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Key Claim of Apple's 'Rubber Banding' Patent Once Again Found Invalid by U.S. Patent Office

AZREOSpecialist said:
So who made a product even close to an iPhone before Apple? Who implemented and used rubber-banding before Apple? Apple invented the competition when it invented iPhone. Samsung, Motorola, Nokia would all still be pushing their stupid flip phones and Palm would be on another useless iteration of its Treo if it weren't for Apple.

Ah how quickly we forget that the things you take for granted today in your smartphone were mostly invented, and implemented, by Apple. But today you say it's normal and everywhere, but that wasn't the case just five years ago. Credit the Apple. They took the risks, they made the investments, and they deserve to block anyone who has stolen their concepts.
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Rubber banding was done on AOL and Amiga Computers.

Those manufacturers already had touch screen phones on their roadmap. Apple was one of the first and had a great UI despite the phone lacking in several other areas.

Most of the things you credit Apple for, Apple stood on the hard work of the industry. You want to thank Apple for it? Ok - But in the very same sentence and breath - thank the Samsungs, Motorolas, Nokias, Palms, etc for all of their $$, R&D, patents, etc which made the iPhone possible.

The iPhone wasn't created out of thin air and without using technologies that weren't already established. Companies that spent years taking risks, invested, collaborated, etc.

You'd think some forum members were born in 2007.
 
aerok said:
It was unique, in good ways and bad ways. It was the first smartphone with very responsive capacitative touch screen.

But it was also probably the only smartphone that could not send or receive MMS :p
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No it wasn't.

The LG Prada was the first mobile phone to have a Capacitive Touch Screen.
 
rmwebs said:
No it wasn't.

The LG Prada was the first mobile phone to have a Capacitive Touch Screen.
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I know that, hence I specified smartphone. Although, it is easy to argue that the first iPhone was not a smartphone. It depends on how you see it.
 
dkersten said:
Are... are you serious? In that case Apple is a massive patent troll. How many patent applications have we seen come through the front page in this site over the years that aren't even in the same arena as any current/past products? Not saying Apple is a patent troll (which is up for debate) but your definition of a patent troll certainly paints Apple as a huge patent troll
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I think he acidentally left out "and suing people for said unused patents..."
 
Nightarchaon said:
And apples stock falls again as another of its "key patents" fails to stick.

Time for apple to sue the Patent office ? :rolleyes: or perhaps time for apple to stop Patent Trolling to get its competitors products out of the way and get back to innovating its products so they sell on their own merits.

i remember a time when apples products stood out from the competitors, and they released new, fresh improvements that were one step ahead of the competition, now it seems everyone else is 10 steps ahead and apple are stuck in the corner eating paste with glitter on it.

Less of Sir Ives -"lets make it thinner and shiny-er", more technical enhancements and disruptive new features, please apple (including a little door that gives the magical ability to swap out the memory and HDD on your products again, THAT would be a disruptive change)
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I don't think you know what patent trolling actually is. Apple is defending innovations that they actually use. They go a bit far when it comes to suing over everything, but it's not fair that Apple spends the time and money coming up with a feature that people like, and a competitor can come in and snatch it without expending any effort of their own.

A large part of the cost of any "i" product is research and development. Cut rate competitors like HTC just jump in, slap together a cheap knock-off based on the inventions of others, install the lastest Android software, and sit back and make a profit. I'd like to see a comparison of how much Apple is spending on R&D versus their competitors.
 
Renzatic said:
It's the polish, shine, and style that ultimate separates iOS from what came before. We've seen a grid of icons on a portable device plenty of times in the past, but we hadn't seen one nearly as smooth before.
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You know, you're right. The secret of Apple has never been in innovation; it's been in execution. The logical conclusion is that, in spite of what people have been saying, Apple doesn't need to innovate to stay on trajectory; what they need to do is continue to have terrific design and execution.
 
Mic'sBook said:
I second that! I still remember in the 2007 Macworld Keynote address, the scrolling and 'rubber banding' were two distinctive features of the iPhone. :) :apple:

Steve even said, 'And boy have we patented it!' (he was referring to the 'Multi-Touch')
If Steve were here, I wonder what he would think. :confused:
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Apple can try to patent whatever they want... if they are found to be invalid then the patents are worthless and doesn't matter what SJ said.

If SJ was here today he'd probably be throwing a hissy fit and firing people in the elevator ( half joking ).
 
Stella said:
Apple can try to patent whatever they want... if they are found to be invalid then the patents are worthless and doesn't matter what SJ said.

If SJ was here today he'd probably be throwing a hissy fit and firing people in the elevator ( half joking ).
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...and crying (to someone).
 
Gasu E. said:
Not really relevant. Apple has a lot fewer product areas than Sammy. I'll bet Apple has a much higher ratio of R&D per product.
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... What's the point, even if I prove to you that Samsung Mobile division spends more money than Apple, you'll find another lame argument to argue that Apple spends more...
 
