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Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
7,579
8,919
Yes, anyone can participate in my thread. Just keep it on topic.
But, this is on topic:
Apple has copied Microsoft and stolen features from Linux and Android.


They both copy each other. Apple also copies Android, so… You know. Both copy each other.
Yeah, this isn't anything new. Copied, stolen, borrowed, adapted, and even an homage, lots of names for the practice.

Not just SW, but HW as well.

I remember seeing the iPhone 6 for the first time on MR during their live updates of the event, and wondering why Apple would display an Android phone on their keynote. It took me a few seconds to realize it was the new iPhone.

It was such a departure from the unique and distinct design of the iPhone 4 and 5, and looked like Android phones that were already on the market.

Exposé & Spaces on Leopard.
I didn't know Exposé was copied from Linux. I love that feature when it was added. I am very happy that Apple copied this.

Exposé was very useful for me, but it was also a good tool to showoff the excellent memory management and stability of the MacOS to my Windows-loving friends, having a crap load of apps open all at the same time and then just press a button.
 
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leman

macrumors Core
Oct 14, 2008
19,494
19,632
Exposé & Spaces on Leopard.

Ah, yes, virtual desktops. if I remember correctly, it was first developed at PARC — like most other things we use today. PARC has been a huge catalyst for modern desktop ideas, having developed things like GUI, object-oriented programming, mouse-operated user interaction, LCD displays... Steve Jobs took huge inspiration from PARC research, they had this collaboration set up and a bunch of a bunch of PARC GUI engineers ultimately left to join Apple. Apple Lisa — the machine that kind of started this entire GUI thing — was a culmination of this cooperation.

So if you want, you can claim that Apple stole everything from PARC :) On the other hand, thy kind of paid for it, so stole might be a strong word...


I didn't know Exposé was copied from Linux. I love that feature when it was added. I am very happy that Apple copied this.

Apple stole it from Linux, Linux stole it from Unix, Unix stole it from Amiga (or was it the other way around?), and everybody ultimately stole it from Xerox PARC, which in many ways was the foundation of the modern Macintosh. And so the circle closes :)
 

iHorseHead

macrumors 68000
Jan 1, 2021
1,579
1,998
Ah, yes, virtual desktops. if I remember correctly, it was first developed at PARC — like most other things we use today. PARC has been a huge catalyst for modern desktop ideas, having developed things like GUI, object-oriented programming, mouse-operated user interaction, LCD displays... Steve Jobs took huge inspiration from PARC research, they had this collaboration set up and a bunch of a bunch of PARC GUI engineers ultimately left to join Apple. Apple Lisa — the machine that kind of started this entire GUI thing — was a culmination of this cooperation.

So if you want, you can claim that Apple stole everything from PARC :) On the other hand, thy kind of paid for it, so stole might be a strong word...




Apple stole it from Linux, Linux stole it from Unix, Unix stole it from Amiga (or was it the other way around?), and everybody ultimately stole it from Xerox PARC, which in many ways was the foundation of the modern Macintosh. And so the circle closes :)
The first platform to implement multiple desktop display as a hardware feature was Amiga 1000, released in 1985. All Amigas supported multiple in-memory screens displayed concurrently via the use of the graphics co-processor, AKA the "Copper". The Copper was a simple processor that could wait for a screen position and write to hardware registers :):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
Linux was the first OS to implement it as we know though. :) I remember Ubuntu had VD similar to OS X Leopard :)

Doesn't change the fact that macOS has stolen many features from Windows too. Everybody steals and copies everyone.
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
7,579
8,919
One Windows feature that I always thought was a ripoff from a feature of MacOS was Gadgets.

MacOS had Widgets for a few years, then some version of Windows, Vista or 7 had Gadgets. The feature was so similar, and even the name was almost identical.

I loved MacOS' Widgets, and used the a lot. Probably iStat the most, but others as well. I would hear people at work talk about the new Windows feature called Gadgets and snicker to myself a little.

That said, Apple probably copied from someone to get the Widgets.


Another thing that wasn't exactly copying, but an advertisement that seemed to copy Apple's style of advertising was when Samsung did the "Hello" advertisement with their smart watch brand.

