Many have wondered – given that when watching video, it’s used in landscape mode – why the iPad’s dock connector isn’t located along the length of the device, as opposed the shorter side at the bottom.

Even if Apple felt the necessity to keep the dock at the bottom of the tablet, it would surely have made sense to offer a dock for those preferring to plant their device lengthways.

Well in actual fact, with the very first iPad, Apple did toy with the idea of offering two separate dock connections, and although most would feel – particularly given the current curved form factor – that one is enough, a prototype has emerged which shows the original iPad with dual dock ports. Apple filed a patent for two connectors, but the concept idea never reached the end-user, and given Apple’s simple and clean ethos, it’s unlikely to ever make a return in future.

Such is the fate of many a prototype, it has found itself on eBay, and although it’s starting bid is $4,800, with a little attention paid by the blogosphere, the auctions tend to pick up at a rate of knots. Aside from the dock connectors, it is pretty dissimilar to the eventual iteration, but although packing 16 GB of flash memory, it does require minor repairs to the touch-sensing capabilities by somebody with the know-how.