So maybe that is why Apple waited 4 years before launching the iPhone 4?.. To wait and see if Sony would use their CONCEPT design in a product. Which they apparently did not. The first iPhones look nothing like that Sony concept.
Samsung v. Apple Trial Documents Reveal Early iPhone and iPad Prototypes
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So maybe that is why Apple waited 4 years before launching the iPhone 4?.. To wait and see if Sony would use their CONCEPT design in a product. Which they apparently did not. The first iPhones look nothing like that Sony concept.
archurban
macrumors 6502a
even I didn't read that article fully, there is the reason why this is suddenly popped up around the trouble between Apple and Samsung. do you know why? you don't. don't justify yourself as a fanboy. as a matter of fact, Samsung didn't copy apple barely. I don't see it. it's overwritten from apple in order to protect their ridiculous patents which some of them are not even apple first made.
iMcLovin
macrumors 68000
this is why consumers are best kept in the dark about the design process that went through when making the products. It shows that even apple has to go through a lot of crap before they find what looks best and that simple design doesn't come at first try, its multiple iterations and tryouts.
Seeing these designs is like seeing an actor/actress without makeup...it kinda ruins the glamour a bit - I rather live in ignorance and denial.
Seeing these designs is like seeing an actor/actress without makeup...it kinda ruins the glamour a bit - I rather live in ignorance and denial.
Rogifan
macrumors Penryn
This is why we need the downvote button back. This is so absurd it really doesn't deserve a response but certainly deserves to be downvoted.
Now that it has been revealed that is was a Japanese Apple designer, who "drew inspiration" from Sony, we can now dispel this ridiculous belief by the blind followers that Apple are completely original and are influenced by nobody but themselves. I find it hilarious that they would copy to the extent of even putting the darn brand name of the company they are copying right on the darn prototype. WOW!
This just proves what many have been saying, everyone copies from everyone. But the difference is, when Apple does it, they call it "being inspired by...'
Straight from TheVerge:
A recent court filing by Samsung reveals that in 2006 Apple industrial designer Shin Nishibori was directed to design an iPhone prototype inspired by Sony's aesthetics after Tony Fadell internally circulated an interview with a designer from the company. An assortment of renders reveal his design, complete with a Sony logo — save for one where the logo has been modified to read "Jony," presumably in honor of Apple's Jony Ive.
Apple designer Richard Howarth took note of the renders, and in a 2006 email told Ive that that he felt the design allowed for a "much smaller-looking product with a much nicer shape" for making calls when compared to another prototype...Howarth comments that Nishibori's Sony-inspired look is "only half a step away" from what is now Cupertino's current model. In an amusing aside, Howard also tells Ive that the iPhone 4 design "looks old" when compared to the P2, but that it would be more usable.
And that particular design, is without a doubt pretty much what you see today as the iPhone 4/4S. Thank You Shin, and Thank You Sony.
This just proves what many have been saying, everyone copies from everyone. But the difference is, when Apple does it, they call it "being inspired by...'
Straight from TheVerge:
A recent court filing by Samsung reveals that in 2006 Apple industrial designer Shin Nishibori was directed to design an iPhone prototype inspired by Sony's aesthetics after Tony Fadell internally circulated an interview with a designer from the company. An assortment of renders reveal his design, complete with a Sony logo — save for one where the logo has been modified to read "Jony," presumably in honor of Apple's Jony Ive.
Apple designer Richard Howarth took note of the renders, and in a 2006 email told Ive that that he felt the design allowed for a "much smaller-looking product with a much nicer shape" for making calls when compared to another prototype...Howarth comments that Nishibori's Sony-inspired look is "only half a step away" from what is now Cupertino's current model. In an amusing aside, Howard also tells Ive that the iPhone 4 design "looks old" when compared to the P2, but that it would be more usable.
And that particular design, is without a doubt pretty much what you see today as the iPhone 4/4S. Thank You Shin, and Thank You Sony.