Renzatic said:
The basics of the GUI? Sortakinda but not really. If you want to get down to the nuts and bolts about it, iOS is an evolution of what we've seen in Palms and other PDA's, just built around a finger as the main method of input rather than a stylus.

It's the polish, shine, and style that ultimate separates iOS from what came before. We've seen a grid of icons on a portable device plenty of times in the past, but we hadn't seen one nearly as smooth before.
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Indeed. The polish and combination of many factors is what set iOS apart. Putting together previously innovative ideas in new ways, in a very appealing package.

But sadly the Apple of today doesn't innovate, it litigates. When I bought my iPhone 4, Apple was still far ahead of its pack. It took competitors ALMOST A YEAR to get a phone out with a similar quality display. Now? They are at a serious risk of falling behind - and already have in some areas. And iOS is far overdue for a facelift. *That* should be the concern of Apple. Not these patents and lawsuits.
 
SirYossi said:
what is the point of the US Patent Office anyhow - i think it is getting outdated or they need to change how they look at things. like most of the gvt it is stuck in the 50 and 60s. I thought the Patent Office was there to protect US companies not sell then out to the Asians? No wonder no TVs ect are made in the USA anymore the govt makes it impossible for them to do so. Time for the US gvt to make some changes and get there heads out of there bums. If the US wants to make the US a viable market again then it needs to do some reforms to keep businesses in the US rather then driving them out - unless that is what the gvt really wants to do?
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Fewer "things" are made in the USA because we have the highest corporate taxes in the world and government regulations are considered excessive compared to many other places.

BTW, the folks at the USPTO are probably far smarter and current than you imagine. Sure, they make some poor decisions but you don't necessarily hear about all of the right ones they make.
 
People who arent willing to give Apple ANY credit in putting together the form of smartphone everyone uses today should remember it took Android another 3 years after the first iPhone to make its equivalent smartphone.

I see everyone saying Apple didnt do anything, they just ripped off Samsung et al, bloody annoying reading all this as I remember sitting open mouthed looking at Jobs presentation of something I had not seen before, a total package of technologies that reinvented what a smartphone was and what it could do.

How it took the idea of a smartphone out of the business sector, and put it in the hands of everyone.

And 3 years later its competitors put out their similar looking devices.

Then 3 years later everyone moans that Apple didnt do anything, and they should stop ripping everyone else off.

Bad Apple.
 
Nomadski said:
People who arent willing to give Apple ANY credit in putting together the form of smartphone everyone uses today should remember it took Android another 3 years after the first iPhone to make its equivalent smartphone.

I see everyone saying Apple didnt do anything, they just ripped off Samsung et al, bloody annoying reading all this as I remember sitting open mouthed looking at Jobs presentation of something I had not seen before, a total package of technologies that reinvented what a smartphone was and what it could do.

How it took the idea of a smartphone out of the business sector, and put it in the hands of everyone.

And 3 years later its competitors put out their similar looking devices.

Then 3 years later everyone moans that Apple didnt do anything, and they should stop ripping everyone else off.

Bad Apple.
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Who's "everyone"?
 
Nomadski said:
People who arent willing to give Apple ANY credit in putting together the form of smartphone everyone uses today should remember it took Android another 3 years after the first iPhone to make its equivalent smartphone.

I see everyone saying Apple didnt do anything, they just ripped off Samsung et al, bloody annoying reading all this as I remember sitting open mouthed looking at Jobs presentation of something I had not seen before, a total package of technologies that reinvented what a smartphone was and what it could do.

How it took the idea of a smartphone out of the business sector, and put it in the hands of everyone.

And 3 years later its competitors put out their similar looking devices.

Then 3 years later everyone moans that Apple didnt do anything, and they should stop ripping everyone else off.

Bad Apple.
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So much hyperbole in one post.
 
Gasu E. said:
Not really relevant. Apple has a lot fewer product areas than Sammy. I'll bet Apple has a much higher ratio of R&D per product.
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Your inital comment was about HTC freeriding Apple's research so let's take your silly higher ratio R&D per product argument

Apple spent about $800 million in R&D in 2010
HTC spent about $500 million in R&D in 2010

Does Apple have less than 1.6 times less products than HTC? Not at all so based on your reasoning, HTC spends more money than Apple on research.

http://www.itpro.co.uk/630721/nokia-rd-spend-outweighs-apple-and-htc
 
wut

Really?

This is actually an acceptable patent, they accept a rounded rectangle but not this? logic!
 
Nomadski said:
People who arent willing to give Apple ANY credit in putting together the form of smartphone everyone uses today should remember it took Android another 3 years after the first iPhone to make its equivalent smartphone.
.
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Which Android smartphone was that that was released 3 years after the iPhone?
 
BornAgainMac said:
Well, if these patents are invalid, it should be ok to copy cool ideas from Android now. It has to work both ways.
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Android never had bounce back, other manufacturers have added in their custom skin.

But let us follow your logic, since Apple took the slide down notification, Android is now allowed to take something from Apple?
 
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