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SolarShane

macrumors 6502
Mar 7, 2014
302
0
Why are people saying v that this is a rip off? There are only so many ways to create a smartphone.

I take it HTC is a rip off?
 

ecrispy

macrumors regular
Oct 27, 2013
187
29
Idiotic that companies are allowed to get away with this.....especially a multi-national like Lenovo.

I can't believe Apple wouldn't sue the pants off them.....

Great artists steal, like Jobs said. So Apple stealing Android notifications, control center, intents etc is ok, stealing 'slide to unlock' is ok, why isn't this?
 

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,725
13,245
UK
Great artists steal, like Jobs said. So Apple stealing Android notifications, control center, intents etc is ok, stealing 'slide to unlock' is ok, why isn't this?

Because only Apple are allowed to steal. But remember when Apple take an existing feature and put it on their own device it can always be explained in two ways:

A) Apple are doing it the right way. They may not be the first but they always get it right. Other companies don't. It is always buggy or half baked.

B) Apple actually had the idea first but the other companies stole it and rushed to release it before Apple when they heard Apple were doing it.

If you remember this then you will realise that all roads lead to Apple.
 

spriter

macrumors 65816
May 13, 2004
1,460
586
Lenovo aren't the first and they won't be the last. If you walk into most phone stores here (China) there are so many phones mimicking each other. Copies of copies, clones of clones.

There's tons of Xiaomi lookalikes - not copies or fakes - just almost exactly the same phone but by a similarly-named company. They even copy the box design and typeface of Xiaomi and call themselves <something>mi so at a glance, it looks like a Xiaomi sub-product.

Basically, whatever sells gets mimicked, cloned, and copied. From hardware design to marketing, boxes to logos. The sheer number of low- to mid-priced models resembling the big/best sellers is mind-boggling.

But they sell because the average consumer here wants a big screen on a stylish looking device at an affordable price. Not many, by comparison, stump up 4x, 5x, or 6x the price for a genuine, premium flagship. They think what they're buying is 90% there.

Perhaps the most shocking thing is, for ¥1,000 ($160), there are some good phones! And ¥1,800 gets you a Xiaomi, Meizu or OnePlus. The gap to a Note 4 or iPhone 6 is enormous (¥5,300-¥6,888+).

These razor thin margin manufacturers are going to test the established big guns over the next few years.

Can't blame Lenovo for getting in on the action.
 

Wrathwitch

macrumors 65816
Dec 4, 2009
1,303
55
Because only Apple are allowed to steal. But remember when Apple take an existing feature and put it on their own device it can always be explained in two ways:

A) Apple are doing it the right way. They may not be the first but they always get it right. Other companies don't. It is always buggy or half baked.

B) Apple actually had the idea first but the other companies stole it and rushed to release it before Apple when they heard Apple were doing it.

If you remember this then you will realise that all roads lead to Apple.

LOL! This does feel like there is truth in this statement. The problem is everyone gets so wrapped up in brand/company loyalty that they feel as if they are a part of the company and they aren't. They are the dog that the corporate fleas feed on. (All companies).

As a consumer, I don't give two craps who generated a design first. What I care is is it what I want, can afford and like?

People don't get all FREAKED out when places like Walmart copy some of the trendiest fashions going on, or when some bargain basement Shoe Company sells knock offs of the red carpet wear, but here on these forums people are whining like THEY designed and copyrighted the device and are personally getting cheated and losing personal income because this cell phone looks like the one you made.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 

Nabooly

macrumors 6502a
Aug 28, 2007
849
5
I'm wondering if this is "official" and not just renders. Hard to believe really.
 

pdqgp

macrumors 68020
Mar 23, 2010
2,131
5,460
LOL! This does feel like there is truth in this statement. The problem is everyone gets so wrapped up in brand/company loyalty that they feel as if they are a part of the company and they aren't. They are the dog that the corporate fleas feed on. (All companies).

As a consumer, I don't give two craps who generated a design first. What I care is is it what I want, can afford and like?

People don't get all FREAKED out when places like Walmart copy some of the trendiest fashions going on, or when some bargain basement Shoe Company sells knock offs of the red carpet wear, but here on these forums people are whining like THEY designed and copyrighted the device and are personally getting cheated and losing personal income because this cell phone looks like the one you made.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

^^ this. I LOL at the fact that Lenovo did this and seems to have pulled off what looks like a nice piece. Sony's Xperias are simliar too.

