Apple Blocks Sale of Galaxy Tab 10.1 In Australia 316
lukehopewell1 writes "Apple has obtained an injunction from an Australian court effectively blocking the sale of the new Android Honeycomb-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v. Apple Australia claims that the unit infringes on 10 of the Cupertino, California-based company's patents including the slide to unlock functionality as well as the edge-bounce feature. Samsung will provide Apple Australia with three units for study in coming weeks to ascertain whether or not the Korean gadget maker did in fact infringe on Apple's patented intellectual property."
Add "on a mobile computing device" to anything! (Score:4, Insightful)
I am fully confident that this thread will demonstrate the utmost civility of Slashdot users.
Looks like Apple is starting to feel threatened. (Score:5, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Sounds like it's the one to buy then (Score:4, Insightful)
The world needs patent reform (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, if "Slide to Lock" deserves a patent, someone in the USPTO should be hit over the head with a hammer. Repeatedly.
Re:Yes, I need to see this Galaxy Tab then (Score:5, Insightful)
Samsung are clearly infringing on Apple's right to be the only tablet device manufacturer. Just like IBM should rightly have been the only computer manufacturer.
Re:The world needs patent reform (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, if "Slide to Lock" deserves a patent, someone in the USPTO should be hit over the head with a hammer. Repeatedly.
I think this may have already happened. It would explain a lot.
Re:Looks like Apple is starting to feel threatened (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah, that's Apple being scared. It's definitely not your wishful thinking projecting emotions onto a business decision.
They're trying to block the entry of a competitor via the legal system as opposed to competing with them once the product is released.
That is not a business decision, that's an admission they cannot compete.
Re:Sounds like it's the one to buy then (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah, talk about feeding the beast.
Galaxy Tab is sooo good even Apple's tried to stop its release!
Re:Sounds like it's the one to buy then (Score:5, Insightful)
Copying doesn't preclude improving upon, so that isn't what Samsung is accused of. Plus the two patents mentioned are for trivial UX features that are hardly ground breaking innovation in and of themselves.
Part of the reason that people are venting at Apple in this case is because yet again we see the absurdity of the patent and legal systems ably demonstrated by what is a pretty lame lawsuit (we think this product may infringe our patents, so ban all imports and give us full access so we can decide if this is actually the case or not - i.e. they're not even saying that it definitely infringes). I mean seriously, how on earth is sliding your finger across the screen to unlock the device something so amazingly innovative that Apple should be able to patent it?!
Another big part of the reason is that instead of competing by producing a better product and letting the market decide, Apple are increasingly hiding behind their lawyers. Their response to Android in general has been to sue rather than to find a better way to compete in the open market place. They could produce better devices, a wider range of devices, they could release the OS and allow other manufacturers to build iDevices, they could choose to specialise in various niches, they could try and revolutionise another market sector, etc. They have chosen to do absolutely none of those things, despite the end consumer benefitting from any and all of them, instead releasing relatively minor incremental updates to the same products and attempting to use the legal system to wipe out the competition.
The average consumer never benefits when a single manufacturer focussed on the premium end of the market is given free reign of entire classes of device. As a consumer, even an Apple fanboi (if you are one), you should be cheering on the competition knowing that it means more people will find the ideal device for them and that the competition will push all the manufacturers to keep improving their products at a far faster rate than if one company maintains a monopoly.
Re:Looks like Apple is starting to feel threatened (Score:4, Insightful)
That is not a business decision, that's an admission they cannot compete.
Because Sumsung's Android gear has been selling so well they've decided to no longer report the numbers [techcrunch.com], to ...um... not make anyone jealous. You can see why Apple might be shaking in their boots.
Could you have found a more biased site. They readily admit they are paid by Apple. Besides that proves nothing. If Apple isn't scared, why are they trying to get the courts to prevent Samsung from selling a much demanded competing product. Sorry if this shatters your fanboyish delusions.
Re:Looks like Apple is starting to feel threatened (Score:4, Insightful)
Who makes the screens in the iPad? Who is begging who to please supply them with more screens?
I think Apple is scared, that it might not be getting the next generation of screens if Samsung has need for it themselves. If Samsung can make more money selling tablets then selling screens, Apple is screwed because Samsung is currently in the lead in the screen market especially oled.
Also, this isn't just about tablets, iPhone sales are lower then Android sales and Samsung sells a lot of Android phones.
Apple is trying to get rid of the competition. Same as MS did with IE and we all know how that worked out for browser users. Apple without competition would be as boring in its line-up as MS.
Apple is getting real worried (Score:5, Insightful)
They've had a massive rise in profitability that anyone who isn't stuck in a cave can't have missed. However, what some people don't seem to realize is it has almost entirely been in a new market, consumer electronics, not their computer division. Their computer sales have gone up, but not near to the levels of their consumer electronics and only after the CE products made them a name.
So if they want to keep that profitability, and all companies want that, they have to keep that market.
For a time, no problem. It started with the iPod which became a fashion accessory. People didn't get MP3 players, they got iPods. It was what was cool to have and nobody could compete because nobody else could make an iPod. Well that market is pretty saturated these days. People don't buy new MP3 players all the time, and the iPod fashion has faded a bit (though it is still strong). So while it makes them money, it doesn't make them money like it used to.
Enter the iPhone and now iPad. The iPhone did great because it captured a new part of the smartphone market: casual users. Other smartphones were very business oriented, the iPhone was for consumers who wanted a toy. The iPad of course went in to a new market entirely, since tablets like it really aren't competition for full out tablet PCs.
All is well and Apple makes billions... However Android is a real threat to that. It has become extremely good and has been eating away at the iPhone market (and everyone else's). The tablet market was safe, but now it is entering there. It has a ways to go but is getting better at a rapid pace, Google improves it very quickly.
Apple is seeing their consumer electronics markets evaporate, turn in to regular commodity markets where you have to compete on price which Apple has never done well. This won't kill Apple, but it could seriously shrink them and companies view that as just as bad.
So they have to attack and try and stop it, in any way they can.
I just hope they don't succeed. I don't want a world where only one company can provide certain kinds of technology. Competition is nearly always good for the consumer.
Re:Sounds like it's the one to buy then (Score:2, Insightful)
No, part of the reason we see people venting at apple is that they have brand loyalty to android, and they're too dumb to realise their bias ;).
Re:Sounds like it's the one to buy then (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Looks like Apple is starting to feel threatened (Score:2, Insightful)
Could you have found a more biased site. They readily admit they are paid by Apple.
Citation needed. If you can provide I'll happily ignore them from now on.
Besides that proves nothing.
If Apple isn't scared, why are they trying to get the courts to prevent Samsung from selling a much demanded competing product.
They are protecting their IP, it's protect it or lose it. I don't like the patent system as it exists but I also know it doesn't pay to try to be a lamb when you are surrounded by wolves.
Sorry if this shatters your fanboyish delusions.
Arguments, not insults please.