4 ms·

Here are pictures of the letter: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=277770&partId=1&searchText=ur+

• wpietri 9y ago
  Ah that's interesting. It even has dimensions. It's 11.6 cm x 5 cm x 2.6 cm. In comparison, the latest iPhone is 14 cm x 7 cm x 0.7 cm. So this note was basically the size of a cellphone. Or as wide as a 3x5 card, but not as tall. Makes sense, I suppose. Factors that shape iPhones and 3x5 cards include easy handling, easy reading, and easy manual interaction.
  • acqq 9y ago
    11.5 cm was the height of the first iPhone and iPhone 4. That old(!) tablet fits that, it is a little narrower and a little more than twice as thick. Imagine, Steve Jobs at al. chose the size that matched that almost 4000 years old tablet, just went to twice as thin.
    • njarboe 9y ago
      But by making it so thin one could not write on the edge of the tablet[1]. Imagine the complaints from removing such functionality for the sake of mere thinness. [1]http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?partid=1&assetid=1613004127&objectid=277770 http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/coll...
      • acqq 9y ago
        Never thought about that, did anybody analyze if the "thou shalt" tablets from the Bible were also inspired by the Babylonian cuneiform ones? From the debt receipts and complaints, to that.. Regarding side writing, yes I'd really hated broken compatibility. Not to mention that they'd break more easily!