First things first, i never owned an Android device. Second, im not sure that i ever will. I am passionate however, passionate about technology (not corporations).
It's funny, because everyone is passionate about their opinions and devices, yet I think people miss what is staring them in the face.
Android users who love their phones, just think that it's okay that Google ripped off Apple the way that hey did. I keep reading things like. "that's not innovative", "that's obvious", they didn't invent that", "that was done by someone else first".
Well, often times it is not innovative, it is obvious, they did not invent that, it was made by someone else first. The thing staring us in the face here is really the ignorance and lack of historical insight of many of the posters. Heck, its almost as if i wouldnt be surprised to hear someone say that Apple invented videocalling. Thats how bad it has become.
"A grid of icons"... Oh how original... how else are you going to do it?
Well, like Android (often-times) does it.. you place them freely. Grid of icons have however been the de-facto standard ever since screens were big enough to display more than one icon at the time. Denying that just makes you look stupid. Really.
Do you know how old those two phones are? Well, let me tell you:
The first one, Nokia 7650 was released first half 2002. The second, Sony Ericsson t68i was released about the same time, with its predecessor Ericsson t68m (with the same menu) being released fall 2001.
Cut the "grid-of-icons" crap. Because that is what it is, crap. Smart, yes. Innovative, **** no.
Gestures... Oh so and so invented that years ago
Make that DECADES. Really.
The hardware? How else are you going to do it.
I assume youre talking about design. Well, like the dutch judge said, its a case of form-follows-function. Yes, there is room for distinction, but if you want to be distinct dont go for generic minimalism.
Hardly any buttons? Big deal
With touch-sensitive monitors the need for buttons is reduced for quite obvious reasons. What is your argument here? That everyone must have more than 1 button, because Apple has 1? Well, if Apple were allowed to go from X to 1, why is not Samsung (or Blackberry) allowed to go from 1 to 0? You make no sense.
Nothing special about a single button that always takes you home
Not really, no. But they can keep it for all i care.
Visual Voicemail, something similar done already by a telephony company
If you say so. Must say that its amazing that voice-mail managed to stay so crappy for so many years though. F'in carriers.
It'll surf the web? Other phones can do that.
Since like, forever - yeah.
Please dont. Instead, list things that were not around. Things that Apple truly did invent, things that were not obvious or generic. That list doesnt have to go on forever at all. I'd say it would be quite short.
What many people fail to see here is it is not just one or two things that made the iPhone truly innovative. It's the vision of how to put it all together in a single package with a UI that was elegantly simple, powerful and truly useful.
First: What is up with the praising of the iphone UI? Its ugly, not elegant at all, hardly powerful and not more useful than the one i had on my SE phone 5 years ago. Iphone is what it is because of touch (and good coding), not interface design. The last part is quite meh.
Second: All devices did pretty much all the things you said, up until touch. When touch came they did everything they used to do, plus touch. Apple was not the first use touch, or implement touch-based techniques (e.g. gestures). Oversimplified the only thing Apple did first, was get it right. Applaud them for that all you want, but dont give them credit where they are not due.
What made the iPhone special was that someone finally took the time, did the research, made countless prototypes, invented new stuff where it was needed, constructed a useful UI for a small-screen device. Apple fussed and fussed over every detail.
If i were to use MR.com language i would change that "invented" to "copied", same goes for "constructed". But yes, like stated above Apple managed to get it right. For that they have earned billions and billions of dollars. Being first getting it right does not allow one to block everyone else from getting it right though.
In walks Google, posing as Apple's partner. They see what Apple are doing and completely does a 180 from their current Android development and totally mimic's Apple's years of work. Then they give it away for free. They encourage their hardware partners to develop Apple inspired hardware that mimics the iPhone to run the "free OS".
baseless speculation from your side. second, i doubt that iphone wouldve been the success it was if it were not for googles initial support.
Why? Because Google recognized that Apple had figured out to do a phone right. Just like they figured out how to do a portable music player right. Just like they figured out how to do a tablet right. Competitors have even copied the iMacs since their introduction.
Maybe so. But theres no patent on doing things right. Its like Barcelona would ban everyone else from trying to play their style of soccer. ****, progress itself is based on someone finally getting it right, others catching on, and so on and so forth. In your ideal world we would constantly have to re-invent the wheel, just because.
It bothers me not just that Google swiped Apple's work and gives it away for free so they can create food to sell to their advertisers, but the way that they did it was most shameful.
Baseless speculation.
So, if you look at most of the features of the iPhone by themselves, they don't look all that special. BUT when you put it all together, with the kind of care and attention to detail with well designed and well-built hardware, THAT creates something special and something that was not at all obvious. It might seem obvious now, but if that was really the case, HTC, or Nokia would have done it first.
Yes, something they have earned billions for already. Its not like they have not been rewarded for being the first to get it right. Like stated, success does not grant exclusive rights to something. Heck, lets ban OS X while were at it, Windows is more successful. Geez.
The new Android devices are very nice and you can that Steve Jobs and Apple, because had they not made the iPhone, who knows what you'd be using now.
Most likely something very similar, given the path-dependency of the industry. Apple may have been a catalyst, but its not like they turned technology around.
