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Apple Files Lawsuit Against HTC Over Alleged iPhone Patent Infringement
- Thread starter Teh Don Ditty
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FYI...
Gizmodo has an illustrated list of the patents here. Some of the illustration choices are only so-so. For example, the '949 patent is mostly about scrolling, not a keyboard.
The Delaware lawsuit and ITC request documents can be seen here on a PC.
Apple claims they have suffered "irreparable injury" for each patent violation.
Gizmodo has an illustrated list of the patents here. Some of the illustration choices are only so-so. For example, the '949 patent is mostly about scrolling, not a keyboard.
The Delaware lawsuit and ITC request documents can be seen here on a PC.
Apple claims they have suffered "irreparable injury" for each patent violation.
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I still don't want one. Am I ill?
*LTD* said:
I still don't want one. Am I ill?
Yes, yes...of course they do...Microsoft is the pinnacle of innovation...
Do yourself a favor, read up on Nextstep sometime. Learning can be fun as well as educational.
That simply means "not easily compensable with money," and is a necessary requirement in order to ask for an injunction (dates back to England and the division between courts of equity and courts of law).
I have to say, I agree with him, to a degree.
I have been very seriously considering buying a Macbook as my next computer. If they'd have released an update last week, I'd have bought it. Now, I'm not so sure, and it's things like this that are pushing me away.
I just don't like a lot of their business practices - never have, really. I think that most (but not all) of the Mac vs. PC ads are mean spirited and dishonest. I think most of the patents involved in this suit are just things that are so vague and general that they shouldn't have submitted them. It turns out they aren't as good in customer service and support as I used to think.
Even at times when I hated Apple (which I haven't for a long while), I thought they had great service, and they made quality products. The more I learn, the more I realize it's not so. Almost every device they've developed in the past 10 years has had some kind of serious problem with it. The Macbooks cracked, the MBP HDs crashed, various iPhones had different issues. Any company has issues, but the problem is that it seems like Apple has a ton of issues for the price they charge, and honestly I always saw the price as beign a result of the higher quality. Some of these issues they took care of beautifully (the cracking), others they totally ignored (the HDs, Macbook Pro headphone jacks not working, etc.)
Now these problems were usually worked out in later versions, but it's seemed like they've always used the first few editions almsot as beta products for later renditions, not worrying about the problems that those first paying customers would face. Then there's the clear and obvious practice of witholding technology from version 1 and 2 of a product just so that they can sell you a second or third one with version 3 (video on the iPhone, being a great example). It's not been about technological limitations - they could have had the "full" version siting in a warehouse ready to ship.
And finally, I've been more closely studying Steve Jobs lately and, well, the guy has a lot of bad to him. Now we all do, but a lot of it is specifically bad as it pertains to how I would be as a customer. He's said in no uncertain terms that (to paraphrase) - 'You can charge anything you want for something. People are idiots and they'll pay for it if you tell them to.' I think that's got a lot more to do with the cost of Mac hardware than does it's quality at this point.
That's fairly obvious. It's clear that Windows was a Microsoft creation. Sans the parts they admitted ripping from OS X, which for some reason still didn't make it much better.
Now now, IBM shares some of the blame...even today, since Microsoft have been retreading NT since...forever..?
They never tell you that about the red pill.I have to say, I agree with him, to a degree.
I have been very seriously considering buying a Macbook as my next computer. If they'd have released an update last week, I'd have bought it. Now, I'm not so sure, and it's things like this that are pushing me away.
I just don't like a lot of their business practices - never have, really. I think that most (but not all) of the Mac vs. PC ads are mean spirited and dishonest. I think most of the patents involved in this suit are just things that are so vague and general that they shouldn't have submitted them. It turns out they aren't as good in customer service and support as I used to think.
