Apple V. Samsung: What the Verdict Could Mean for Smartphone Technology
The Apple v. Samsung showdown continues, though their courtroom showdown has come to a costly close. Friday's verdict in the Apple-Samsung case, as reported by the Huffington Post, came with a hefty $1.5 billion dollar price tag payable to Apple. And though Apple walked away the victor in this suit, its implications in the tech world are potentially far-reaching.
In the case against Samsung's infringement, the jury found the company guilty of "willfully infringing" on six of seven Apple patents, including three major utility patents (which control the features of a phone or tablet), and the design of the somehow-patented rectangular with rounded-edges and rounded-back iPhone. And though the court's decision has Samsung executives reeling trying to come to terms with the "absolutely the worst scenario," Apple's lawyers were unable to convince the jury that Samsung violated a patent on the physical design of the iPad.
Will Apple's lack of an iPad design patent be a game changer in the tablet market? Probably not, but as a whole the court's decision has serious implications on both smartphone and tablet innovations. Michael Rose, lead editor at The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) weighed in on that: "The overwhelming court victory for Apple puts the entire [tech] industry on notice: stop the photocopiers." He adds that the awarded billion-plus dollar damages "could grow dramatically due to the willful nature of [Samsung's] infringement."
That said, there's also the sense that the verdict deals more with the past than the present in terms of smartphone technology. As Rose points out, "Samsung and other Android OEMs have already begun moving away from the patents at issue in this case." But these Android-platform devices are still out there in the market, and with the change of legal landscape, some experts think that consumers could be turning to Samsung products given that they are now documented to be precise copies of Apple products, but of course carry a more palatable price tag. Enrique Gutierrez writes: "I'm writing this post after the FOURTH group of Starbucks patrons have made the connection that Samsung is now the same as Apple."
But it's likely that Apple will seek injunctions on sales of Samsung smartphones that use its patented technology, including the Samsung Galaxy II. So consumers may actually have fewer smartphone options to choose from going forward as many companies may be too timid to compete against Apple, and will simultaneously have to try that much harder to innovate on their own. Darren Murph, Managing Editor of Engadget, remarks that "companies all over the tech sphere are now operating on pins and needles, just praying that some obscure patent hoarding outfit doesn't serve up a lawsuit on a product it's crafting."
Michael Rose, though, thinks that the jury verdict will serve to restore some sanity to the industry because it sends a message to the imitators that pilfer from the innovators. "It will help ensure that the products that succeed are the best ones — not the best ripoffs." That sentiment is echoed by Jamie Young, Editor in Chief at AppAdvice.com: "Now that Apple has claimed a position of technical leadership over the market as a whole, we can only hope that they continue to innovate."
What are your thoughts on Apple's victory against Samsung? Will a new, highly-innovated Android device (or a Windows or Google phone) entice you? Or will you stick with a tried and true, albeit pricier, Apple product? Sound off in the comments below.
Front page photo credit: BuzzFeed
Follow @dealnews on Twitter for the latest roundups, price trend info, and stories. You can also sign up for an email alert for all dealnews features.
So Apple comes along with the fad of high tech devices that physically look like bad sci-fi props and which have UIs that look and feel like children's toys. Samsung sees this and says "Well if that's what the customer wants, that's what we'll give them only ours will last longer, actually make phone calls, be reasonably open-source and cost a lot less"
...and somehow Samsung is the bad guy????
Shouldn't humanity not help each other... build on each other... benefit each other?Let us grow beyond tattletaling and whining...  Lets grow up and build a better world where we overlook faults and focus on positives.
