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Alex J. LopezYesterday 3:14 PM - Google Reader - Limited
Next week Apple will file for a patent on their latest invention, the question mark.
Intellectual Properly: Apple patents disappearing vertical scroll indicator »
Intellectual Properly is a series where we seek to set the record straight on the day's hottest patent, copyright and related intellectual property issues in the tech world. It's Tuesday, so you know what that means: newly minted patents are here. Today's fun comes straight from Cupertino via the US Patent and Trademark Office and includes another scrolling patent — US patent no. 8,223,134 to be exact. The '134 patent claims priority back to 2007...
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21 comments
Travis HendricksYesterday 3:23 PM
And here we go again.
Shane MonroeYesterday 3:23 PMEdit
#boycottApple
Ian HaupertYesterday 3:37 PM (edited)+1
I understand the protection of ideas (even if I doubt Apple was the first to do this), but where does it stop? How humans and society got to the point where we're at today was by sharing and improving each other's ideas, and this just seems counter-productive.
Chris HentschelYesterday 3:42 PM (edited)
#FuckApple #FireReggie
Javier LopezYesterday 3:46 PM
Same thing happens in all industries. I've worked with Engineers, who've never seen a product to market, yet they have tons of patents.
Companies encourage it, because it makes their company look good to investors. Upper management, encourages it by offering bonuses to their dept. heads for reaching a certain quotas on pending IP. While us peon engineers are offered small bonuses for submitting patents, then another once the patent gets accepted.
Suing Competitors for infringing on patents you've never exercised is icing on the cake. It's the shady reality of corporate business. They can sometimes even use a patent as leverage for some other negotiation...
Martin ParrottYesterday 3:51 PM
I am no patent attorney and I agree that you need to protect your IP, but it does seem Apple has crossed the line where they must protect their property or lose it and using their coffers too stifle competition.
Javier LopezYesterday 4:32 PM
+Martin Parrott I agree 100%. My point is, this is the same BS that goes on in other industries. I don't agree with it, but it's a strategy that has become all too common in recent years.
Apple is under the magnifying glass because of their size and influence. I suppose once it's no longer cool to hate Apple, people will refocus their attention on some other large company.
I think Apple has seen better days. I give them another year or so, before they descend back to the smaller company they were before the whole iPod thing. They're just fighting the inevitable.
Martin ParrottYesterday 4:44 PM
+Javier Lopez I totally agree. I once worked for a very large manufacturing company and the patent game was very alive there. Those required to work within that game never liked it.
Travis Hendricks7:19 AM
+Javier Lopez if you think Apple is going anywhere soon, especially in the next year or so, you have another thing coming. They have such a powerful horde of people who really don't know or care about patents that it will take a whole lot more to stop them. Like the decent sized fall of Microsoft, it will take a total shift in the technology market that they fail to follow. So don't get your hopes up.
Shane Monroe7:43 AMEdit+1
+Travis Hendricks ... maybe it is just wishful thinking, but ...
Apple is about IMAGE. There are a few GENERAL types of Apple users (again, NOT EVERYONE with Apple products fall into these categories - lest I get chastised);
The hippie. Free love. Artist-turned-barista-turned-artist. I'm a flying soul on the face of this mortal plane - I must suffer for my art ... yadda yadda yadda. Mr. and Ms. Creative that believe they can't be shackled by the "chains" of corporation. Let's not immunize our children because it's just profiteering by drug companies.
The elitist. The more it costs, the better it is - and THAT'S the bottom line! (Ever make love to a pauper? PEEEE EWWWWW)
The me too. EVERYONE ELSE has an iPhone so I got an iPhone. So and so has an iPhone and got a Mac ... so I got a Mac after MY first iPhone.
Right? Okay. So how can those BIG markets be dissolved and Apple be severely impacted.
The hippie. Apple has turned into what they hate; a blatant money-grubbing, anti-creativity, evil corporation. It won't take long with negative press and plenty of bad publicity (which Apple is getting in droves right now) before the hippie finds REAL free love (that is, the open source nature of Android).
The elitist. This is going to be a tough nut to crack. Apple isn't lowering it's prices; it will continue to be the "consummate cost" platform which this group LOVES. However, it isn't ALL about how much it costs - it is about prestige of ownership. Once it becomes "dirty" to have an Apple product (and it will if the other two groups fall), the elitist will just start buying overly expensive Android products. See, the elitists have ZERO brand loyalty. They are driven by prestige and price tag - and that is easy enough for anyone to fill.
Finally, the me too. Me too market is already slipping away. The SHEER NUMBERS of Android is making that happen by nature of adoption. The more people that GET Androids, the more people that WANT to be like everyone else. Critical mass has pretty much happened for Android - the me too users WILL fall from Apple's grace and move where "everyone else is" - which is currently (and only growing) Android.
The me toos go first. The hippies are getting close - I can feel it. Once the other two go, the elitist will shift gears.
Apple returns to it's 5% share, they lose the pompous sue-happy attitude, and things are back to normal.
