Jobs says iPad idea came before iPhone

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. -- Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs has shared a secret with is audience at a technology conference outside Los Angeles: The idea for the iPad came before the iPhone.

Jobs says he had the idea to ditch the keyboard for what he calls a multi-touch display in the early 2000s, although the company was working on a telephone at the time. That's when a prototype came to him that used the device's now-famous scrolling mechanism.

"I thought, 'My God we can build a phone out of this.'"

He said the tablet product was put on the shelf. The iPhone went into development for several years before making its debut in 2007. Apple started selling the iPad tablet computer in April.

Jobs spoke at the D: All Things Digital conference Tuesday in Rancho Palos Verdes.