"Michael Rose, though, thinks that the jury verdict will serve to restore some sanity to the industry because it sends a message to the imitators that pilfer from the innovators." The insanity to me is not a proliferation of copy cats in the industry (not any more so than throughout tech history) but rather the completely absurd patents that have been and are being granted. On top of that last year the America Invents act was passed. Those things to me are what's insane in the industry, not Apple wetting it's diapers and Samsung being dumb enough to not make their products look a little more different from Apple's.Â
Also, what's with Jamie Young's comment about Apple having achieved Technical Leadership over the market as a whole? The reason why I feel these people are drinking Apple's coolaid, is not because they are big Apple fans. Not at all. I think Apple has amazing Engineers. The reason I feel they are drinking the coolaid is because they seem to think one way (Apples way) is the right and preferred way for everyone to do things. Steve had the same idea, but in his case it was it was more extreme, almost Hitler like if one were to exaggerate a little. Hitler had this vision of Utopia. But everything that didn't fit into that vision, had to die. Steve was kind of like that. Things had to be his way, or they should not exist.
I make no secret of being a huge Android Fan. But that's not because I think Apple makes crappy products, but just because their strategy with mobile devices does not fit what I personally want in a mobile device. That's why I chose a G1 back in the day rather than an iPhone, even though i knew how much more refined the iphone was. But I'd read about Androids philosophy and was already well aware with Apples, and that's why I chose android. Not because I was confused about which is which, but precisely for the opposite reason.
If my mom or anyone non-technical asked me what kind of smartphone or tablet to get, I'd say get an iPhone or iPad. But it's not for me. I appreciate some of the good things about it, but I can't use any i-device without feeling limited and agitated by those limitations.
Also, I'm not sure why the author refers to Apple products as tried and true.
That's right, thank you, I can't wait to see what apple would be 10years from now if litigation is their policy to recapture the lost revenue but continuing innovations.
Thank you for showing that connection.
FYI, I replied this post on an iPad. Apple products are good product, but never the best. It's like Starbucks coffee that you can get promised good coffee, but not the best coffee.
"Never liked Apple and this just puts another nail in the coffin."
Yeah, they must be pretty scared at you two not buying an iPhone. This, from the AP business section talking about HP and Dell:
"That
means the combined market value of HP and Dell - the two largest PC
makers in the U.S. - is less than the $63 billion in revenue Apple got
from iPhones and various accessories during just the past nine months."
So, to summarize, Apple made more in nine months from just their iPhone sales than HP and Dell are worth...COMBINED.
If Apple was offering an inferior product they could only fool people for so long. Honda got complacent and built a crappy new Civic, and the press has raised hell. Cadillac was once the "Standard of the World" and Palm Pilots were the must-have gadgets years ago. You must consistently produce good products or your company will falter.
Right now Apple is doing the right things to be the most valuable company in the world. Whether they stay there or not will depend on future products.
Â
http://www.ted.com/...guson_embrace_the_remix.html
In general it is about technology always being built upon the discoveries of others, but it touches on patents specifically the iphone. Â Also a nasty little bit 07:25 by Steve Jobs himself.
Same case here. There are some things that should be patent-able (technology, algorithms, how to produce a shirt from one piece of fabric...) and others that should not (rounded corners on icons, the "look" of a shift made from one piece of fabric). Somehow the latter fall under the category of "design patents".
To me it'd be a different story if Samsung phones were direct clones of an iPhone (some Chinese companies happen to make very convincing clones by skinning Android, but I digress), which would by all means be a design patent infringement. (Like how the Nike swoosh and Apple's apple are trademarks, and iPhone is easily recognizable due to the Apple logo on the back. I wouldn't get an Adidas & Nike confused.). Personally I own an S2, and putting it side by side with an iPhone, even unlocked, they look nothing alike.
Since design patents are only granted if the design is novel and not obvious for all items, suddenly rounded icons & rounded edges on smartphones are a "novel concept", despite there being plenty of prior art (blame the USPTO).
If you had a team of developers that you paid millions of dollars to and someone copied your work; you'd sue too. They infringed on a copyright that Apple was smart enough to get first. If Samsung created such great products, they would not have to copy the look and feel of the iPhone.
and BTW, I have an android.. it's just a better device, but I see the justification of suing for this.Â