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jayducharme
macrumors 601
Out of all the designs, that's the one I like the most. The beveling is visually interesting, and it would probably be comfortable to hold.
johnybarkerr
macrumors newbie
Always enjoy looking at old prototypes. It's fun to see what we could have ended up with but most of the time I'm glad we didn't. That iPod mini one is hideous. The otco one really isn't that bad when you think about it, that could have been the one to become the 3G, following up the original iPhone. But it was the right move to keep that one stillborn.
S.B.G
Moderator emeritus
That square design is pig ugly....Let's hope Apple don't go all retro on us and decide to make the 5 look like that..It's a brick.
True that man! That octagon shape is horrible.
macnerd93
macrumors 6502a
hmm you don't see it
Patents are not ridiculous either, its any companies right to protect intellectual property. http://www.tuaw.com/2011/09/28/no-comment-proof-that-samsung-shamelessly-copies-apple/
hmm you don't see it
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/09/28/no-comment-proof-that-samsung-shamelessly-copies-apple/
Ummm....have you not learned anything. Your beloved manufacture of choice has made it clear to you, it's not called copying, it's called drawing inspiration from another company. Surely if it's good enough practice for Apple, it's good enough for others.
Meandmunch
macrumors 6502
I love seeing stuff like this.
That looks almost exactly like an iPhone 4 and it was designed by Apple, so what's your point? I don't think anyone claims Apple designs products in isolation from the rest of the world. It's well known that Dieter Rams design principles have influenced Jonny Ives designs. If you can't understand the difference between being inspired by or adhering to similar design principles and copying, there's no point in discussing this.
Edit: To clarify the difference, inspiration is to ask what would X do and copying is taking what X did and claiming it as your own. There's a clear and distinct difference between the two. In the real world the line certainly gets blurred, but it's ridiculous to claim that those two concepts are the same.
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macnerd93
macrumors 6502a
Ummm....have you not learned anything. Your beloved manufacture of choice has made it clear to you, it's not called copying, it's called drawing inspiration from another company. Surely if it's good enough practice for Apple, it's good enough for others.
I really don't think that comment was aimed at you.
My comment was to another poster, of which I was making several totally different points.
My first point was that he claimed Apple had started copying Sony, which is not true, since Apple made the mockup in the first place. He then claimed that Apple's patents are ridiculous and I simply stated thats not the case as any company has a legal right to be able to protect their intellectual properties, from theft and misuse etc.
Finally that link was to show the other poster, the lengths Samsung go to, to try and copy Apple's little details, as he claimed that Samsung had never copied anything off Apple, which is simply not the case.
Interesting how companies even manage to copy unreleased Apple products.
kdarling
Contributor
Also reminds me of the Dell Flash design:
No doubt they all had CEOs on the Apple board of directors, stealing Apple's unique ideas.
It's the only way to explain how everyone could come up with the same simple shapes!
(Heck, I have a slim aluminum external USB laptop drive case that looks like that.)
chagla
macrumors 6502a
it's interesting that you start by saying it "almost exactly like an iphone 4", few sentences later you say Apple is "inspired" by Sony and others. if this is not copying, then Samsung phones are not copying iphones either.
can you give a specific example of a Samsung phone that looks "almost exactly like" an iphone?
lol!
Anonymous Freak
macrumors 603
Uh.........
An Apple prototype "blatantly copie(d) Sony", not a released product.
If it was only Samsung's prototypes that resembled Apple products, Apple wouldn't have complained.
What I wonder is how many of the "prototypes" weren't even meant to be real products - and were just "throw them off the scent" fakes in the event of a leak?
Really? And what if court documents showed it was indeed Samsung who had done what we see in these documents. What if it were Samsung that demanded it's designers to come up with something that was "inspired by Apple" and had mock ups that actually had the Apple name on it's prototypes. Then what? Oh yeah, that's right, it would put the fanboys in a frenzy and claim case closed on Samsung copying Apple. Yeah, that's it.
Honestly, put the kool aid DOWN!!!
It seems Apple can come out and straight out say they are copying another companies design ques, completely admit to it, and the Apple faithful will still talk about how amazing Apple's designs are. SHOCKING!!!