I tried looking up the ad on YouTube or some other link to post here, but it seems like all links to the ad have been removed. I did find this though:

thy kind of paid for it, so stole might be a strong word...
Yeah, I think this may happen more than people think, or at least I would think that there would be more lawsuits if these companies were not, at least sometimes, paying for the features that are copied.

When it comes down to it, copying features is really a good thing, giving people the features they want on the devices they want them on.
 

kasakka

macrumors 68020
Oct 25, 2008
2,372
1,066
The premise of this thread is a load of nonsense. You can look at marketing names of any product and see a lot of X and Z letters with numbers.
 

Serban55

Suspended
Oct 18, 2020
2,153
4,344
I’m going to offend some people by saying this, but I just want to point something out, so allow me to put on my Tim foil hat and show that Microsoft really likes to copy Apple…

Apple Watch Series 3

Xbox Series X

Last version of Windows 10, the final version of Windows

Mac OS X / OS X / macOS 10.X

If Windows 10 is being changed to Windows 11…

Cough cough cough macOS 11 Big Sur
Microsoft wants to be Apple..this is for a decade
Ive seen some of the UI tweaks for the next gen of windows from June 24th..it will be still windows, some changes to be a little more pleasant for touch input IMO
But it is ok for Microsoft to give show some interest for windows ..we have win 10 for 6 years under this new CEO that cares only about cloud
 

TopherMan12

macrumors 6502a
Oct 10, 2019
786
899
Atlanta, GA
Because it's the same myth as "Microsoft saved Apple".

Microsoft worked closely with Apple in bringing their applications to Macintosh. I think that influenced the creation of Windows more than Xerox did. Either way, Microsoft copying Apple copying Xerox is still Microsoft and Apple copying the work they didn't conceptualize or invent.
 
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iHorseHead

macrumors 68000
Jan 1, 2021
1,579
1,998
Microsoft worked closely with Apple in bringing their applications to Macintosh. I think that influenced the creation of Windows more than Xerox did. Either way, Microsoft copying Apple copying Xerox is still Microsoft and Apple copying the work they didn't conceptualize or invent.
Microsoft was supposed to be the first to release window but they had a deal that Apple will release MacOS First.
Nevertheless, Windows has won the battle.
 

TopherMan12

macrumors 6502a
Oct 10, 2019
786
899
Atlanta, GA
Microsoft was supposed to be the first to release window but they had a deal that Apple will release MacOS First.
Nevertheless, Windows has won the battle.

Microsoft agreed to delay the release of Multiplan (later Excel) for Windows. That was part of the license agreement Apple and Microsoft had that allowed Microsoft to use Mac GUI elements in Windows.
 

SirAnthonyHopkins

macrumors 6502a
Sep 29, 2020
948
1,892
I’m going to offend some people by saying this, but I just want to point something out, so allow me to put on my Tim foil hat and show that Microsoft really likes to copy Apple…

Apple Watch Series 3

Xbox Series X

Last version of Windows 10, the final version of Windows

Mac OS X / OS X / macOS 10.X

If Windows 10 is being changed to Windows 11…

Cough cough cough macOS 11 Big Sur

So they used the word "Series" and they might use the concept of the number 11 being one more than the number 10.
 

TopherMan12

macrumors 6502a
Oct 10, 2019
786
899
Atlanta, GA
Are you really claiming Microsoft copied Apple for the Xbox Series X because it has the word series in it? Apple doesn’t even make game consoles

What’s next, they copied Apple by using the world computer?

Yeah....the premise of this thread is a bit of a reach
 
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symphony

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Aug 25, 2016
2,232
2,641
Are you really claiming Microsoft copied Apple for the Xbox Series X because it has the word series in it? Apple doesn’t even make game consoles

What’s next, they copied Apple by using the world computer?

Yep. It’s the branding. Apple having to make a console is irrelevant
 
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TopherMan12

macrumors 6502a
Oct 10, 2019
786
899
Atlanta, GA
Yep. It’s the branding. Apple having to make a console is irrelevant

I disagree. If Samsung called their watch Galaxy Watch Series 3 then that is much more comparable. I think it is nitpick to suggest a dissimilar product that utilizes the word "series", which is a common word, is copying. Same for the number 11.
 
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