Yet.
Firing a bunch of people because of this also looks like an admission of guilt.
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ITC Denies Apple's Request for a Stay on Looming Apple Watch Import Ban
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Firing a bunch of people because of this also looks like an admission of guilt.
Masimo is worthless, and this FTC would likely sue to block anyway.
Apple needs to countersue over this turd.
Lol, wut.
Correct, I wasn't implying that you said that, but in general if Apple WERE to do that.
Apparently not worthless. Their patents have enough value to halt the leviathan in its tracks. That has value to someone, certainly Apple.
The FTC wouldn't sue to block the acquisition of a worthless entity.
Their property, their choice. Just because Apple wants something, even if it would be better for the world in Apple's hands, doesn't mean you have to give up what you own.
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A MacRumors customer could stand in the middle of 5th avenue and shoot somebody and the forums would blame Apple..
Patent law isn't that cut and dried. Two qualified people can look at the same patent and come to different conclusions. Even the patent office has backed off on claiming that issuing a patent is evidence that it's valid. Court is where these things are supposed to be figured out-- not the best venue for it, but here we are.
Suing to protect what you think is your IP doesn't make you evil, arguing you don't think it is their IP also doesn't make you evil. It's business, Sonny, not personal...
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The Apple Watch was Tim Cook’s baby and first new product. This is a major disgrace. Forget MIT or Stanford now. They wouldn't touch Apple with a 10-meter cattle prod.
I'm guessing you're new to this business? Patent disputes over minor implementation details in billion dollar product lines is absolutely normal.
I think $200 is closer to the hospital cost for a box of 20, provided they are in large purchasing network.
I guess the question is - why do you think anyone should be fired over this?
Apple Maps was always going to be a long term endeavour. It started out bad, but fulfilled its objective of getting rid of google maps from iOS, while giving users turn by turn, and Apple has continued to improve on the service over time. I also like to think that the shock that Apple could do something like that was partly responsible for Google willing to pay Apple so much money just to keep Google Search as default in Safari, because they weren't willing to risk getting to the 'F around and find out" stage.
The personnel responsible for implementing blood oxygen sensing in the Apple Watch was hired away from Masimo at twice the salary and millions in stock options. I doubt he's going to lose his job (not sure if he's still working there) but at a time like this, shouldn't the priority be to work together to find a solution, and not point fingers? What good will it do to fire the one person who might actually have any idea of what is actually going on?
I will never understand this mentality.
Just like they did after nerfing the AirPods ANC.
Chances are Apple will disable the sensor but deny it entirely. 😂
Is there any actual evidence that they did that? Or is it just anecdotes of people thinking their headphones sound different?
I would remove the feature for the time being, or for good. My guess is that a vast majority of users don’t even know or care about the feature to begin with. I don’t think or care about it — for me, the heart rate/rhythm sensor is the most important element of the device.
It is clear Apple made a huge mistake, just like they did with Maps. Something very, very wrong happened and there is no excuse for it in such a large company. When something wrong happens, there is absolutely nothing wrong with holding those responsible accountable. Apple had plenty of time to find a solution and chose not to. Now is exactly the time for some serious accountability.
But, I think I see what is really going on here.
Class Action Lawsuit.
You'll have people coming out of the woodwork claiming that they only reason they bought an Apple watch was for the blood oxygen measurement and Apple took it back without compensation.
Assuming you’re responding in good faith, I’ll point-out that none of Apple’s other patent disputes have led to a sales ban. Even with FaceTime, they weee able to find a workaround. This is a major disgrace.
It really depends a lot on how Apple got here. If the person in question led Apple to believe something when they knew or should have known otherwise then that's a termination offense without a doubt.
If they were upfront and said "I have an idea that I think can work around existing patents", Apple's engineering team and lawyers reviewed and supported it, but the courts disagreed, then no, it's not this person's fault. I also seem to remember there was some discussion around this case that involved delineating what is IP of a previous employer versus what is the experience and know how of the individual employee. If I'm remembering right, that is a really tough question to answer.
Maps isn't the right reference point here. For one thing, it wasn't a patent dispute, it was a slow roll out. For another, Apple Watch is still a quite useful watch, it's just one small feature of the thing that's in dispute.
A better analogy might be AirPower-- if I'm remembering the details, that was another case of a strategic hire or acquisition specifically meant to deliver that product and they couldn't. I wonder if that person is still around. A lot would depend on whether they oversold the idea going in and were seen as deceiving the company, if they took on an aggressive goal and fell short as you'd expect some big bets to, or if they met all their technical objectives but didn't cross the threshold of what Apple was willing to sell.
That's like saying none of a players fouls resulted in injury before now-- it doesn't mean this one was worse than any other, just if you bump up against the legal system enough times you're likely to sample the full buffet of sanctions on offer. Disgrace seems over the top.
But, I think I see what is really going on here.
I'm not sure why people keep calling this an FTC violation. It doesn't seem like a problem at all. You have a small medical devices company that came up with a novel blood oxygen sensor and patented it. The reason you patent an invention is so you can profit from it. Apple could license it for some small amount, buy it for a larger amount, or buy the whole freaking company for an even larger amount-- any way you slice it Masimo gets their payday.
It's not an anti-trust concern that I can see-- Apple isn't going to suddenly corner the market on bloodox sensors because they've combined their cheesy consumer watch with a line of professional healthcare devices.
Masimo CEO on Looming Apple Watch Ban: 'These Guys Have Been Caught With Their Hands in the Cookie Jar'
I wouldn't either, but the case isn't as clear cut as I initially thought. There were altogether 2 lawsuits - one for patent infringement and trade secret violation. The second was for an action with the ITC. Apple responded by petitioning to have the patents invalidated, while also filling a...
forums.macrumors.com
I shared what appears to have been the timeline for this lawsuit. It does not seem like something that was new to the company or which took leadership by surprise. Apple had been fighting to have Masimo's patents invalidated, which means that they had to have been prepared for the possibility that they may lose the lawsuit, as well as the ramifications that came with it.
They took a risk, they lost, and that's all there is to it.
Thanks for confirming. P.S. Plug-in my full “This is a major disgrace” quote into Google and see what pops-up. You may be surprised.
I can't help but feel Apple should just go along with the ban and see what happens. They've got the money to wait this out and they've got other markets to sell in. Consumers are likely to lose patience with this decision before Apple suffers serious hurt.
Exactly, which is what makes it so bad. They knew it was this close and rather than negotiate in good faith, they refused contact with Masimo. There is a reason this hasn’t happened with any other Apple products.Masimo CEO on Looming Apple Watch Ban: 'These Guys Have Been Caught With Their Hands in the Cookie Jar'
I wouldn't either, but the case isn't as clear cut as I initially thought. There were altogether 2 lawsuits - one for patent infringement and trade secret violation. The second was for an action with the ITC. Apple responded by petitioning to have the patents invalidated, while also filling a...
I shared what appears to have been the timeline for this lawsuit. It does not seem like something that was new to the company or which took leadership by surprise. Apple had been fighting to have Masimo's patents invalidated, which means that they had to have been prepared for the possibility that they may lose the lawsuit, as well as the ramifications that came with it.
They took a risk, they lost, and that's all there is to it.