Innovation Upheld But Not Protected

Much has been made of the controversy surrounding iOS devices and their competitors. Has Samsung stolen from Apple’s design cues? Did Eric Schmidt blatantly steal the smart phone approach from Jobs when serving on Apple’s board? Can Apple even patent things that the public have come to accept as staples in a smart device?

Well according to the recent jury’s decision there are instances of stealing at the top. Before Steve Jobs passed away last year, he stated that it would be all out “thermonuclear war” against Google for bringing Android to the market as they did. But he’s no longer here and courts take a long time to reach a final verdict. In addition to that, this is only one market of the global economy that both Apple and Samsung call home.

I, for one, am happy to see this decision. I think it is obvious that Apple developed a leapfrog product that did jump generations of iteration and all others are still trying their best to catch up. This means that competitors, like Samsung, have made their best attempts to emulate the latest and greatest to claim their share of the market. Its worth noting, as well, that Samsung and Apple are also compadres in manufacturing new iOS devices. Samsung provides displays and circuitry to both iPads and iPhones so it is one of the most interesting love/hate relationships. Today the court’s ruled that Samsung has to pay Apple over $1 billion in damages which will be appealed and the timeline will continue to elongate.

This is where I will start to complain. If there has been a hearing and a verdict it should be escalated to get at the final verdict as quickly as possible. Every day that Samsung, or other infringing devices, are on the market they take share away from Apple in a dubious way. Samsung can keep their copy cat devices on the market for months, if not years, longer by appealing to higher courts and drawing this out. This not only takes share from Apple but allows Samsung to appear relevant to consumers all the while having been found guilty of infringement.

Its not right. If Samsung were playing baseball we just found out they were juicing. Or, maybe more to the point, filming NFL practices to get a jump on the competition. You should be kicked out of the sport, fined, or at least levied a time frame out of the business until you can prove you’re doing otherwise. In this case, Samsung can keep this thing alive for years maybe giving themselves time to come up with a new product that may not infringe on Apple (which is good) but not suffering the down time in between by still selling the knock off products. The knock off products will continue to stoke Samsung’s fire to build towards a future product, keep them on the tips of consumer’s tongues, and most importantly will keep them from disappearing from the marketplace which forces consumers who aren’t watching this closely to take notice and ask questions. So, the majority of the marketplace will never learn the extent to which this verdict means and how it should be handled.

My favorite part of this whole thing is Samsung’s response after the jury read their findings:

[quote]“Today’s verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer,” Samsung said in an official statement. “It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices.”[/quote]

All the while Samsung was fighting Apple for their own belief that Apple infringed their patents! Two faced assholes. Its only bad for consumers if Samsung can’t take Apple innovations and attempt to level the playing field by playing with the very same tools. Come up with your own stuff and come to fight. I hate this shit. Their is a large percentage of the public who don’t like Apple merely because they don’t understand them, don’t use their products, and are by and large afraid of change. Samsung and Google are feeding this.

Remember the L.A. Gear pumps that mimicked the Reeboks? Yeah, they were knock offs and we all knew it and people wanted to sell it as “its the same thing”. No its not. It amazes me sometimes how people are disconnected from certain aspects of consumerism. There are always leaders and followers. There are always superior products and those that aren’t quite there yet. The iPhone is the Mercedes-Benz and Android is SAAB. People who drive SAABs swear its a luxury car. Its NOT!

Don’t fool yourself. Get your hands on one and actually use it before you discount its value. Don’t believe the hype when people say its more expensive (the new Samsung Galaxy SIII is $200 too). Feel the weight and build quality of the iPhone compared to the plastics of Samsung. Notice the innovation and history of both companies.

Its like comparing Apples to well anything else.