esslinger - the founder of frog design - to help revolutionise the company and, through design, transform it into the firm we know today

Future: These pictures reveal the very beginnings of the new ideas which would lead to the products many of us use today

As hard as it is to believe with the sleek designs of today, one of the main reasons for its failings was that its products were ugly.



So Apple turned to Hartmut Esslinger - the founder of Frog design - to help revolutionise the company and, through design, transform it into the firm we know today.

And these pictures reveal the very beginnings of those ideas which would lead to today's famous products.



In his new book, Mr Esslinger talks about his first 'life-changing and career-transforming' meeting with Steve Jobs in which he set out his proposals to take the firm forward.

Creative: Mr Esslinger was challenged by Apple to predict future developments such as flat screens, touch interfaces and the merging of telephones into computers Modern: Apple's MacBook engineered from durable, lightweight aluminium is a popular laptop option



Sleek: This model looks like a very early iPad

Exciting: The work Mr Esslinger and his team undertook helped produce the world's first concept of a wireless mobile flip-phone, a touch-pad computer, and a laptop computer with a screen as large as a keyboard and touch interface

Mr Esslinger was challenged by Apple to predict future developments such as flat screens, touch interfaces and the merging of telephones into computers.



And the work which he undertook back in Germany helped produce the world’s first concept of a wireless mobile flip-phone, a touch-pad computer, and a laptop computer with a screen as large as a keyboard and touch interface.



Discussing the moment Jobs showed off the new designs to his staff, Mr Esslinger wrote: 'When Steve presented the laptop Mac model to the Mac team during the final recess in 1983 as “the next Macintosh we will build,” they gasped in disbelief.



'But, I knew this work was extremely important. After more than a decade in electronic design, I had seen many technologies and companies come and go, and I was sure that Apple needed a design strategy that went beyond computer boxes, keyboards, mice, and monitors.

Amazed: When Steve Jobs showed off the new designs to his staff, they apparently gasped in disbelief

Way forward: Steve Jobs was really excited by the new designs Popular: Apple's iPad 2. The iPad was the original tablet computer first launched in the UK in April 2010 and now lots of companies have developed versions

Revolutionary: The new designs changed the way the company made its products

'For the final presentation, we turned a room at Apple’s Mariani building into a showroom. Even by today’s standards, it was one of the best presentations I can remember. Steve Jobs was really excited and so were Apple’s board members.'

The highly successful collaboration resulted in a new direction for Apple, as the world’s first digital consumer electronics company.



Jobs also advanced his understanding of products and their effects in the marketplace. He also embraced a new concept of simple shapes in plain white colours.



Simple: Much of the new design centrered around a plain white colour

Ideas: Hartmut Esslinger is the founder of Frog design This 1998 file photo shows Apple CEO Steve Jobs holding an earlier iMac computer