Macworld Forums: Judge again orders Apple, Samsung to streamline claims in iPad patent case - Macworld Forums

Post your comments for Judge again orders Apple, Samsung to streamline claims in iPad patent case here

March of 2014? Such delayed justice is absurd!

In other words, the judge wants Apple and Samsung to present a case that someone actually cares about. Also, I found this rather amusing:

"We just want people to invent their own stuff."

Pot. Kettle. Black.

BdotEss, on 03 May 2012 - 07:33 AM, said:

Have any supportable examples to support that implication?

bastion, on 03 May 2012 - 08:32 AM, said:

Yes, actually. By Apple's own logic, it could be argued that the iPhone is not an original product. The iPhone's shape is very similar to the LG Prada, which hit the market months before anyone knew what an iPhone was. The arrangement of the OS (basically, a grid of icons) was used in virtually every other mobile phone on the planet. The 'App Store' concept isn't new either (hello, Handango). I could go on.

This isn't to say that the iPhone isn't a fine product, it definitely is and I love my 4S. It's just to say that, frankly, I'm rather tired of Apple's attitude that they invented the modern iteration of the smartphone. It's very much true they improved on several existing products (probably an understatement) and totally redefined the market, but they didn't "invent" anything.

I know acknowledging that is basically heresy around these parts, but that doesn't make it any less true.

BdotEss, on 03 May 2012 - 06:37 PM, said:

I said supportable examples. Here's why the above aren't.
1. The appearance of the Prada is very distinct from that of the iPhone. Contrast this with the Samsung devices that Samsung's own lawyers haven't reliably been able to distinguish from certain iOS devices.
2. The Prada did not "hit the market months before anyone knew what an iPhone was." The first public images of the Prada were released 3 weeks before the iPhone was shown.
3. There's no comparison between "basically a grid of icons" versus the virtually identical form factor and unnecessarily similar visual presentations of Samsung's offerings against Apple's. If you think Apple's claims are as generic as a rectangular grid, you've not been paying enough attention.
4. Electronic software delivery is older than Handango. Old enough that if there ever was a patent claim on it the basic concept of an online software store it would have expired by now.

Still, I give you credit for not claiming that Apple ripped off the GUI from Xerox or the task bar from Microsoft.

bastion, on 04 May 2012 - 02:24 AM, said:

1) That depends on your definition of "distinct." I see distinct similarities and you do not. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

2) You have a point that it was weeks and not months (my error). Still, it was first, and that was really my point.

3) Again, this is you taking liberties with the phrase "virtually identical." Using smartphones as an example, when I look at the iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Palm, I see the same basic interface (rows of icons arranged in a grid). Yes, there are differences in fonts, effects, transitions and so forth but the basic look and feel is the same to me. You press an icon to launch an app. Hardly unique to the iPhone.

Furthermore, a lot of Apple's case is about the similarities in the physical shape of the phones and icons. Forgive me for saying so, but it appears as though you may not have been paying enough attention:

http://online.wsj.co...0109389154.html

4) "Electronic software delivery is older than Handango." I'm aware, as I only stated that it existed before the App Store so it (the App Store) is therefore not an original concept.

Ultimately, I'm making no claims either for or against Samsung. My only argument is that virtually nothing in the iPhone is an "invention" in the literal sense of the word. Touch screen phones with slide-to-unlock functionality existed before the iPhone (Google "Neonode"). Integrated "app stores" existed before the iPhone. Touch driven OS's existed before the iPhone.

So what exactly did Apple "invent" here?