Even at times when I hated Apple (which I haven't for a long while), I thought they had great service, and they made quality products. The more I learn, the more I realize it's not so. Almost every device they've developed in the past 10 years has had some kind of serious problem with it. The Macbooks cracked, the MBP HDs crashed, various iPhones had different issues. Any company has issues, but the problem is that it seems like Apple has a ton of issues for the price they charge, and honestly I always saw the price as beign a result of the higher quality. Some of these issues they took care of beautifully (the cracking), others they totally ignored (the HDs, Macbook Pro headphone jacks not working, etc.)
Now these problems were usually worked out in later versions, but it's seemed like they've always used the first few editions almsot as beta products for later renditions, not worrying about the problems that those first paying customers would face. Then there's the clear and obvious practice of witholding technology from version 1 and 2 of a product just so that they can sell you a second or third one with version 3 (video on the iPhone, being a great example). It's not been about technological limitations - they could have had the "full" version siting in a warehouse ready to ship.
And finally, I've been more closely studying Steve Jobs lately and, well, the guy has a lot of bad to him. Now we all do, but a lot of it is specifically bad as it pertains to how I would be as a customer. He's said in no uncertain terms that (to paraphrase) - 'You can charge anything you want for something. People are idiots and they'll pay for it if you tell them to.' I think that's got a lot more to do with the cost of Mac hardware than does it's quality at this point.
And finally, I've been more closely studying Steve Jobs lately and, well, the guy has a lot of bad to him. Now we all do, but a lot of it is specifically bad as it pertains to how I would be as a customer. He's said in no uncertain terms that (to paraphrase) - 'You can charge anything you want for something. People are idiots and they'll pay for it if you tell them to.' I think that's got a lot more to do with the cost of Mac hardware than does it's quality at this point.
Which quote of his are you paraphrasing?
The only company that seems to take their customers for low-brow idiots who don't care about tech as long as they can rummage through the bargain-bin is Microsoft (i.e., the Laptop Hunters campaign.) Yuck.
Meanwhile Apple keeps getting compliments. SJ seems to think we have taste. Tim Cook was quite vocal about what he thinks Apple customers expect. It's pretty clear that Apple gives the consumer a great deal of credit. Of course, consumers have responded in kind.
This view is a symptom of spending too much time in online forums!
People come to forums to complain and look for solutions to problems. Also, Apple problems generate headlines. No one cares if the Dell XJB-5r34 shipped with bad hard drives.I don't know what Apple's failure rates are these days. Maybe they've declined significantly, maybe they haven't. But they've been historically among the best.
You should see his Steve Ballmer Underoos.
Still, this obsession with Steve Ballmer....
The quote is from either (I can't recall where I red it) Return to the Little Kingdom, or, more likey, Apple Confidential 2.0.
I have to entirely disagree with you about the Laptop Hunters - or at least I think I do. Explain what you mean by it, please.
I can't believe the USPTO issued the 849 patent.
Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image"
The "method" has been used in movies for decades.
While not a practical application in the movies, the concept has been around for a long time.
I have a funny feeling that if this goes all the way to court, Apple will find itself short a few patents as some of these will surely get nullified.
I have to say, I agree with him, to a degree.
I have been very seriously considering buying a Macbook as my next computer. If they'd have released an update last week, I'd have bought it. Now, I'm not so sure, and it's things like this that are pushing me away.
I just don't like a lot of their business practices - never have, really. I think that most (but not all) of the Mac vs. PC ads are mean spirited and dishonest. I think most of the patents involved in this suit are just things that are so vague and general that they shouldn't have submitted them. It turns out they aren't as good in customer service and support as I used to think.
Even at times when I hated Apple (which I haven't for a long while), I thought they had great service, and they made quality products. The more I learn, the more I realize it's not so. Almost every device they've developed in the past 10 years has had some kind of serious problem with it. The Macbooks cracked, the MBP HDs crashed, various iPhones had different issues. Any company has issues, but the problem is that it seems like Apple has a ton of issues for the price they charge, and honestly I always saw the price as beign a result of the higher quality. Some of these issues they took care of beautifully (the cracking), others they totally ignored (the HDs, Macbook Pro headphone jacks not working, etc.)
