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Story: Apple's patent bending

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Posted by: Anonymous (Tuesday 22 February 2005, 1:43 AM)

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Continuing my previous post...

Before I conclude, I think it is easy for one to have bias cloud your opinion very easily. I am no exception and I speak from experience :) However, if this article was about how Microsoft is trying to patent something trivial in it's XBox interface, it is my opinion that most the people with the strong pro Apple comments on this page are likely to join in and give a thumbs up. Vice versa, most of the anti apple guys would be giving a thumbs down.
It is also interesting to note that in the technology industry, the underdog seems to always have a favoritism advantage when it comes to gathering fanboys. Until yesterday, I knew several people who swore by google. Now that google is firmly rooted as the leader and is begining to flex it's muscles, these same people have started to bad-mouth about how google is going to take over the world and our lives.

Conclusion: Apple's application for the (music) file navigation using heirarchy sounds a little bogus (in my opinion), because it is a subset of file navigation done similarly on similar devices. If awarded, it goes on to become another counter weapon in Apple's legal and patent portfolio. The real patent here should be the whole ipod package
(file heirarchy navigation using scroll wheel, etc). However, I have a feeling that this has been done before in some not so popular PDA like device and possibly that is why Apple is not bothering with trying to patent it.
Correct me if Apple does have a patent or has applied for one on this. So is Apple losing out on anything if it does not have this patent. I don't think so. The iPod has been out for a while, and noone has brought a competing device that is as effective in the interface area. The innovation is not just in the idea. It is more in the implementation of the idea and Apple's implementation details are definitely not public knowlege and that is what will keep them ahead of the competition
until the competition catch up.

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Full Talkback thread

Story: Apple's patent bending

  1. That was the most riddiculous, error filled bag of... Anonymous
  2. Which facts? Please be specific. The generalities... Anonymous
  3. Obviously written by an open source communist. :-)... George Jones
  4. Apple patent application 20040055446 filed October... Anonymous
  5. This article is so replete with inaccuracies and m... Anonymous
  6. Touché George ;-) I am actually a developer and no... David Wright
  7. I think you have a problem with the fact that all... Anonymous
  8. Since ZDNet doesn't seem to have fact-checkers, I... Anonymous
  9. This is a sadly biased article based on poor resea... Anonymous
  10. "Apple employees coming from Xerox PARC brought wi... Anonymous
  11. Apple is totally to blame for making the iPod so d... Jayson Lee
  12. Does the author of the article care to read these... Innovation Should Rule
  13. Dear Lord, what would happen to the computing worl... P.J. Proby
  14. you mean like how Microsoft went an patented xml?... stuart good
  15. It really depends what they are patenting. A hier... Jack Zahran
  16. Re: the patent application Quote from other post:... Bob Dobalina
  17. Apple has a right to protect the ideas wich are al... Filip Remplakowski
  18. "we would all be driving $25 cars that get 1,000 t... Carlos Echavarri-Erasun
  19. Of course it's obvious - everyone has seen and use... Yarg C. YargVee
  20. has anyone noticed that iPod interface mimics NEXT... Anonymous
  21. You are an envious and pathetic Pc user .Shame o... Anonymous
  22. Do you even work for this site or did you just hap... geoff
  23. Why not just completely ignore the facts... Apple... Lord John Whorfin
  24. Let's hope this was an April Fools day comment....... Tim Dooley
  25. I just LOVE it when columnists try to turn patent... Anonymous
  26. While I would agree to a point, Apple's patent is... Anonymous
  27. Obviously they didn't "learnt their lesson" or oth... Anonymous
  28. About as informed as the chairman of Real saying "... Anonymous
  29. To be certain everyone knows what they are fightin... Chris Roehl
  30. If Mr. Loney has seen the iPod interface before, h... Anonymous
  31. Wow.... This coming from some columnist who's obvi... Anonymous
  32. A guy I know patented 3 x 3 teabag cases. Nothing... Anonymous
  33. Article author mistakes (very old) jokes for actua... Anurup Joseph
  34. Apple Paid Xerox for the GUI ideas. Did Microsoft... unicode
  35. Gee, MAYBE you can apply this to M$ trying to pate... S.W. Bobcat
  36. Saying Apple's iPod interface is just a blending o... Anonymous
  37. "have yet to see anything in the iPod inteface tha... Anonymous
  38. I have been reading all the comments and it seems... Anonymous
  39. Continuing my previous post... Before I concl... Anonymous

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