Apple often gets credited with creating "game-changing" devices that just happen to come to market before anyone else has the same great idea.
Apple is an ergonomics company. They might not necessarily make something first, but what they do make is usually considerably sleeker and more consumer friendly than the competition.
The iPhone was a game changer in the sense that it brought a bunch of various ideas together, and combined them into a package that was novel, easy to use, and accessible. Still, it wasn't invented in a vacuum. It was built upon years of technological innovations culled from outside the company.
So now that Apple has popularized the touchscreen smartphone, does that mean they get exclusive rights to the concept for the next 50 years? Are other companies no longer allowed the same advantages as Apple? Aren't allowed to use Apple innovations the way Apple used other companies innovations?
As for Apple vs Android... it would have been cool if you could buy an Android phone on June 29, 2007. Unfortunately... none existed yet. You couldn't buy an Android phone until 16 month later.
Who cares? No...wait. I think the better answer to that question would be "why care at all"?
Same for tablets... was there an Android tablet in stores on April 3, 2010? No there was not. The first Android tablet wasn't available until 6 months later... and the "real" Android tablets came out 4 months after that. (other tablets like Playbook and Touchpad were even later)
The same answer above applies here. What if Android were in development during that time, and wasn't fortunate enough to release first? Does that still make them a copycat? Hell, even if it was a flat out ripoff, a knee jerk response to Apple's success, it still brings enough to the table to differentiate it, and make things more interesting for the mobile scene. They're competition. Competition breeds innovation. Innovation brings improvements. Improvements that would take considerably longer to come about if there weren't any competition to work against.
It doesn't matter how much Apple's feelings were hurt because someone "copied" their ideas. All I care about is, hey, I've got a new notification system in iOS5 that doesn't bug the hell out of me.
Also... if all Apple does is just make a new implementation of something someone else did before... isn't that what everyone else does too?
Pretty much. There's usually a prime mover type, of course. But really, why even concern yourself with who did what first? It's a stupid game to play.
You should be more interested in all the neat new stuff that's coming out every day, rather than what your personal favorite company did before everyone else.
So why is it a slam against Apple when they make a "derivative" new product... and not the other guys?
I'm not slamming Apple here. I'm slamming all the people who flap their mouth and bash everyone else who claims Apple are the sole innovators in an industry of copycats. It's a dumb argument, based upon complete and total ignorance. Apple is ultimately one company in a huge, huge, HUGE field of them. They do come up with their own neat ideas and innovations, but they also use others innovations equally as much to make their Phonebook Pros, and Macpads, and doohickey whatnots. Why should they get a pass when others don't?
If the iPad is just a new implementation of the tablets that came before... isn't that what every other tablet is too?
Yup. The iPad is derived from the old PC tablets that have been around since forever. But they went in a slightly different direction with their tablet and made one that people actually wanted to buy. Apple brought their own good ideas to an old idea and improved upon it. Now everyone else is taking Apple's good ideas and trying to improve upon them.
Anyway, blah blah blah. This has gone on long enough. Long story short, Apple uses the cool stuff other people have done, and sometimes the cool stuff they come up with gets used by other people. Arguing about who did what first is a big waste of time.
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UGH, it's already on a Fridge, Toaster, Washer, and dryer!
Google them, and you will find them very easily. It's hard to take a company seriously when they go and slap their OS on everything like that yet their phones take forever to get simple updates.
What are you talking about "ugh"? That's awesome! It's like we live in the future or something.
I can't wait until my fridge berates me for running low on bacon. Cuz you know the next step after that is gonna totally be Moon Cars.