In the end who cares? Apple Smchammple, they are not a special company by any means when it comes to innovation. The iPod in 2001 and the iPhone in 2007 are about the only two really cool things they've pulled off that are worth a darn and to get all bent when others rinse and repeat.

Hyundai in the car world has done it for years. Again, who cares. Let consumers vote with their wallet. Apple is doing just fine and this stuff hardly seems to impact them.
 

cleirac

macrumors 6502
May 7, 2014
465
0
A company (not Lenovo nor Apple) will be even angrier/more jealous than angry/jealous, fo shu!
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
Mediocrity = Lenovo smartphones

I first heard of Lenovo back in 2010 with the LePhone with that Lotus app launcher widget. I had no clue they were into laptops or bought IBM's ThinkPad. Last year, I was quite interested in some of their phones since their prices were so cheap until my girl got a A516 and then sorta cooled off.

Lenovo

Likes -

Their designs can be anywhere between glossy plastic to pretty decent aluminum or faux metal. Maybe on par to Samsung and LG, more or less. Motorola being a Lenovo company now can probably teach them to get better.

Like Motorola, Lenovo was already packing large battery capacities 3500-4000 mAh with their P-series.

They use US celebrity endorsers. Last year, Kobe Bryant helped endorse the K900 which can see in the Turkish Airlines "Selfie Showdown" vs Messi.


Dislikes -

Their custom skins needs to be revamped. Last year, I watched reviews of the Lenovo K900, Asus Fonepad, and Huawei Ascend Mate. I came away more impressed by the Huawei and least from the Lenovo because it lagged.

Heavy skin also leads to no Android updates.

Ditch MediaTek although this would be difficult has the reason Lenovo does so well in Asia esp China is affordable prices from a global brand.

Customer support needs work.

Asus has already undercut them using Intel SoC with the Zenfones. And they update alot using a light Zen UI skin. Asus have better customer support and updates.


Lenovo is quite a popular brand in Asia surpassing the likes of HTC, Motorola, and Sony. But I still feel their smartphones are all stuck in mediocrity.
 

adder7712

macrumors 68000
Mar 9, 2009
1,923
1
Canada
Mediocrity = Lenovo smartphones

I first heard of Lenovo back in 2010 with the LePhone with that Lotus app launcher widget. I had no clue they were into laptops or bought IBM's ThinkPad. Last year, I was quite interested in some of their phones since their prices were so cheap until my girl got a A516 and then sorta cooled off.

Lenovo

Likes -

Their designs can be anywhere between glossy plastic to pretty decent aluminum or faux metal. Maybe on par to Samsung and LG, more or less. Motorola being a Lenovo company now can probably teach them to get better.

Like Motorola, Lenovo was already packing large battery capacities 3500-4000 mAh with their P-series.

They use US celebrity endorsers. Last year, Kobe Bryant helped endorse the K900 which can see in the Turkish Airlines "Selfie Showdown" vs Messi.


Dislikes -

Their custom skins needs to be revamped. Last year, I watched reviews of the Lenovo K900, Asus Fonepad, and Huawei Ascend Mate. I came away more impressed by the Huawei and least from the Lenovo because it lagged.

Heavy skin also leads to no Android updates.

Ditch MediaTek although this would be difficult has the reason Lenovo does so well in Asia esp China is affordable prices from a global brand.

Customer support needs work.

Asus has already undercut them using Intel SoC with the Zenfones. And they update alot using a light Zen UI skin. Asus have better customer support and updates.


Lenovo is quite a popular brand in Asia surpassing the likes of HTC, Motorola, and Sony. But I still feel their smartphones are all stuck in mediocrity.
Lenovos are the rage here in Malaysia for budget smartphone buyers.
 

beosound3200

macrumors 6502a
Nov 23, 2010
684
0
hello?? they copied down to the marketing material jesus

people have no moral left, money is apparently of sole importance to most of you here...

i really wish all of you here spend most of your time building a competitive advantage for a certain company only to be copied and marginalized from some no margin, no r&d, no vision, no brand company.

all in the name of making it cheaper.

