Apple Patents, far to many?

[AmyLane]

Hello, this is my first post, please be gentle with me .

I have spent the best part of the past two days reading this website, Apple seems to have been granted so many patents, it's mind-blowing, I don't know if it's just me or what, but, does it seem Apple are trying to stop competiton, what I mean is, it appears, well to me that is, they want to patent everything Retail/Product wise, everything from the pine tables in the stores (that one get's me) to Apple's latest iOS patent win that will (well it appeares to me) hurt Android customers, it's going to come a point where, apple will own so many patients, there will be no alternative competition products on the market, where will it end?.

In regards to the Apple Store layout, how can they hold a patient for several pine tables in a store?, if someone could clear this up for me please, that would be amazing.

Thanks,
xoxo, Amy.

 

[r.j.s]

There are plenty of companies that own more patents ... and innovation to get around patents is what drives technology forward.

Would you be happy if everyone just copied everything Apple did?

 

[AmyLane]

Would you be happy if everyone just copied everything Apple did?

No, not at all, it just seems that if they take, take and take, what will be left?

Or maybe I don't understand how patients work?

xoxo, Amy.

 

[rdowns]

The top-10 receivers of patents in 2010, according to IFI Claims Patent Services:

1. IBM (5896); United States

2. Samsung (4551); South Korea

3. Microsoft (3094); United States

4. Canon (2552); Japan

5. Panasonic (2482); Japan

6. Toshiba (2246); Japan

7. Sony (2150); Japan

8. Intel (1653); United States

9. LG Electronics (1490); South Korea

10. HP (1480); United States

The top 10 is filled with tech companies, but only four are from the United States. Actually, among the top-20 companies awarded patents in 2010, only six are US-based.

What's perplexing are the differences between the companies. Exactly where is Microsoft innovating compared to, say, Apple? If you asked the person on the street which company was innovating more, Apple would be the more likely answer because of products like iPad and iPhone. Yet Apple ranked 46 with 563 patents awarded. That said, Apple patent awards were up 94 percent in 2010, more than any other company in the top 50. By the way, IBM has held to top spot for 18 consecutive years.

 

[AmyLane]

The top-10 receivers of patents in 2010, according to IFI Claims Patent Services:

1. IBM (5896); United States

2. Samsung (4551); South Korea

3. Microsoft (3094); United States

4. Canon (2552); Japan

5. Panasonic (2482); Japan

6. Toshiba (2246); Japan

7. Sony (2150); Japan

8. Intel (1653); United States

9. LG Electronics (1490); South Korea

10. HP (1480); United States

The top 10 is filled with tech companies, but only four are from the United States. Actually, among the top-20 companies awarded patents in 2010, only six are US-based.

What's perplexing are the differences between the companies. Exactly where is Microsoft innovating compared to, say, Apple? If you asked the person on the street which company was innovating more, Apple would be the more likely answer because of products like iPad and iPhone. Yet Apple ranked 46 with 563 patents awarded. That said, Apple patent awards were up 94 percent in 2010, more than any other company in the top 50. By the way, IBM has held to top spot for 18 consecutive years.

Wow, that is even MORE mindblowing .

Thanks,
xoxo, Amy.

 

[r.j.s]

No, not at all, it just seems that if they take, take and take, what will be left?

Or maybe I don't understand how patients work?

xoxo, Amy.

I don't think you quite understand ...

http://www.howstuffworks.com/patent.htm

There is no limit on the number of patents.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

What's perplexing are the differences between the companies. Exactly where is Microsoft innovating compared to, say, Apple? If you asked the person on the street which company was innovating more, Apple would be the more likely answer because of products like iPad and iPhone. Yet Apple ranked 46 with 563 patents awarded. That said, Apple patent awards were up 94 percent in 2010, more than any other company in the top 50. By the way, IBM has held to top spot for 18 consecutive years.

What that proves to me is people on the street are not very smart. Apple is fairly innovated in the consumer sector but even then I would say they are far from the most innovative company even in that sector. Reason for it there are a lot more small companies that just do not have a name or the money to pump out pattents or we even see those products. Those patents/ideas are bought up by the big boys (like Apple, MS ect) before they really break into that market. Plus they need the deep pockets of the big players.

As for the other markets MS and IBM for example do tons of very innovative things that really are limited to more of the IT world and not something the general public ever really sees or even cares about.

I mean who really cares much about MS sharepoint for example or some fancy new thing dealing with a file system and file storage.

 

[smoledman]

an example of where Microsoft has innovated in programming languages with LINQ and the Singularity OS has nothing to do with consumer. So the "street" is stupid, and I couldn't care less. As a developer, LINQ is the best thing to happen since C# came along 11 years ago.