Now these problems were usually worked out in later versions, but it's seemed like they've always used the first few editions almsot as beta products for later renditions, not worrying about the problems that those first paying customers would face. Then there's the clear and obvious practice of witholding technology from version 1 and 2 of a product just so that they can sell you a second or third one with version 3 (video on the iPhone, being a great example). It's not been about technological limitations - they could have had the "full" version siting in a warehouse ready to ship.
And finally, I've been more closely studying Steve Jobs lately and, well, the guy has a lot of bad to him. Now we all do, but a lot of it is specifically bad as it pertains to how I would be as a customer. He's said in no uncertain terms that (to paraphrase) - 'You can charge anything you want for something. People are idiots and they'll pay for it if you tell them to.' I think that's got a lot more to do with the cost of Mac hardware than does it's quality at this point.
Well said. I used to have a G4 Powerbook and that machine was awesome. The friend I sold it to still uses and it works great. I have an SR MBP right now and it has had a bulging battery, the Nvidia issue, and dropping keystroke issue. Apple has been pretty good at fixing things, although the dropping keystroke is still a problem and they just quit trying to fix it. It's time for another new machine and I'm not sure which way I'll go. If VMware could reliably run OSX (I have a couple iPhone apps out that I need to support) I would finish making the complete change over to linux and run everything else in VMs. The only decision then is to decide what hardware to get.
I do like my iPhone (2G and 3GS) even though I don't like how closed it is (I had refused to buy an iPhone until the app store was announced). I'll probably give it to the GF and get an Android phone next so I can port my apps over there.
This isn't Apple. It's the entire technology industry with Google pushing it hard (and just let me say how hysterical it is that some of the nuts here think Apple is evil and their solution is Google... anything you don't like about Apple, Google does and to a much greater extent). It's a push towards iterative development, and personally I find it hard to argue that it's a bad thing. No, there wasn't a technical limitation to including video on the iPhone earlier, but there were limitations (technical, temporal, and financial) to including it *engineered to a given standard*.
Some companies are finally truly, truly opening their eyes to the reality of the old triple constraint--"fast, cheap, good: pick two"--and giving up doing something unattainably expensive, of unacceptable quality, or a monolith that takes years to complete (by which time you've been overtaken). Instead it's about getting something that works well with a strong foundation out the door at an acceptable price, even if it "lacks features". It isn't an evil plot to force people to pay over and over and over (not that they mind if you do), it's a way to get a solid foundation that does most of the things most people need most of the time on the shelves now instead of something over-engineered three years from now.
Personally I think this is fantastic. It recognizes the reality of the universe and the limited time we have to do things. I'm comfortable with the knowledge that next year, a better one will exist. That's always been the case, it just used to be that next year's better model was from a competitor, not the same company. Now everyone has a better model next year. More power to 'em. Good show, keep on trucking, etc.
This view is a symptom of spending too much time in online forums!
I don't know what Apple's failure rates are these days. Maybe they've declined significantly, maybe they haven't. But they've been historically among the best.
Apple is still #1 in customer satisfaction ratings. Several years running. Their numbers, of course - successive record Mac sales per quarter, easily bear this out.
Why not ask this guy:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/12/simon-aldous-windows-7-in_n_355043.html
http://www.osnews.com/story/22480/Microsoft_Manager_We_Copied_the_Mac_OS_X_Look-and-Feel
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/microsoft_manager_we_copied_max_os_x
http://www.findmysoft.com/news/It-s-Official-Microsoft-Copied-Mac-s-Looks-and-Feel/
Apple has good customer service for their hardware for the most part. Not sure you can blame MS if Dell doesn't want to service a machine. Although I've never had issues with Dell either so.
Where Apple does fail is how it treats developers. Someone gets a refund on your app and Apple pays them in full, yet you're still on the hook for the 30%. I think that's crap, but even if you think it's okay, Apple should at minimum forward you the questions the customer answered in order to get the refund. As it stands the developer has no way to know WHY the customer wanted and finally received a refund.