**** this commercialism and consumerism, its making mi sick
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,080
19,080
US
^^ this. I LOL at the fact that Lenovo did this and seems to have pulled off what looks like a nice piece. Sony's Xperias are simliar too.

In the end who cares? Apple Smchammple, they are not a special company by any means when it comes to innovation. The iPod in 2001 and the iPhone in 2007 are about the only two really cool things they've pulled off that are worth a darn and to get all bent when others rinse and repeat.

Hyundai in the car world has done it for years. Again, who cares. Let consumers vote with their wallet. Apple is doing just fine and this stuff hardly seems to impact them.

It funny....some people seem to align their self worth to Apple products. They take it personally and it garners an emotional response from them. Like someone did something to THEM.

In the real world.....as others have so aptly pointed out in this thread.....it happens all the time everyday. In just about every product space that exists. Everyone copies from each other.
 

mercuryjones

macrumors 6502a
May 31, 2005
786
0
College Station, TX
It funny....some people seem to align their self worth to Apple products. They take it personally and it garners an emotional response from them. Like someone did something to THEM.

In the real world.....as others have so aptly pointed out in this thread.....it happens all the time everyday. In just about every product space that exists. Everyone copies from each other.

There is a big difference between copying the look of the device and copying the look of the device AND the actual marketing of the device.
You ever notice how it seems to be that Apple seems to be the one getting copied on the majority of devices, and that's fine for everyone. But, as soon as Apple takes something from Android (notification center, 3rd party keyboards, larger screens, etc), it's suddenly Apple "stealing" from Google/Android/Android Partners?
 

pdqgp

macrumors 68020
Mar 23, 2010
2,131
5,460
as soon as Apple takes something from Android (notification center, 3rd party keyboards, larger screens, etc), it's suddenly Apple "stealing" from Google/Android/Android Partners?

I don't recall a big to-do about it being claimed as "stealing" from Google/Android. It's always been tossed out there that Apple is catching up and copying.....not unlike everyone else does.
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,080
19,080
US
There is a big difference between copying the look of the device and copying the look of the device AND the actual marketing of the device.
You ever notice how it seems to be that Apple seems to be the one getting copied on the majority of devices, and that's fine for everyone. But, as soon as Apple takes something from Android (notification center, 3rd party keyboards, larger screens, etc), it's suddenly Apple "stealing" from Google/Android/Android Partners?

Where is YOUR outrage when Apple does that?
 

mercuryjones

macrumors 6502a
May 31, 2005
786
0
College Station, TX
Where is YOUR outrage when Apple does that?

Outrage at what? It's a software enhancement, that doesn't pull from anything. It's not a complete copy of Android. Now, when iOS 9 drops and it uses "Effective Design" with home screens, widgets and other so called Android only options, then I might be "outraged".
However, I don't see how the 2 can even be compared at this point.
 

Lloydbm41

Suspended
Oct 17, 2013
4,019
1,456
Central California
There is a big difference between copying the look of the device and copying the look of the device AND the actual marketing of the device.
You ever notice how it seems to be that Apple seems to be the one getting copied on the majority of devices, and that's fine for everyone. But, as soon as Apple takes something from Android (notification center, 3rd party keyboards, larger screens, etc), it's suddenly Apple "stealing" from Google/Android/Android Partners?
Probably because Google hasn't sued Apple for the 'look and feel' of something. Apple sued everyone for ideas it never created (rubber banding effect), so when they do something they have sued others for, it is hypocritical and they should be called out for it.
 

macrem

macrumors 65816
Mar 11, 2008
1,438
102
I thought Lenovo was a sort of premium brand in their niche. It seems like a desperate move.
 

Vegastouch

macrumors 603
Jul 12, 2008
6,185
992
Las Vegas, NV
hello?? they copied down to the marketing material jesus

people have no moral left, money is apparently of sole importance to most of you here...

i really wish all of you here spend most of your time building a competitive advantage for a certain company only to be copied and marginalized from some no margin, no r&d, no vision, no brand company.

all in the name of making it cheaper.

