Why Apple Is Suing Every Android Manufacturer In Sight 738
First time accepted submitter amiller2571 writes "The eyes of the technology world are focused on the epic patent struggle between Apple and Samsung — the latest iteration of Apple's frantic legal battle against everything Android. The iPhone maker has also brought suits against Android device manufacturers HTC and Motorola. Apple has faced criticism for its endless lawsuits designed to stunt competition from Google's Android, but a quick look at Android device shipments in the second quarter of 2012 reveals a key number that suggest Apple is right to worry." Spoiler alert: the number the article focuses on is 68 — as in, the 68 percent of the smart phone market in this year's second quarter that consisted of Android phones.
The numbers are from IDC (Score:5, Interesting)
The numbers are from IDC, so they might not be very accurate. According to IDC, Samsung sold 2,391,000 tablets worldwide in Q2 2012, but according to Samsung's court documents in the Apple case, it sold 37,000 tablets relevant to the court case. It could be that almost all of their sales were international and/or not-relevant (such as Windows tablets), but it is hard to reconcile those numbers nonetheless. The most likely explanation is that IDC really sucks at estimating tablet sales. Maybe they are dramatically better at phones?
Source: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/08/10/apple-sold-5-7-million-tablets-in-the-u-s-last-quarter-court-documents-show-samsung-sold-37000/ [cnn.com]
Most Android phones are feature phones now (Score:1, Interesting)
This article is of the “Apple is doomed” variety. That does not match the fact that every new iOS product outsells all the previous years. There is no way to spin that as being bad for Apple.
Android is all propaganda. It's so tiresome. Most Android phones are generic feature phones with no data plan. Android went downmarket a few years ago. If a carrier has iPhone, it not only outsells all their Android, it outsells the BlackBerry and other phones combined. The fact that there is a worldwide feature phone market that ships a lot of burner phones that make almost no money does not predict the smartphone market.
Android is in the same place versus iPhone as Windows is versus the Mac. They had to go downmarket because at the high end it is all Apple. Now, iPad is crushing Windows at $400–$600, and when Apple ships their low-end/feature phone, Android is going to suffer also. Especially when the hardware makers have to pay Apple and Microsoft for the stuff Google just 1:1 copied.
Android is in trouble right now, not Apple. That is why the Android partners are switching to building their own hardware (like Apple) and Apple is not switching to OS licensing (like Android.)
They won't pay (Score:2, Interesting)
I am just obnoxious or trying to defend Apple here, but to say in comparison it is what is going to kill innovation. Apple is saying, right or wrong, design something different, follow the FRAND rules, and be innovative. Not everything has to be an iPad or iPhone. The Kindle Fire, for example, is not remotely an iPad, but is an extremely functional machine.
OTOH, MS is saying they own everything, and anyone who does anything owes them money. This is what they did with the naked PC fight. By focusing on Apple, and their effort to innovate, instead of MS and their effort to take a cut of anything that looks like technology, we are losing the war.
Re:Wrong % (Score:3, Interesting)
Apple sells basically every item that's shipped. Nobody really knows with Samsung how many of those shipped devices end up gathering dust until they're sent back.
Re:When Domination Isn't (Score:5, Interesting)
How many units are sold by all X makers in aggregate isn't really all that important here.
So the fact that Apple was on the ropes and facing the threat of bankruptcy and nonexistence back in the 90s and early 2000s thanks to that aggregate statistic that "isn't really all that important" means nothing in your little world?
People wanted "a PC". They didn't want "a Mac". "A Mac" didn't run the programs "a PC" did, and was more expensive. People didn't care that what they bought was a Dell, or an HP, or a Vaio, or whatever. And it turned out the market didn't care, either. The aggregate sales of PCs beat the pants off of Macs in sales. Period. Apple knows this. They are terrified of what this means, because Steve won't come back to save their asses this time around.
What does the entire "Apple sells the most of a single specific model of phone, and depends on that one single model of phone to promote their phone infrastructure, without which they're left with nothing" statistic MEAN, anyway? Um... good for Apple? Meanwhile, 68% of the smartphone market are using Android phones?
Re:History (Score:5, Interesting)
Unfortunately, the market in question is not as well versed in the details as it was in that case. That said, it's getting better. I've seen a large percentage of former iPhone users with Galaxy II and II Android phones. All are amazed at how much better it is, mainly in how you can customize the interface. One switch to one of the new BlackBerry phones because she wanted a physical keyboard (I'm in Canada, so we still have a bit of a soft spot for them). This isn't a valid statistical sample or anything, but it is a decent number. The only people I know that are keeping their iPhones are the ones that really don't use them for much.
Re:Sorry, you're wrong (Score:5, Interesting)
As far as the profits argument, that's very true, just like it was back in the early days of the PC vs. the Mac. Apple has always had better margins than the commodity makers, but that doesn't matter since there will always be another member of the horde to take the place of anyone squeezed out. I own some Apple stock and I'm beginning to worry about it- the parallels to what happened to the Mac are beginning to look awfully obvious.
Then again, I bought the stock back in 1998 at something like $2.50/share adjusted for splits, so I probably shouldn't complain too loudly...
Re:Repeat of SCO (Score:5, Interesting)
Saw this the other day and found it rather amusing.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s-q59Ddhask/T-7gqITVmTI/AAAAAAAACRQ/v1EjsKgB-bY/s973/the_apple_cycle.jpg [googleusercontent.com]
Apple = New Microsoft (Score:2, Interesting)
I love it! Apple has turned into the New Microsoft. I wonder what all the Apple Fans are saying now after years and years of complaining about Microsoft suing everyone and anti-competetive behavior!! LOL at Apple.
