1) Large buttons as icons is an obvious solution for the thickness of human fingers.
2) The public unveiling of the iPhone was in January. Who knows when MS engineers had a glimpse of it.
3) Patent filing are public domain. Apple's patent was in long before last summer so MS could have put there own in based on a varied copy of Apple's patent. Unethical business practice, but illegal if MS can prove their idea is somehow different.
4) Throughout the human race's technological evolution, similar technology has sprung up in different places at the same approximate time without any "wrong doing" taking place.
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How could it be a copy when Apple only released pictures of the iPhone a few months ago?
This patent is from June 2006, long before Apple made their announcement.
Four things to consider:
1) Large buttons as icons is an obvious solution for the thickness of human fingers.
2) The public unveiling of the iPhone was in January. Who knows when MS engineers had a glimpse of it.
3) Patent filing are public domain. Apple's patent was in long before last summer so MS could have put there own in based on a varied copy of Apple's patent. Unethical business practice, but illegal if MS can prove their idea is somehow different.
4) Throughout the human race's technological evolution, similar technology has sprung up in different places at the same approximate time without any "wrong doing" taking place.