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gkarris

macrumors G3
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
Now that WWDC is over, we've all had a chance to take in the announcements. However, something that struck me was just how many of the concepts presented were very similar to offerings from other companies.

Normally when Apple introduces something that has been seen elsewhere they put their own spin on it or make it quite a bit different while retaining the core functionality.

However, many of today's offerings looked like they had been put through a photocopier (remember Bertrand Serlet's "Redmond, start your photocopiers!") and simply added to iOS with very little changed.

Just to be noted that my original iPhone with the original OS, I had a jailbroken "notifications on the lockscreen" from Cydia well before any Android phone was even out...
 

ChazUK

macrumors 603
Feb 3, 2008
5,393
25
Essex (UK)
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gkarris said:
Now that WWDC is over, we've all had a chance to take in the announcements. However, something that struck me was just how many of the concepts presented were very similar to offerings from other companies.

Normally when Apple introduces something that has been seen elsewhere they put their own spin on it or make it quite a bit different while retaining the core functionality.

However, many of today's offerings looked like they had been put through a photocopier (remember Bertrand Serlet's "Redmond, start your photocopiers!") and simply added to iOS with very little changed.

Just to be noted that my original iPhone with the original OS, I had a jailbroken "notifications on the lockscreen" from Cydia well before any Android phone was even out...

As did my XDA II back in 2004.
 

*LTD*

macrumors G4
Feb 5, 2009
10,703
1
Canada
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As did my XDA II back in 2004.

My grandpa's Yugo had wheels too.
 

Abstract

macrumors Penryn
Dec 27, 2002
24,889
921
Location Location Location
I must be the only nerd here who doesn't care when a feature/idea is ripped off and made better (or just ripped off, with no improvements). Yes, it goes both ways, and yes, I find it better that someone uses a good idea already in existence rather than attempt to invent something new, but similar, just for the sake of doing so.

After that, companies are likely to be innovative and change that feature anyway, in order to differentiate their features and products.
 

ChazUK

macrumors 603
Feb 3, 2008
5,393
25
Essex (UK)
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

*LTD* said:
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As did my XDA II back in 2004.

My grandpa's Yugo had wheels too.

Lucky boy!
 

MagicBoy

macrumors 68040
May 28, 2006
3,967
1,057
Manchester, UK
But after release, hype faded out because it was expensive, nobody knew what they would use it for, and the mfg's failed to market it.

You're forgetting that it was crap. Godawful slow Celeron processor, not enough RAM and sloth-like HDD. The keyboard looked funky but was unusable.

The company bought a couple of Samsung Q1's on evaluation for a some touch evangelist users. They quickly got dumped in a drawer and forgotten about. Like most Microsoft tablet devices they just suck in use - see also the Compaq TC1100. The iPad was that type of device done properly once the hardware had caught up to the concept.
 

TheSideshow

macrumors 6502
Apr 21, 2011
392
0
I must be the only nerd here who doesn't care when a feature/idea is ripped off and made better (or just ripped off, with no improvements). Yes, it goes both ways, and yes, I find it better that someone uses a good idea already in existence rather than attempt to invent something new, but similar, just for the sake of doing so.

After that, companies are likely to be innovative and change that feature anyway, in order to differentiate their features and products.

Of couse it goes both ways. Its just that it's always Apple fanboys screaming that Microsoft copies everything, when clearly thats not the case here.
 

thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
May 28, 2005
9,240
3,499
Pennsylvania
The UMPC was actually really hyped up as a next gen device back then and Samsung's was the one model you'd see everywhere. This was back in 06.

But after release, hype faded out because it was expensive, nobody knew what they would use it for, and the mfg's failed to market it.

...
And still nobody knows what to use tablets for! :p
 

Rodimus Prime

macrumors G4
Oct 9, 2006
10,136
4
With the effect that people will actually care about it and want to use it.

Not sure what happened before but had I not been shown the image of the Samsung Q1 I'd never known it even existed (and I'm quite sure barely anyone remembers that Samsung brick to begin with.)

Some ideas are just really poorly implemented or are shoved on to a device that has so many other features that are so poorly implemented that what good there is goes to complete waste.

There's a lot of IP out there that should really be in Apple's hands, but the world aint perfect so there you have it.

I love this.
When someone else copies Apple it is LOOK LOOK COPY CAT from people like you.
But when Apple does very blantet copying the response is "Well those devices did not sell well so it does not count" that or just bury head in sand.

Got to love fanboy logic. Or more so lack of logic. And you all wonder why Apple fanboys are not respected and though of as a joke by rest of the world.
 

ehoui

macrumors regular
Jan 27, 2011
217
0
I hear the photocopiers at Apple only create reproductions of paper media. I might be wrong though.
 

paolo-

macrumors 6502a
Aug 24, 2008
831
1
I wouldn't call most of these rip offs. Sure they're are the same but it's not ground breaking stuff and I don't think we would go calling them complete rip offs if Apple made them first. I mean, having stuff on your lock screen, you could probably say that it kind of came from dashboard, or a blatant android copy. But I think it's a fairly obvious and trivial addition. It's not like apple ripped off android's lock screen button maze password, which is an iconic feature. Tabbed browsing, big deal, tabs were already in mobile safari and have been in firefox/firebird for a while now, nothing new.

