By It looks like a big fight is about to happen between Apple and Samsung:
Apple is suing Samsung Electronics for copying the designs of the iPhone and iPad to develop the Galaxy S smartphone and Galaxy Tab tablet PC. Samsung dismissed the allegations and said Apple is using its patented communications technologies without permission. Industry insiders believe Apple, which pioneered the smartphone market, is trying to prevent Samsung from catching up.
◆ “Blatant Copying”
Apple last Friday filed the intellectual property infringement suit in a district court in northern California.
“It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”
Apple is demanding a public apology and damages. [Chosun Ilbo]
I have used both the iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab and they felt like different products to me, the smartphones though I haven’t used so I am interested to see what others think. Chickenhead has used the Samsung Galaxy smartphone and appears to prefer the iPhone.
8:37 am on April 20th, 2011 1
Well, I have an LG Optimus 2x. It's a great piece of hardware. HDMI connections, HD display, HD video camera, 8 mega pixel camera. It comes with 2G of in-phone memory and 16G on an internal SD Card. I've installed an additional 16G SD (class-6) card that I got online for 24000won. It came out of the factory with Android 2.2, but an update to 2.3 will be available for it in May.
My only beef, and it's a minor one, is that I can't delete the bloatware, the Android version of the same Korean applications that I've spent countless hours deleting from my mother-in-law's computer whenever it's so slow she can't enjoy her daily game of online Go-Stop. Luckily, there are apps that can be used to kills running applications and prevent them from starting.
8:49 am on April 20th, 2011 2
Oh, and my wife has a Samsung Galaxy Ace that she got for free (gongcha). It's really a good phone. Sure, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles like mine does, but I don't see anything wrong it. My phone and hers don't crash as often as Chickenhead claims his does, although it's necessary to power them off once ever 2 to 3 days to improve their performance.
PS. It's not the first time Apple has sued for "look and feel".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Computer,_Inc….
10:34 am on April 20th, 2011 3
What about the "tracking" program in the Iphone? Just asking.
10:38 am on April 20th, 2011 4
This is just Apple trying to prevent what happened in the late 80's early 90's from happening again. During that time you had the exact same situation with PC's that you now have with smartphones. A new market with very lose interoperability standards full of propriety designs and methods. On one hand you had Apple with their Macintosh line, mostly the highly successful (for that time) Apple IIc ~ IIe. It's entire platform was controlled by Apple, even to the point that Apple had their own pin layouts thus ensuring you couldn't use "unapproved" hardware / software on their PCs. On the other hand you had IBM and their PS/2 systems, IBM deliberately made the entire system with an open standard that any manufacturer could make parts for. They figured this approach would lead to a cheaper platform that was more readily repairable and customizable. For this platform they chose a small company called Microsoft to supply the operating system. This OS would have to be open standard, meaning any programmer could make a program that would run on the OS without needing approval / license from the OS creators. What happened is that the IBM PS/2 was so successful that third party manufacturers started making "IBM Compatible" clones. Machines that had all the required "compatible" hardware and ran the same OS, but that were made at a reduced cost. The software industry exploded as everyone could make just make their programs to run on any "IBM Compatible" PC rather then a specific manufacturer's PC (Amiga / Apple / Commodore).
This resulted in Apple losing massive market share and being relegated to a brand label only. They were beat by the PC-AT standard and this established a pattern that as proven successful for the short history of all things IT. The rule is that the market will always go through the most open path of least resistance. Apple for as good of a design team that they have, is simply too restrictive towards their developers. You have to give away the majority of the rights to your software, including the right to port it to a different platform, in exchange to the right to be allowed to make software for their platform. You also must sign an agreement that you can ~never~ make any negative public statement toward Apple or any of their products. You also can't tell anyone else about the statements you were forced to sign, nor the rights you were forced to give away. The only way the public knows about this is that the documentation was smuggled out and posted anonymously on the internet.
Developers don't want to work under that kind of environment, so instead they'll chose a more open platform / OS to do their development work on. Enter in Google and "Android". Not as shiny nor as refined as Apple's OS, but Google doesn't force developers into one sided contracts or exclusive agreements. Google honestly doesn't care what you do, just don't create malicious code or try to steal personal information. Google also doesn't care about the HW design, instead they release the source and allow the HW manufacturers to make it work for their individual platform. In time this will solidify into a set HW / OS standard just like the PC market did.
Apple doesn't want a repeat of what happened before, so its litigating the sh!t out of everyone and everything imaginable. It would lose any lawsuit directed at Google so instead they've been going after the manufacturers. Mostly they just want to force manufactures to spend lots of money on legal defenses in the hopes of either discouraging them from making Android devices, or if that fails then to drive up the price of any Android devices made. I predict they will eventually fail, you can't control an IT market through litigation, its never ever worked. If anyone wants to see how this will turn out, read up on the history of MS, IBM and Apple.