Re:all they need to do (Score:4, Interesting)
Apple's stock would be crushed by a price war - which is inevitable unless they can choke off competition with patent suits.
Ultimately this is all about keeping margins high and emptying the pockets of consumers.
Re:Getting tired of Apple lawsuits (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:History (Score:5, Interesting)
Where's SEA now versus the ubiquity of the zip file format. Katz had to change the extension, but won overall. He won because the community knew he had a better product, and SEA was using the courts to block him ... it's actually a really good comparison, and if people spread the word, Apple might be in the same position eventually, or have to at least change their ways.
brought it on themselves (Score:2, Interesting)
And then there was AT&T as a carrier lol.
Where you gonna go? Google? Samsung? (Score:3, Interesting)
Apple's sue happy policy and I will take that into serious consideration during any future purchases.
If you are not buying based on lawsuits, you are out of luck regarding buying any smartphones or tablets.
Apple is not alone in suing lots of companies. Google (through Motorola) was trying to sue Apple over patents that were SUPPOSED to be able to be used by anyone implementing the 3G standard, at a standard cost - but Motorola was shaking down Apple for more. How is that fair or right?
Meanwhile Samsung is suing Apple.
The thing to attack is not the companies suing each other but the patent system that enables such behavior.
Re:Sorry, you're wrong (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:History (Score:5, Interesting)
Unfortunately good quality handset hardware and seamless OS software upgrades aren't one of them.
I seem to remember a pretty significant number of problems people had upgrading from iOS 4 to 5, and a bunch more going to 3 (performance, etc). Android .... not so much. It's generally pretty flawless from what I've seen. The big problem with Android is getting the upgrades. Luckily, pretty much any OS feature can be installed via an application; there's no restrictions about 'duplicating OS functionality'. As for quality. Personally, I think the Android handsets vary from 'cheap piece of crap' to 'significantly better than iPhone'. It depends of what criteria you use, I suppose.
squeezing out the last drop (Score:3, Interesting)
Apple can engage in shenanigans around Android and patents for a while, but they really have nothing: right now, manufacturers may perhaps infringe on a few patents because Apple's patents are so vague and ill defined, but as part of the lawsuits, they have to put their cards on the table about which gimmicks they want to own. Once they do, it's easy enough to design around. And the damage that this b.s. is doing to Apple's reputation is immense: presumably, Apple is suing over their best innovations, and everybody now sees what they are: springy windows and black bezels.
Re:Why are they suing everyone? (Score:5, Interesting)
You mean by photoshopping the look of the samsung phone to make it look more like an iPhone in court documents.
http://www.dailytech.com/Apple+Caught+Using+Photoshop+to+Fake+More+Pics+in+Lawsuits/article22500.htm [dailytech.com]
Re:When Domination Isn't (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:History (Score:5, Interesting)
I was an iphone user.
I didn't leave for Android, i left because of itunes.
i have a Galaxy S. it's not perfect, but it's close enough i won't go back.
Re:History (Score:5, Interesting)
You might be sorely disappointed then. At least with the iphone 3GS and iphone4 we have in our family, we too have to reboot on occasion in oredr to get out of the "no signal" in areas where there is definitely a good signal. Doesn't happen often, but happen it does. It does certainly not happen any mpre often than on my son's Galaxy S2.
In terms of stability and reliability I would rate them "on par", but in terms of user friendliness and features in our family's collective opinion the Galaxy2 wins by a small but significant enough margin for the remaining 4 iphone users in the family wanting to make the switch. Everybody in my family is sick of Apple telling us what to do and preventing us from doing what we want to do through their appstore monopoly abuse.
Re:When Domination Isn't (Score:3, Interesting)
What's interesting is that in the USA quite the opposite is true. According to the documents released as part of the current lawsuit Samsung has sold 21 million smartphones since 2010. Apple has sold 19 million iPhones in its first and second quarters (ending sometime in April, I think). For the same period Samsung only sold something like 4 or 5 million phones. Again.. this is USA only but it's an interesting look at things. I have no proof of it but my gut feeling is that in markets where people can afford the price of the iPhone.. they choose the iPhone. When they can't afford it they choose a cheaper Android phone.. hence the world sales numbers being so out of whack with the US sales numbers.
Re:History (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:History (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:History (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:History (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Getting tired of Apple lawsuits (Score:4, Interesting)
Except MS has already been held responsible for their actions (from over 10 years ago), and all indications are that the company has changed drastically for the better in the past few years - stability- and security-wise.
Meanwhile, Apple is trying to drive all their competitors out of business not by putting out better products and competing on merit, but by abusing the legal system due to their vast cash reserves with ridiculous "rounded corner rectangle" design patents.
MS did some bad stuff a long time ago. They have paid for it (literally), and they are no longer the same company they were back then. Apple is doing bad stuff right now, yet all indications are that for the next 20 years we'll still be constantly reminded of Microsoft's already-paid-for behaviour from the 90s, but Apple will still be lauded as a magical untouchable company despite their unpaid-for behaviour from today.
Your analogies are quite ridiculous, and have nothing to do with the topic at hand.
Re:History (Score:5, Interesting)
As a tech support manager for AT&T you recommend a full reboot to regain signal strength rather than just cycling the cell radio, which takes about four seconds? That explains a lot about the quality of support I seem to get from AT&T. Must be freakishly lucky,for the past two years I've only ever rebooted my iPhone for OS updates.