Apple applies for patent on iPod UI
Link.
If this goes through, Apple wil have a lock on the MP3 player market. Imagine if they had patented the Finder UI back in the early 80's.
If this goes through, Apple wil have a lock on the MP3 player market. Imagine if they had patented the Finder UI back in the early 80's.
Comments
Originally posted by BlueRabbit
Imagine if they had patented the Finder UI back in the early 80's.
They did. Apple even (stupidly) licensed it to Microsoft. In the end, Apple didn't invent WIMP and apart from the menu-bar-at-the-top what's so unique about the Mac interface anyway? The Mac is refined, yes. Unique? In reality, all interfaces borrow bits from all other interfaces. From what I gather, that's what the fine US justice system thought when Apple sued a bunch of people over it.
In the modern world, being granted patents (or registered copyrights) doesn't indicate if it's a legitimate patent (or copyright). That's for the courts.
Barto
Originally posted by Barto
[snip]
apart from the menu-bar-at-the-top what's so unique about the Mac interface anyway? The Mac is refined, yes. Unique? [snip]
Apple's interface works, just like everything else on a Mac. Who else can say that?
Originally posted by Barto
Apple didn't invent WIMP and apart from the menu-bar-at-the-top what's so unique about the Mac interface anyway? The Mac is refined, yes. Unique? In reality, all interfaces borrow bits from all other interfaces. From what I gather, that's what the fine US justice system thought when Apple sued a bunch of people over it.
True, Apple did not invent WIMP...but their take on it was rather unique and inventive at the time.
This article provides some background on this subject:
http://www.mackido.com/Interface/ui_history.html
In short, Apple came up with many ideas on their own for the UI. They are not often (in today's revisionist history climate) credited as having done so. So many people believe that final lines from the "Pirate of Silicon Valley" film in which Bill Gates justifies Microsoft's theft of Macintosh UI and toolbox concepts by suggesting that Apple stole their stuff from Xerox.
Apple is not THE most innovative company in the world, but let's give credit where it is due.
Barto, are you talking about the iPod interface for the Mac OS interface? It was unique when it came out, what else used a graphical interface at the time? It was a great idea Apple grabbed from xerox because they didn't know what they had.
What about the mouse, why doesn't Apple have a patent on that, I thought that was the first of that too, no?
Originally posted by PS5533
wow this could be great....an iPod when noone could make some cheap @$$ imitation of it.... not even the people who make various "blue-screen machines"(thats what i call any computer that runs an M$ OS)
]
1) I think we understood your joke without the explanation
2) I think that I've never seen XP go blue.
Originally posted by ast3r3x
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1) I think we understood your joke without the explanation
2) I think that I've never seen XP go blue.
indeed, my friends titanium locks up and freezes more than I've ever seen XP lock up or freeze.
Originally posted by Wrong Robot
indeed, my friends titanium locks up and freezes more than I've ever seen XP lock up or freeze.
Well I don't want to say one is better than the other, but I don't think XP blue screens anymore. I am not saying it doesn't freeze, or is more stable then OS X (it varies per machine and per user) but I think when XP crashes it just crashes without the screen...never understood the point, when EVER did the system "become stable" again?
Originally posted by ast3r3x
]
1) I think we understood your joke without the explanation
2) I think that I've never seen XP go blue.
but most places like schools and libraries have pre-XP PCs so thats how i see alot of blue in my daily life
Originally posted by ast3r3x
Barto, are you talking about the iPod interface for the Mac OS interface? It was unique when it came out, what else used a graphical interface at the time? It was a great idea Apple grabbed from xerox because they didn't know what they had.
Intellectual property rights are granted for uniqueness and innovation, not effort. Apple may have popularised the WIMP interface (and even invented a few concepts in it), but patenting of computer interfaces is absurd. I'm using the Mac OS as a generic example of this. Apple (and its partners) spent a lot of effort on the iPod interface. However, the iPod simply incorporates elements of other interfaces... as does virtually all operating systems. Is that worthy of a patent? I don't think so. But then again, I'm no lawyer. Certainly it's not right if Apple can aquire a valid patent for it.
Barto
Originally posted by ast3r3x
]
1) I think we understood your joke without the explanation
2) I think that I've never seen XP go blue.
oh yes my friends, xp still blue screens, this blue screen is even more horid than the last, if you get it, well....just reindtall. but the "classic" bsod, has been replased with a box that counts down from 60 as of to taunt you, while telling you that a fatial crash is imanent, and it is called the fatial exeption error, been there done that, trust me, you dont want to see it!
Originally posted by ast3r3x
Mayhap I be confused, but why hasn't Apple patented it by now if they could? I also thought they licensed it from pixo (that right?) or another company.
I believe the company is Pixio, but they only licensed the iPod's OS from them, not the UI.
Apple's main innovation, incidentally, was the idea of a system-standard GUI and system-standard controls with predefined behaviors - PARC's GUI was a blank canvas that left widgets and behaviors to applications to define. That's a huge difference. They attempted to copyright this effort - presumably under the provision for selection, arrangement and presentation? - but MS was able to borrow as much as they did because they slipped a remarkably generous clause into a contract for developing Word, and Apple signed it. (MS pulled the same stunt on IBM.)
Now they're a bit closer, since patent law covers implementations rather than expressions (the domain of copyright). Unfortunately, it would be a software patent, and I'd be happier if those were laughed out of the courts. Retroactively. I can understand Apple's desire to protect the iPod from knockoffs, but software patents have done far more harm than good so far.
Originally posted by Ra
I believe the company is Pixio, but they only licensed the iPod's OS from them, not the UI.
BTW, I thought I read somewhere that Apple licensed Pixo to get going but that they had written their own OS (to replace Pixo) by the 3G iPods.
No confirmation on this of course.