**** this commercialism and consumerism, its making mi sick

And it isnt Apples? Please! That Lenovo is being sold in China and you wont see it here so why should we even care? If Apple wasnt so expensive there, they would sell more phones there where their market share is low.
 

beosound3200

macrumors 6502a
Nov 23, 2010
684
0
And it isnt Apples? Please! That Lenovo is being sold in China and you wont see it here so why should we even care? If Apple wasnt so expensive there, they would sell more phones there where their market share is low.

its about that weird little thing called moral, but i guess thats lost on some.
 

nickchallis92

macrumors 6502a
Mar 4, 2012
906
469
London
Bit awkward that their copy looks better than the original though with regards to antenna lines and a flush camera.

(I accept this has been made possible due to inferior internals that probably take up less space)
 

ChrisTX

macrumors 68030
Dec 30, 2009
2,686
54
Texas
I'm sure Apple lets Lenovo get away with this because they know no one is going to buy any of these anyway. That was the same reason why they never went after Palm and the PRE.
 

spriter

macrumors 65816
May 13, 2004
1,460
586
I'm sure Apple lets Lenovo get away with this because they know no one is going to buy any of these anyway. That was the same reason why they never went after Palm and the PRE.
I wouldn't say Apple lets anyone get away with it, nor that Lenovo won't sell any, after all they have a decent chunk of market share in China.

I think it's more because Apple knows, like many other western companies, that trying to sue a Chinese company in China is unlikely to do anything but harm your own future - the government will get involved. Firms like Huawei, Lenovo, Xiaomi, ZTE, etc will be looked on more favorably than a foreign firm would.

Look at how much support ProView got with their case against Apple over the iPad trademark a few years ago. Apple thought they already had it for $55k but came out paying up $60m. Then there were the claims buyers that foreign Apple stores give better service than they get in China - Tim Cook made a groveling apology.

Anyone who's seen the Xiaomi Mi4, MiPad , and their OS knows it's a bit too close for comfort. Arguably way closer than anything Samsung ever did. And it's not just Apple on the receiving end - anyone who's seen the development of Baidu in recent years will have seen the similarities in how their Search, Maps, Translation, etc, all look and work incredibly like Google's versions.

The Chinese market is obviously the big cash cow where everybody wants to be. Cook wants Apple Pay there ASAP (Jack Ma already has his variant) and the Watch. That won't happen if they try to wipe out domestic firms that are succeeding and get on the wrong side of the powers that be, hence the softer approach we see that just isn't usually associated with Apple.
 

Vegastouch

macrumors 603
Jul 12, 2008
6,185
992
Las Vegas, NV
I wouldn't say Apple lets anyone get away with it, nor that Lenovo won't sell any, after all they have a decent chunk of market share in China.

I think it's more because Apple knows, like many other western companies, that trying to sue a Chinese company in China is unlikely to do anything but harm your own future
- the government will get involved. Firms like Huawei, Lenovo, Xiaomi, ZTE, etc will be looked on more favorably than a foreign firm would.

Look at how much support ProView got with their case against Apple over the iPad trademark a few years ago. Apple thought they already had it for $55k but came out paying up $60m. Then there were the claims buyers that foreign Apple stores give better service than they get in China - Tim Cook made a groveling apology.

Anyone who's seen the Xiaomi Mi4, MiPad , and their OS knows it's a bit too close for comfort. Arguably way closer than anything Samsung ever did. And it's not just Apple on the receiving end - anyone who's seen the development of Baidu in recent years will have seen the similarities in how their Search, Maps, Translation, etc, all look and work incredibly like Google's versions.

The Chinese market is obviously the big cash cow where everybody wants to be. Cook wants Apple Pay there ASAP (Jack Ma already has his variant) and the Watch. That won't happen if they try to wipe out domestic firms that are succeeding and get on the wrong side of the powers that be, hence the softer approach we see that just isn't usually associated with Apple.

Yep. Apple sued Samsung in Korea and lost.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,318
25,470
Wales, United Kingdom
I have to say when I first saw this a couple of weeks ago I laughed because the copying is so blatant. There are differences but these are eclipsed by its obvious form factor. I discussed this topic elsewhere and had a couple of people attempt to suggest it looks nothing like the iPhone 6! Perhaps not to a blind man riding a galloping horse past the Tower of London! lol

I do question the reason's why Levono would do this? Did they really need product association to sell their devices? Why not make a unique product to rival it rather than hope consumers buy it because it looks like an iPhone? It strikes me as rather odd from a company so established as this. I am sure its a lovely device, but it will always be considered an iPhone copy among tech critics. :)
 
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