LOL. Really? The USPTO needs to get their head out of their asses and laugh at these things. Likening it to the way a Coke bottle looks versus the function is ridiculous. What's next? Patenting the way a UI presents minimized windows as small thumbnails of the application? Apple is grasping at straws in some many ways right now it isn't even funny. I truly hope today's sneak peak is something spectacular otherwise I fear Apple will start the litigation mobile full time.
@Darkseider I feel exactly the same. Apple is in fact grasping at straws here, I feel that they can't (or won't) compete with some of these powerful 1ghz phones that are out (or coming out within the next few months) so they are suing to ensure that others won't pass them up. I totally agree in protecting ones intellectual property, but this is just silly. What PMP (or smartphone, pc, game device, etc) doesn't have some kind of coverflow type of thing already included in its software? I mean Apple (in my opinion) is just bullying smaller companies like HTC and letting other companies like Palm off the hook because they have the firepower and patents and they know that Apple has also infringed on some others that they don't own. This just makes Apple look like a big baby and it also makes them look scared. God, just make a great phone come June and people will buy it! You don't have to sue everyone that makes a phone with better features. I really think Apple just wants to have a monopoly in America when it comes to smartphones so they can force feed us minimal updates every year and charge us top dollar. I mean the 3G didn't have MMS or even a video camera! Come on that has nothing to do with hardware just software. Apple is making billions of dollars off of these phones, but now others are seeing that the "grass is greener" on the other side. So let's sue the other farmer cause all my cows are jumping the fence. Just take the time to make things better and people will stay. Seems simple to me, but it really makes me think that Apple really doesn't have a "A+" update on the horizon.
You can look at my comment history and see that I'm no Apple fan to say the least but one thing is for sure... Apple need not compete with the 1Ghz phones because despite their lowered specs in speed, they still have the most fluid UI which still stands toe-to-toe with some of the Snapdragon boys now on the block. That's just fact and it can't be denied, not even by the most avid Apple hater.
@Plazmic Flame I think as time goes on this is less important. The UI is a presentation for apps, it's becoming less and less said that they have the best mobile browser anymore, I won't go as far as to say that games will run faster on the Galaxy S and EVO than the next gen of the iPhone until I see hardware; in any case, I think it goes without saying that the iPhone UI has less meaning than when they entered the field.
Now it's about Apps and mobile browsing, they need to innovate within their web experience or allow things like mobile firefox and the rest of the developers in there. While there at it, they need something to bump up their hardware so they can keep their lead in the way games function. Lastly, they need a better screen for their PMP function. This is what both hardcore and casual users see and experience, not just the UI. UI is the argument of yesteryear.
I'm fairly familiar with IP law as I work in marketing and advertising. I'm not one of those people who confuses patents, trademarks, copyright, etc. But I do get confused when you cite the Coke bottle, however. The distinctive Coke bottle is trademark, but apparently also a design patent. Are design patents based on the functionality of the design? If not, what then are the purpose of design patents? I've read through the Wikipedia entry and I still can't sort it out.
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LOL. Really? The USPTO needs to get their head out of their asses and laugh at these things. Likening it to the way a Coke bottle looks versus the function is ridiculous. What's next? Patenting the way a UI presents minimized windows as small thumbnails of the application? Apple is grasping at straws in some many ways right now it isn't even funny. I truly hope today's sneak peak is something spectacular otherwise I fear Apple will start the litigation mobile full time.
@Darkseider
I guess you didn't read the article, it's a *design* patent, not a utility patent. The criteria for the two are quite different.
@Darkseider The Coke bottle is pretty much the classic example of what a design patent covers. Why do you think it's ridiculous?
@Darkseider I feel exactly the same. Apple is in fact grasping at straws here, I feel that they can't (or won't) compete with some of these powerful 1ghz phones that are out (or coming out within the next few months) so they are suing to ensure that others won't pass them up. I totally agree in protecting ones intellectual property, but this is just silly. What PMP (or smartphone, pc, game device, etc) doesn't have some kind of coverflow type of thing already included in its software? I mean Apple (in my opinion) is just bullying smaller companies like HTC and letting other companies like Palm off the hook because they have the firepower and patents and they know that Apple has also infringed on some others that they don't own. This just makes Apple look like a big baby and it also makes them look scared. God, just make a great phone come June and people will buy it! You don't have to sue everyone that makes a phone with better features. I really think Apple just wants to have a monopoly in America when it comes to smartphones so they can force feed us minimal updates every year and charge us top dollar. I mean the 3G didn't have MMS or even a video camera! Come on that has nothing to do with hardware just software. Apple is making billions of dollars off of these phones, but now others are seeing that the "grass is greener" on the other side. So let's sue the other farmer cause all my cows are jumping the fence. Just take the time to make things better and people will stay. Seems simple to me, but it really makes me think that Apple really doesn't have a "A+" update on the horizon.
@angermeans Thank you SO much for saving me the time of posting. You summed up my thoughts and feelings exactly. Cookies for you!
@angermeans
You can look at my comment history and see that I'm no Apple fan to say the least but one thing is for sure... Apple need not compete with the 1Ghz phones because despite their lowered specs in speed, they still have the most fluid UI which still stands toe-to-toe with some of the Snapdragon boys now on the block. That's just fact and it can't be denied, not even by the most avid Apple hater.
@Plazmic Flame I think as time goes on this is less important. The UI is a presentation for apps, it's becoming less and less said that they have the best mobile browser anymore, I won't go as far as to say that games will run faster on the Galaxy S and EVO than the next gen of the iPhone until I see hardware; in any case, I think it goes without saying that the iPhone UI has less meaning than when they entered the field.
Now it's about Apps and mobile browsing, they need to innovate within their web experience or allow things like mobile firefox and the rest of the developers in there. While there at it, they need something to bump up their hardware so they can keep their lead in the way games function. Lastly, they need a better screen for their PMP function. This is what both hardcore and casual users see and experience, not just the UI. UI is the argument of yesteryear.
@Nilay Patel:
I'm fairly familiar with IP law as I work in marketing and advertising. I'm not one of those people who confuses patents, trademarks, copyright, etc. But I do get confused when you cite the Coke bottle, however. The distinctive Coke bottle is trademark, but apparently also a design patent. Are design patents based on the functionality of the design? If not, what then are the purpose of design patents? I've read through the Wikipedia entry and I still can't sort it out.