As many have said; the whole argument is ridiculous and provides elegant proof that the patent system in this country needs to either be overhauled or done away with. I am very aware that neither will happen, but I can still rant as though there's hope. . . right?
Apple's main beef is that Palm is "stealing" their "IP" by using multitouch gestures similar to the ones on the iPhone. We all know how this is going to end up, so why not skip all the chest pounding and ego tripping & jump to the end Apple: collaborate with major players in the industry to develop a standard set of gestures used to interact with any and all devices?
Reasons to punch Apple in the gonads:
- Newsflash Apple: You didn't create the pinch or flick gestures. You also didn't create the ability for humans to touch something with more than one finger.
- Newsflash Apple: Multitouch gestures are not what makes the iPhone great. Like all of your other products, there is no one things that makes the iPhone stand out - it's the way everything fits so perfectly together.
Reasons I saw this coming:
- Though Apple has a very fashionable, approachable, and environmentally friendly image, they're in it for the money - just like everyone else. In very market except the mp3 space, Apple's either the little guy or the new kid on the block. They need every edge they can get - and they're willing to go to any length needed to sharpen those edges.
- Though Apple plays very well in the open source space - and pushes standards adoption more than any other company I can think of - they're a big, mean bully when it comes to their bottom line. From what I've seen their attitude is pretty much: Join us or die.
All that being said: When Steve comes back I think things will change drastically. Since Steve's return twelve years ago Apple has embraced standards, open collaboration, and has worked very hard to be a good corporate citizen. I find it interesting that as soon as he takes a leave of absence Apple seems to do an about face.
Of course, Palm is a direct competitor to Apple now, and the Pre (Palm's new multitouch-enabled phone) is getting all kinds of positive attention. What's fascinating here is that this is really new ground for Apple: for the first time in their history they have a direct competitor who has a real shot at taking them down. As far as I can tell, Apple's always been off in it's own little corner of the tech world. Steve Jobs has worked very hard to characterize Apple as a company unto it's own.
The iPhone has succeeded so far because all it's competitors have sucked.
Now we're seeing how Apple reacts when pushed toe-to-toe with stiff competition. Something that's always puzzled me is how Apple maintains a reputation as a fast moving company - they're not. In fact, they move very slow and methodically - carefully planning each move, and not releasing a product until it's perfect. How long has it taken them to give us Cut, Copy, & Paste?
To stay relevant in the smartphone world Apple has to change the way they do things. They're in a market that's mature playing a game against many skilled opponents. Bullying won't work - turning out products that stand above the crowd in a timely fashion is the only way to win.
Welcome to the real world Apple - now you know how the rest of us feel.
In the end, Apple's patents will not stand up to scrutiny. What I'm curious to see is how far Apple will go fighting this war. They need to be really careful not to garner a reputation similar to M$. Apple has a lot of good will built up in consumers and with their business partners - but that can all vaporize faster than you can flick a photo. . .
