Reason to get iPhone over Android: Apple awarded the mother of all smartphone patents

[Big.Mac.Daddy]

Looks like Apple just got awarded a patent that will CRUSH the android manufacturers

http://m.bgr.com/2012/07/18/apple-patent-touch-ui-android-lawsuit/

Apple (AAPL) on Tuesday was granted 25 new patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, but one patent in particular stands out among the rest. Patent No. 8,223,134 — or, the “mother of all smartphone software patents,” as Phandroid calls it —*covers the graphical user interfaces Apple designed for blogging, email, telephone, camera, video player, calendar, browser, widgets, search, notes, maps and other multi-touch interfaces. As is clear from the scope of the patent, it could spell definitely spell trouble for Google’s Android partners.

I sure wouldn't want to buy a phone that is going to get banned from sale (and left for dead) or stripped of features like the Galaxy Nexus just was and that future Android phones will now that Apple has this weapon at their disposal.

 

[macingman]

This won't do ****. Posting stuff like this is only going to incite flame wars and ruin these once good forums even more.

And the wording of this patent seems to suggest it is to stop someone directly copying the GUI.

 

[Tubamajuba]

This won't do ****. Posting stuff like this is only going to incite flame wars and ruin these once good forums even more.

And the wording of this patent seems to suggest it is to stop someone directly copying the GUI.

Considering half the threads on this forum are about people switching to Android, I doubt one pro-iPhone thread (however oversensational it may be) is going to cause too much trouble.

 

[Kyrra]

The writer for BGR is a major apple fanboy (more-so than macrumors I'd say). The Verge has a less sensational write-up on the patent in question:

http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/17/3...ple-patents-disappearing-vertical-scroll-bars

 

[lordofthereef]

The way I see it, allowing patents like this is going to force one thing to happen: patent law reform.

 

[Big.Mac.Daddy]

The writer for BGR is a major apple fanboy (more-so than macrumors I'd say). The Verge has a less sensational write-up on the patent in question:

http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/17/3...ple-patents-disappearing-vertical-scroll-bars

Nice try but no, that's not the same patent being discussed in this thread.

Your link talks about the disappearing scrollbar patent Apple won. This thread is talking about the "mother of all smartphone patents" that Apple was awarded as well just today.

 

[AustinIllini]

The way I see it, allowing patents like this is going to force one thing to happen: patent law reform.

After losing universal search on my SGSIII, patents are really starting to irritate me on both sides. Yeah, it's hypocritical, but I didn't do anything wrong. I bought a phone. It's all my fault.

 

[Big.Mac.Daddy]

After losing universal search on my SGSIII, patents are really starting to irritate me on both sides.

Exactly.

Why purchase an android phone that is going to get stripped of its features because it stole them from Apple?

Go with the iPhone and you don't have to worry about any of the nonsense that you do with Android

 

[AustinIllini]

Exactly.

Why purchase an android phone that is going to get stripped of its features because it stole them from Apple?

Go with the iPhone and you don't have to worry about any of the nonsense that you do with Android

Yes and sacrifice everything I like about android that I still currently have. Can you imagine how not revolutionary the iPhone will be when it has no competition?

 

[Technarchy]

Yes and sacrifice everything I like about android that I still currently have. Can you imagine how not revolutionary the iPhone will be when it has no competition?

Successfully defending your IP spurs innovation and competition, not inhibits it.

 

[cyks]

Yes and sacrifice everything I like about android that I still currently have. Can you imagine how not revolutionary the iPhone will be when it has no competition?

You mean, like the first iPhone? Would you consider that one "not revolutionary" ?

 

[AustinIllini]

You mean, like the first iPhone? Would you consider that one "not revolutionary" ?

It was, but it would have numerous awful features if it weren't for pressure from the competition.

 

[Kyrra]

Nice try but no, that's not the same patent being discussed in this thread.

Your link talks about the disappearing scrollbar patent Apple won. This thread is talking about the "mother of all smartphone patents" that Apple was awarded as well just today.

Please, tell me the patent # in question then. Just saying "you're wrong" isn't all that helpful.

