Google Warned Samsung Galaxy Tab Was "Too Similar" 251
tlhIngan writes "Some interesting news has come out of Apple's filings against Samsung. First, Google warned Samsung that their 'P1' (Galaxy Tab) and 'P3' (Galaxy Tab 10.1) tablets were 'too similar' to the iPad. In addition, Samsung's own Product Design Group note it was 'regrettable' that the Galaxy S 'looks similar' to the iPhone. Finally, how designers at a Samsung-sponsored evaluation noted the Galaxy S 'copied the iPhone too much' and 'innovation is needed.' Of course, Samsung has some ammunition of its own, including how Apple copied Sony's designs. In unrelated news, Judge Grewal has sanctioned Samsung for not preserving emails from automatic deletion, even after litigation has begun."
It's a rectangle. (Score:5, Interesting)
There were featureless rounded corner rectangle tablets before the iPad.
There were touchscreen driven grid of icons phone user interfaces before it iPhone.
Apparently the slide to unlock is so obvious that Apple have to publicly apologise for claiming otherwise.
They're similar because it's an obvious idea which had been done before.
Re:Again? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Again? (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm sure that most of us are. It seems that our only recourse, though, is to simply not buy Apple products to show them we disapprove of their actions. Good luck getting the masses to part with their iToys though.
Similarly, those of us who think Samsung are in the wrong will avoid buying "iToy" ripoffs.
Re:Lots of good reasons not to buy Apple (Score:1, Interesting)
>>>Other consumers clearly disagree with you
The average consumer has 8,000 in credit card debt and are therefore really stupid. I do not follow their example of overspending for products I don't need, especially when I can get the same product for much les ($5 cellphone, $15 internet, $23 Dish TV, $15,000 Civic, et cetera).
>>>and so does the competition, which is selling products at the same price as Apple.
Not true.
See my signature.
Re:Why are people obsessing with rounded corners? (Score:4, Interesting)
But we DON'T cover up the brand logos. This, right here, points to the REAL problem:
PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO, OR INCAPABLE OF, BASIC THOUGHT.
If you walk into a Best Buy, and you intend to buy an iPad but you walk out with a Galaxy Tab because you couldn't tell them apart, then you, sir, are a FUCKING IDIOT. If you can't turn them on and tell the difference, you deserve what you get. I mean, what happens? Do you hold them up side-by-side, can't tell them apart, so, what, just fucking randomly pick one?!? Do you not read the damned info cards below them and compare and contrast them? Do you not ask a sales person some questions? I mean, come on already, this is nuts!
This ISN'T about two admittedly very similarly-designed products (and ok, maybe one is a flat-out copy of the other, I might be willing to stipulate to that) that people can't physically tell apart (And you know what? They're different enough physically anyway that *I* as a not-stupid person, wouldn't be fooled anyway, but I digress). This is about a world full of stupid people that can't be bothered to, you know, GET INFORMATION and make an INFORMED DECISION with it. It's either stupidity or laziness, you're choice (and probably a bit of both). Either you are incapable of basic thought or you just don't like to do it and so when you get "fooled" you get mad because, damn it, SOMEONE should have been PROTECTING YOU from your own fucked-upedness!!
See, instead of tackling the real problem head-on we want someone to protect us from ourselves. We want the legal system to say "oh no, you can't BOTH have rounded corners because all these GRADE-A FUCKING MORONS out there won't be able to tell them apart and will wind up buying something they didn't want. No, we have to do the thinking FOR them and make sure they don't have to be bothered actually making an informed decision."
It's utterly ridiculous. If people weren't so God-damned braindead and/or lazy as shit this wouldn't be an issue- even if you legitimately can't physically tell them apart, actually doing some research and actually using them would differentiate them for you quickly if you had half a brain in your head. I am *SO* sick of living in a society of stupid people because this is the kind of bullshit legal wrangling that results. It's inevitable and almost HAS to occur because we're not equipped as a species anymore to have it otherwise.
It's fucking sad is what it is. Think about the basic situation we find ourselves in here: we have one company that probably did flat-out copy another getting sued by another company who is insecure and afraid to compete on the merits of their products because God forbid the exorbitant profits drop even A LITTLE...
AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM SAYS THIS IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE GIVEN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES!
And it's all because people are too stupid and/or lazy to give us a choice of being otherwise.
Our best bet at this point is that the Mayans are right and Nibiru or some shit really does collide with the Earth in December... maybe in a few million years we'll crawl out of the primordial ooze again and maybe the next time we'll get it right because we sure as shit aren't getting it right this go-round.