Quote:
Originally Posted by 5thWiggle
I don't see it as just "elegant minimalism", but of course everybodies tastes are different  . (FYI - I hate the look of the Fender Telecaster  )
But, as you say, that's why they're in court. |
That is how Apple sells their design language under Ives.
Me, I'm immune to the style but I understand the intent.
The Princess Phone was just an oval with the dial in the center; a pretty obvious concept... now... Ubiquitous. (Where you still find landline phones.) At the time it came out it was revolutionary and not just because it was marketted to women.
I'm thinking that if Apple goes back to the prevalent designs in the industry pre-iPhone they might be able to sway a court that they were doing something unique enough to merit protection.
Not sure how prevalent design patents are in electronics--most products are just boxes with buttons and trim, except for gaming consoles--but if Apple wins the odds are we'll be seeing a lot more court battles. Maybe Apple will take exception to somebody's ultrabook or a cheapie Android crap-pad will try to mimic the Surface... (I haven't been to eBay lately but the place used to be jam-packed with multi-colored iPod clones...)
Litigation is not my preferred form of competition (and Apple has always been lawsuit happy all the way to the Apple II days) but there's a *lot* of money at stake. More... here's a thought:
What if Apple isn't just targetting Samsung? The lawsuit involves the GUI, after all so if they can get a judgment that the Android GUI infringes they could take that to the other Android vendors...
This is going to get *really* interesting by the time the dust settles.