11:47 am on April 20th, 2011 5
Apple Inc, a perfect parody of America. It will fail.
Try pi$$ing off your best supplier of components. Samsung has f*cked over anybody that got in their way before, and they'll do it again. Just ask the Japanese and the Taiwanese when they tried to mess with Samsung last time. LOL…
1:19 pm on April 20th, 2011 6
@5
Qualcom is the biggest supplier of components to apple.
2:11 pm on April 20th, 2011 7
I have had the Galaxy for a number of months now and I should write a follow-up.
The short version is that I am 85% happy with the phone and 15% irritated by simple problems that should have been solved before being released to the public.
My third phone has been working without any hardware problems.
As for software, there are many small bugs that have to be worked around and a number of interface inefficiencies… things that make me question just how much they used their own phones before rushing them off to market.
As it does everything I need and the irritations can be managed, I will contently keep this phone until the 2 year contract is up or a deal comes along where the other telecom company pays off the contract and gives me a next generation phone that is properly refined.
When it came out, the Galaxy was the best thing going… rushed out to counter the iPhone… but it would have been better for Samsung to spend more time with a test group of users.
They did not build any brand loyalty with me.
2:17 pm on April 20th, 2011 8
"What happened is that the IBM PS/2 was so successful that third party manufacturers started making “IBM Compatible” clones. Machines that had all the required “compatible” hardware and ran the same OS, but that were made at a reduced cost."
Cough, cough…In the early 80's IBM sued anyone who came out with "IBM clones".
2:21 pm on April 20th, 2011 9
"I predict they will eventually fail, you can’t control an IT market through litigation, its never ever worked. If anyone wants to see how this will turn out, read up on the history of MS, IBM and Apple."
Not just that. You don't bully Samsung, Samsung bullies you.
11:13 am on April 21st, 2011 10
one of the most ironic comment i read was when someone asked how samsung was going to react to apple's lawsuit. and i was like you know apple is reacting to samsung's release of galaxy s2 and galaxy tab 10 right?
galaxy s with the app drawer ( don't have android but that's people talk) really has to be opened to look like it is in the photos. usually it's not. anybody know more?
as for galaxy tab 10, i'm like what? jobs must be pissed his thinnest comment was upended by samsung's just 2 months later…
1:13 pm on April 21st, 2011 11
@8,
Yep once "IBM compatible" clones started sprouting up IBM tried to squash them and failed miserably at it. You can only control a market for so long before it slips away.
CH, Android is still very young, its got a long ways to go before its truly refined. Added onto that is Samsung doesn't even use the default Android GUI and instead use's their own "Touch Wiz" UI that everyone tends to hate. Give it time and eventually you'll be able to choose your GUI and file manager / ect.
6:34 pm on April 21st, 2011 12
LOL.. Samsung sues Apple for violating five patent licenses regarding the wireless patents.
Apple is in trouble now.
6:37 pm on April 21st, 2011 13
Reminds me of Sony suing LG, then LG coming right back and suing Sony, winning the case and briefly preventing Sony from shipping their Playstations in Europe.
10:20 pm on April 21st, 2011 14
#12,
As I was saying, you don't bully Samsung, it bullies you.
10:22 pm on April 21st, 2011 15
Check that, ten patent violations by Apple, not five.
5:46 am on May 9th, 2011 16
I have a galaxy S, I’m really happy since the last two updates, my phone feels more responsive, less lag, and more task managing efficiency.
I like all the feature from android phone and apps. I like the fact that I can put micro sd, and I’m not tied to what appel want to give me. I’m also free from itunes.
I’m not too happy with the camera, I think it could be better.
Also, but it’s a android update, it’s not possible to copy and past from incoming email or from google reader.. that’s too bad.
5:47 am on May 9th, 2011 17
#10, Yess you have to go to application to see your app sorted like on the iphone.
But android is so customisable that you can have sevral laucher, like laucher pro for exemple.
7:25 am on May 9th, 2011 18
Apple is trying to squeeze out Samsung Galaxy S II, which apparently blows away Apple’s iPhone 4 in performance and color display. Endgadget says the new Galaxy II, is the best Android phone, and THE best smart phone, period.
12:15 pm on May 9th, 2011 19
Tom,
Galaxy II may be “the best Android phone, and THE best smart phone, period” but I am stuck with a needlessly substandard Galaxy… and, despite the hype, they knew it had faults.
Actually, the Galaxy hardware is acceptable… it is what is claims to be and does what it says it will. So there is no problem there… as I know technology advances, I am not demanding any kind of hardware upgrade.
The software, on the other hand, is substandard… and was when they released it… and they must have known because the faults show themselves when doing average things in included applications.
