Apple Wins $1 Billion Patent Case
Out of context: Reply #69
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- ETM0
@2002
Are you trying to draw an an analogy between Apple and Robert Kearns? Kearns created an whole new feature to a product and was robbed. Apple refines existing products. Makes them sexy and desirable... I own several. Apple would have added more speeds to the existing intermittent wiper, made the washer arms white, with chrome accents and blue LEDs and catchy marketing.What what did Apple create outright with the iPod, iPhone or iPad?
iPod - Mp3 player was created in 1998 with patents going back to 1967/71. Diamond Rio was the first commercial one. The scroll wheel... nope, that was Synaptics, and Apple acknowledges that. Then it must be adding an actual harddrive for more storage... nope... that was Compaq in 1998 with PJB-100 ... 4.8 gbs (1200 songs).
iPhone - Touch screen phone, nope, IBM Simon (1992). Palm Treos, Windows Phones, HTC was the leader in touch screen phones until iPhone. App Store for sure... nope. Maybe on mobile, but the Linspire CNR store for Linux was 5 years before Apple. Also look further back at the APT project for Linux, to make a GUI means of selecting and installing apps.
iPad - We covered the app store above. Tablet patents go back to 1888/1915 (recognizing handwriting gestures)... seriously. And a working version goes back to 1956. In the 80's their was PenPoint OS. Microsoft coined the term Tablet computer in 2000 and created early consumer offered tablets for field work and medical.
So Apple has created very little, but refined and repackaged/repurposed A LOT. I love them for it. They are GREAT at it. The best even. But maybe they should be a little humble on some of the their claims at having created much of anything.