Yeah, it's coming. Like the game crash of 1983 it's coming. Of course, Apple could stop this non-sense at anytime and follow The Word of Jobs and get back on track. But 1) will they and 2) can they do it before it is irreversible?
Javier Lopez7:48 AM+1
+Travis Hendricks oh, I have no hopes either way. I would prefer Apple continue to do things to help move the competition. If Android becomes the only game in town, they too would become lethargic and not offer it's customers anything new and exciting.
Apple is what drove Android to do what it's doing today. Competition is good for everyone. But, we're not seeing much in terms of innovation (from Apple) recently, either stolen or created. My iPhone is fine. does what it supposed to do, efficiently and effectively. But the 4S, although an nice upgrade for me going from a 3G, is having the "MW3" effect for those that upgraded from the iphone4.
Subtle improvements aren't as sexy as Samsung's and HTC's fancy new big screened perty phones. Android has done a heck of a job, of offering a more stable platform and from what I've read, battery life seems to be improving. Unless Apple has something really innovative and sexy, my next phone will most likely be an Android... But I'm still a year out on my contract so who knows.
Chris Hentschel7:51 AM
And Android is going to drive Apple to do the things they are going to do now...Meanwhile back at the ranch, RIM has its head in the ground and MS...Well, they're MS.
Shane Monroe7:54 AMEdit
+Javier Lopez MW3 effect... awesome.
Shane Monroe7:55 AMEdit
+Chris Hentschel Nothing is immune to obscurity and failure. If anyone has proved that it is MySpace and RIM.
Now to get Facebook and Apple out of the way and let our new overlords and masters at Google take control
Javier Lopez7:57 AM
+Shane Monroe thought you might like that.. And yeah it is... This time last year, people were blowing loads at the idea of a new iphone... This year, I haven't seen one article written. No one really cares... This should be the "on" year since those that bought the original 4 are ready for a new phone... Where's the speculation, the hype, the massive lines?
It's all faded...
Chris Hentschel8:00 AM (edited)+1
So far the only article I've seen recently that got everyone excited was that the iPhone 5 front camera may be centered based on a leak of the front face casing. *That* menial piece of news was at the top of my tech news feeds the other day. Seriously, think about that a second - the possible location of the front facing camera of the iPhone 5 was a news making story....Really?
Shane Monroe8:10 AMEdit
Jobs was a snake oil salesman to the end. He ran Apple like a travelling emporium - and it worked. Passamaquady forgets about the year before's drive through phoney (ha, get it?) elixir sales snowjob and races around the cart when he comes to town.
Does Dr. Terminus set up shop in town and continue to fleece the townspeople? No way. Hit 'em once a year; dazzle them with this year's shiny new bottles of miracle tonic then make 'em wait another year.
Jobs knew you couldn't run the same play several times a year - bright and shiny things are LESS fun and shiny if you put them before the people too often. Like a magician doing a magic trick; never let the audience watch the trick a second time.
Keep'em hungry for more. Keep the magic alive. After all, if the next shiny thing is coming soon, why pay TOO much attention to THIS shiny thing?
Apple doesn't have the snake oil gene - Jobs provided that. Cook is taking Apple over as a tech company; and Apple isn't about selling tech - it's about selling an image ... and magic. Once you level the playing field and remove magic from the equation - Apple has to stand on it's own merits as a tech company and the simple truth is - when it comes to price vs tech vs performance vs value; Apple doesn't have that - plenty of competition now. RIM rested on it's laurels and look what happened. MS rested on its laurels.
I dunno ... I've never liked Apple. Not when they were the underdog, and CERTAINLY not now. But, even I had to admit what Jobs was doing with Apple was WORKING.
Now? I don't see it working anymore. And they are compounding that with a huge negative image issue.
What's funny? Apple developers are completely oblivious to all this. I was talking to a friend of mine - he's like "what negative image? We have a whole office filled with Macs and Apple people and no one has heard anything negative...?"
I guess I better add "head in the sand" people to the list of Apple lovers.
Travis Hendricks8:35 AM
I think your generalities about the main Apple users is pretty spot on. Just like you said there are exceptions to every rule, but all in all I think you nailed it.
And I could see what your saying coming true but not in the next year, and that's also assuming that Apple doesn't change their ways. If they do "fall from grace" it will certainly take multiple years.
Shane Monroe8:41 AMEdit
My guess? 18 months'ish. Again, provided the current direction and corporate mentality continues. Holidays 2013 will be the "beginning of the end". That's what the record books will say.
Travis Hendricks9:09 AM
I'm gonna remember this post +Shane Monroe and we'll revisit then. And by then I'll have the new Nexus with a 3 day battery, G+ will be the king of the roost, and Project Glass will be a reality. That could be a fun holiday.
Shane Monroe9:15 AMEdit - Reply
Yeah man .. I'll cut and paste it into MW.com too ... just so it is a bit easier to find later
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Originally Posted by hiphopcr
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