 

[sulpfiction]

Looks like Apple just got awarded a patent that will CRUSH the android manufacturers

http://m.bgr.com/2012/07/18/apple-patent-touch-ui-android-lawsuit/


I sure wouldn't want to buy a phone that is going to get banned from sale (and left for dead) or stripped of features like the Galaxy Nexus just was and that future Android phones will now that Apple has this weapon at their disposal.

You are definitely a total fanboy...And a fanboy who up votes his own posts

These articles are not even worth reading.

Patents in this country are a joke. It's all got to change. And Apple is going to force the laws to change sooner rather then later with all the rediculous patents they apply for. They are taking advantage of a majorily flawed system. I don't fault apple for doing so, but it's laughable.

 

[depths]

There is no point commenting on this at MacRumors, there's too many people here that are unable to look at the situation without bias.

 

[cwwilson]

Getting sick of all this patent BS.

 

[Daveoc64]

There is no point commenting on this at MacRumors, there's too many people here that are unable to look at the situation without bias.

Indeed.

Apple has been awarded* many patents.

Apple has tried to enforce many of those patents in court.

They've won on some occasions, but what's happened?

Is Android slowing down? - No

Is Android not the most popular mobile OS? - No

Have people had their phone taken away from them? - No

The reality is that by the time a lawsuit goes anywhere, the device in question has been discontinued and is obsolete. In the most prominent cases, a free software update has removed the offending "functionality".

*Remember that being awarded a patent does not mean that it is 100% legal. Many patents are deemed to be invalid or to not apply to real life products in court. The patent office doesn't have the time to scrutinise each application to the full extent possible.

More specifically in this case, I question:

a) How relevant this is to other platforms
b) How different Apple's designs are to platforms like Windows Mobile or Palm OS

a) Android has a different design philosophy to iOS. You do things like pressing and holding an item on the screen, resulting in a menu appearing (similar to right clicking on a computer). iOS doesn't tend to use that concept (Apple doesn't like it), so they have more buttons. Android devices use a physical (or on-screen) back button, rather than having a button that is part of the application.

b) Palm and Microsoft had mobile devices that only had on-screen keyboards years before Apple did. It doesn't really matter that they used a stylus or how clunky they were - they still had it there first, so I think it would be hard for Apple to defend that.

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

When a company is allowed to patent a SCROLLING BAR you know the system is out of touch. It needs reforming.

 

[Mac.World]

Looks like Apple just got awarded a patent that will CRUSH the android manufacturers

http://m.bgr.com/2012/07/18/apple-patent-touch-ui-android-lawsuit/


I sure wouldn't want to buy a phone that is going to get banned from sale (and left for dead) or stripped of features like the Galaxy Nexus just was and that future Android phones will now that Apple has this weapon at their disposal.

LOL. A bit sensationalist. Apple patented their GUI for email, messaging and calling. This means absolutely nothing. Other phones do not copy the iphones GUI. They may be similar, but they would have to be exact copies to be sued.

So again, how is this supposed to 'crush' Android?

----------

When a company is allowed to patent a SCROLLING BAR you know the system is out of touch. It needs reforming.

The scrolling bar (which Apple didn't invent), is so Apple can sue every computer and tablet manufacturer on the planet.

 

[Big.Mac.Daddy]

You are definitely a total fanboy...And a fanboy who up votes his own posts.

And you definitely haven't seen the threads I've started then

I'm no fanboy, I criticize Apple like crazy... just that I thought this patent in particular was really interesting and wanted to spread the word.

 

[Technarchy]

The scrolling bar (which Apple didn't invent), is so Apple can sue every computer and tablet manufacturer on the planet.

Just curious, which phone or device had a patented vanishing scroll bar before iOS?

 

[Rennir]

So this is awesome news for consumers right? We should all be extremely happy to buy an iPhone or otherwise have severely crippled functionality on our phones. I'm overjoyed already

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

This won't do ****. Posting stuff like this is only going to incite flame wars and ruin these once good forums even more.

Unpossible.

 

[Dmunjal]

How does Apple get a patent for widgets when they don't support them in iOS yet?

 

[Technarchy]

How does Apple get a patent for widgets when they don't support them in iOS yet?

Any company worth a damn will patent every idea they ever imagined for the sake of protecting future innovations.

In Apple's case they learned a lot from the Microsoft fiasco in the 80's.

Putting up defenses to prevent another Bill Gates/Microsoft situation is a natural reaction.