BTW, forget mister Ives, who you guys seem to give all the credit to. Read the documents, it was actually Mr.Shin Nishibori, who copied Sony design ques, that brought the iPhone 4/4S to life. Mr.Shin and Sony are to be given majority of the credit. Give credit where credit is due.
iSee
macrumors 68040
Regarding the people going nuts over Apple's Sony inspired prototype.
* Apple's design was inspired by a camera, not another smart phone or tablet.
* Apple's iPhone 4 looks very similar to the prototype... but NOT any Sony camera.
* In fact, most of the Sony-like elements of the prototype do not actually appear in the iPhone 4
* No one who's not wildly ignorant thinks Apple deisgns are all 100% orignial. I suppose there must be some Apple fanboys that think they are, but those people are as dumb as the people who think Apple designs are unoriginal. It's very normal for designs to be influances or inspired by other designs. That's different than copying the design of a product. (By the way, I have no opinion on whether or not Samsung copied Apple's design or not; I haven't spent any time analyzing and comparing the design of those Samsung products. Also, this is actually a legal question, not a design question, and I don't know the law well enough to have an opinion in any case.
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Yes, for putting the logo on an internal prototype. sigh.
* Apple's design was inspired by a camera, not another smart phone or tablet.
* Apple's iPhone 4 looks very similar to the prototype... but NOT any Sony camera.
* In fact, most of the Sony-like elements of the prototype do not actually appear in the iPhone 4
* No one who's not wildly ignorant thinks Apple deisgns are all 100% orignial. I suppose there must be some Apple fanboys that think they are, but those people are as dumb as the people who think Apple designs are unoriginal. It's very normal for designs to be influances or inspired by other designs. That's different than copying the design of a product. (By the way, I have no opinion on whether or not Samsung copied Apple's design or not; I haven't spent any time analyzing and comparing the design of those Samsung products. Also, this is actually a legal question, not a design question, and I don't know the law well enough to have an opinion in any case.
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Yes, for putting the logo on an internal prototype. sigh.
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Really? And what if court documents showed it was indeed Samsung who had done what we see in these documents. What if it were Samsung that demanded it's designers to come up with something that was "inspired by Apple" and had mock ups that actually had the Apple name on it's prototypes. Then what? Oh yeah, that's right, it would put the fanboys in a frenzy and claim case closed on Samsung copying Apple. Yeah, that's it.
Honestly, put the kool aid DOWN!!!
It seems Apple can come out and straight out say they are copying another companies design ques, completely admit to it, and the Apple faithful will still talk about how amazing Apple's designs are. SHOCKING!!!
BTW, forget mister Ives, who you guys seem to give all the credit to. Read the documents, it was actually Mr.Shin Nishibori, who copied Sony design ques, that brought the iPhone 4/4S to life. Mr.Shin and Sony are to be given majority of the credit. Give credit where credit is due.
Bolding things doesn't make you seem smarter. I used Ives as an example because his design inspirations are well known, yet you were claiming people said Apple design products completely isolated from the world. Quit twisting other peoples arguments to hide your lack of one.
There is a difference between copying and being inspired as I've already explained and I've also said the line gets blurry in real life, but you refuse to even acknowledge there are legitimate differences between the two.
Instead putting text in bold, please come back with a real argument.
PS: If someone at Samsung was tasked with designing a TV and was asked to design it as if Apple created it, and then iterated to create their own design to release to the market, I don't think we could say they copied Apple as Apple doesn't even have a TV on the market. The inspiration would probably be noticeable and that would be pointed out, but there's no way it could really be a copy. much like the iPhone isn't a Sony clone.
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What Sony phone did they copy? They were tasked with brainstorming on how Sony would make an iPhone. Samsung had the iPhone in front of them, they knew how Apple would make an iPhone.
I'm not going to accuse Samsung of doing this, but they could have been tasked with taking an iPhone and modifying it to be sufficiently different to call their own product. The scenarios are very different, but apparently understanding that is difficult.
Why are you so against bolded lettering. This function is on the forums for various reasons. For example, I'm putting my responses in bold, so you know there my responses.
chrisbru
macrumors 6502a
You are really dense, aren't you? Sony didn't design that, Apple did.