Despite the general dislike of Touchwiz, I find Samsung’s interface to be, in some ways, better than native Android… although some functions, such as e-mail, seem to have both systems running… ergo, I get most (but not all) of my e-mails twice.
There are many, many, many needless imperfections that make daily use, daily irritating…
…and they are simple things that Samsung must have known about and could fix if they cared… which they apparently didn’t.
I might get another Galaxy if it was free with a contract but I wouldn’t pay money for one… and I encourage others to do the same.
Samsung grifted consumers with a slick marketing campaign that created a perceived need based on specifications and empty promises. Shame on them…
…but, next time, shame on me.
I might even consider an iPhone… except when my friend’s iPhone locks up, there is no way to remove the battery to reset it. He has to wait 3 days for it to completely die or drop by the service center.
There would be murder in my eyes if I had to deal with that… even once.
Anyway, I have 18 more months of Galaxy ownership… or 6, if the other company runs a deal to pay off my contract and give me whatever free smartphone they are pushing.
I have no brand loyalty to Samsung and their half-assed rush-job… so I will consider whatever comes out if the specifications are the same and the software works correctly.
The message here is that Samsung lost any chance of having a loyal customer because they didn’t take the time to actually use their phone before they shipped it… or just didn’t care.
Screw you, Samsung.
1:00 pm on May 9th, 2011 20
#19, that was the first Galaxy S, they rushed it to counter the iPhone, and it was their first try at an Android smart phone. The Galaxy II is a different phone, with an upgraded Android O/S with vastly superior hardware. I had an iPhone 4. The glass cracked on me, on its own. I did not drop it. When I replaced it with a brand new one, under warranty, that one failed. The SIM card would not work and failed to pick up email. So they replaced it again under warranty. Two replacements within first 3 months of purchase is not good.
I support Samsung because they give jobs to Koreans and they bring pride and good international reputation to Korea. If the Galaxy is crap, why is Apple so worried about its sales being chipped away, so they have to resort to strangle competition?
3:09 pm on May 9th, 2011 21
Tom wrote:
Some people shouldn’t use the iMirror app.
Are you sure the guy at Nanjing Lu didn’t sell you a knock-off? How many N’s does it have in “iPhone”? Is the apple bite on the left or right?
Anyway, though I had a less than stellar experience with my first iPhone4 (it buzzed uncontrollably for hours) and it was replaced right away. Great customer service that masked a possible problem with the occasional lemon.
Yes, the Koreans who manage the factories in China. Samsung gives far more jobs to China than to South Korea, which might be the real reason you support Samsung.
4:00 pm on May 9th, 2011 22
1. Rushing the Galaxy to market sold some Galaxies… but it won’t sell me a Galaxy II. It took Hyundai years to overcome the poor reputation of early 90s Sonatas. Samsung has made the same mistake… and it will take a lot of good word of mouth before I trust them again.
2. I wish Americans would support American companies… especially American companies that made things in America. It doesn’t happen because price is more important than Made in America… and American companies are selling a lot of quality stuff that has been made in China…
…and the American car companies that COULD compete with imports continue to make crappy, uninspired cars at an unreasonable price.
3. Korea is in a better position to support Korean companies… but the Korean companies abused that generosity by selling dumbed-down versions of everything at a higher price in the domestic market.
Lots of people are buying iPhones and BMWs because the domestic versions aren’t as good. (One version of the Galaxy S in the States has a slide-out keyboard. How cool is that? Too cool for Korea, I guess.)
Anyway… that is my rant de jour.
5:29 pm on May 9th, 2011 23
#22, doesn’t matter what you say, one less customer won’t hurt the bottom line for Samsung sales which has already gotten 3 million pre-orders globally (and that doesn’t even count the US market)
This is Apple’s way to fight their competition. And it will backfire on them. It looks like it already has.
8:48 pm on May 9th, 2011 24
The problem with US companies is they are risk averse. Everything they do is based on a statistical calculation for maximized profit, using last years data. Basically if item A has capabilities / features / design of B and C, then this years item D must be a copied “enhanced” version of item A, year after year after year. When someone wants to try something “new” that doesn’t have any statistical data behind it, the corporate exec’s look at it as say its too risky. And thus we get tons of SUV’s that are exactly like every other SUV because SUV’s have the highest profit margin to sales ratio. We also want a mini economical care but those do not produce high enough profit margins vs their expected sales for the companies to bother producing them. But throw in a “hybrid” economical car which allows a company to justify charging you a higher price and thus a higher profit margin and now everyone wants to make them.
This is the kind of sh!t that makes me buy foreign on almost everything, American products are just copies of everything without the quality / style to back it up. They need to stop making product placement decisions based on an excel spreadsheet and instead look at what consumers want.