I think the iOS update was more about adding little things, fairly obvious for such a young OS.

One you forgot to mention is the Camera+ app. The app allowed you to snap pictures using the volume buttons but Apple removed it from the app store.

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/12/camera-pulled-from-app-store-for-volume-button-as-camera-shutt/

Here's his reaction (actually the guy is okay with it, hope he got some money from Apple under the table or something)
http://gigaom.com/2011/06/06/app-developers-learn-to-cope-when-apple-encroaches/
 

roadbloc

macrumors G3
Aug 24, 2009
8,784
215
UK
It is rather clear that Apple copied a fair chunk of the features of iOS 5 from other MobileOS's. Not even a certain person with a three letter username surrounded by asterisks can deny that-

-oh, he just tried to.
 
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chugg

macrumors regular
Oct 14, 2008
244
182
I must be the only nerd here who doesn't care when a feature/idea is ripped off and made better (or just ripped off, with no improvements). Yes, it goes both ways, and yes, I find it better that someone uses a good idea already in existence rather than attempt to invent something new, but similar, just for the sake of doing so.

After that, companies are likely to be innovative and change that feature anyway, in order to differentiate their features and products.

Most don't care but when you see Apple use a whole "Redmond, start your photocopiers" campaign at WWDC a few years back along with people like LTD who have a delusional sense of reality, a thread like this is pretty entertaining.
 

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
Nobody can always be original and bring only new ideas. Why do cars have four wheels? Would people say that all car manufacturers copy Benz? That is the way it has been and will always be. When people talk about copycat is when someone takes a feature and copies it without really adjusting it in any way.
Apple did implement notifications the way Google did. Having played with both I would never want to use the Google version, because it looks ugly and makes me think we live in the 19th century. (as with most things Google does).
Apple has took some nice ideas and implemented them in a unique way. iOS 5 is a major release and combined iCloud it will extend the advantage Apple has in the mobile wars.
 

kppolich

macrumors 6502a
Nov 28, 2010
648
314
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
except apple does it with better taste, better performance and a cleaner look. also their closed market app store makes it so no joe-shmo can make a app for your iphone that can carry a virus for your cell phone. cough cough android cough.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
except apple does it with better taste, better performance
Oh please, are apple fanboys hiding behind they implemented a copy feature better. Its not like apple improved it, they copied it.

I have no problems with apple copying it, They did that to xerox in Palo Alto back in the day (GUI, mouse etc). What is funny is the logical gymnastics apple fanboys are going through because apple did not "innovate" The latest iteration of android is extremely polish, and performs very well. WP7 while lack luster in sales is very highly regarded amongst those that do use it.

Don't confuse Apple's branding and marketing with better taste and performance.
 

Stella

macrumors G3
Apr 21, 2003
8,883
6,477
Canada
Don't forget that Android has had PC-free setup since the start too. Another feature ripped by Apple.

AS did most other smartphone and PDA o/s before Android too. Turn the device on, and off you go!
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
Don't forget that Android has had PC-free setup since the start too. Another feature ripped by Apple.

And Windows and Linux had the ability to go full screen and resize from any corner since the start as well.

Its nice to see apple catching up to the 1990s :p
 

yg17

macrumors Pentium
Aug 1, 2004
15,028
3,003
St. Louis, MO
AS did most other smartphone and PDA o/s before Android too. Turn the device on, and off you go!

Yeah, I forgot about that. In fact, I think iOS is the only one that required a PC for setup.

Smart phones have been doing it since they came into existence in the late 1990s, but when Apple does it in 2011, it's new and innovative :rolleyes:
 

Abstract

macrumors Penryn
Dec 27, 2002
24,889
921
Location Location Location
Apple really didn't show us anything new this WWDC, did they?


Oh, iTunes Match and iCloud. These would be awesome if Grooveshark and Drop Box didn't exist. I stream music all the time at work, even stuff I don't own. Awesome. And Drop Box has been automagically syncing my shiz for ages.


But now it's under the Apple umbrella, so it's awesome.
 
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CalBoy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2007
7,849
37
I must be the only nerd here who doesn't care when a feature/idea is ripped off and made better (or just ripped off, with no improvements). Yes, it goes both ways, and yes, I find it better that someone uses a good idea already in existence rather than attempt to invent something new, but similar, just for the sake of doing so.

After that, companies are likely to be innovative and change that feature anyway, in order to differentiate their features and products.

And Konfabulator gave widgets to OS X before Apple did...

Companies ape features from each other all the time. That's just part of how they stay competitive.


Lethal

I don't really care that Apple copied Android. If it improves the OS and user experience, that's a good thing. Imitation, is after all, the sincerest form of flattery. I just think that Apple should own up to it. There's a spin Apple puts on everything, making it seem 100% unique and exceptional, and some people (in this thread...) eat it up wholesale.

As a customer I don't like that I had to wait 1 year+ to see these rather basic features. If Apple was just going to copy others, it shouldn't have taken so damn long.
 
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