Apple’s New iPad Patent Reveals The Absurdity Of Our Patent System

[Super XP]

You should not be able to patent things like this. Utterly rediculous and once again from Apple.
When business is in the negative they'll start attacking companies with its patents.

[NastyHabits]

Originally Posted by temp02

US Patent D670,286

Unbelievable. No wonder people are losing faith in our government.

[Kantastic]

Originally Posted by Super XP

You should not be able to patent things like this. Utterly rediculous and once again from Apple.
When business is in the negative they'll start attacking companies with its patents.

How exactly is this Apple's fault?

[RejZoR]

Mega idiotiq. Tablets existed long before Apple "invented" their iPad. And they all had rectangular shape with round edges. Fail.

[Kantastic]

Originally Posted by RejZoR

Mega idiotiq. Tablets existed long before Apple "invented" their iPad. And they all had rectangular shape with round edges. Fail.

Care to elaborate on the quotation marks? Because last I checked, iPad did invent the iPad, and without the iPad, the tablet industry, in its current state, wouldn't exist right now.

[hat]

So it's okay for Apple to patent rectangular objects with rounded corners?

[TRWOV]

A design patent covers an specific design, in this case the iPad's layout. The only issue Samsung et al will be facing is if they come with a tablet that looks exactly like the patented design (same I/O distribution, same shape and button location, etc., i.e. a knockoff).

This is to protect Apple from knock-offs not to prevent other tablet manufacturer's to come out with tablets with rounded edges.

[the54thvoid]

Originally Posted by Kantastic

...without the iPad, the tablet industry, in its current state, wouldn't exist right now.

Kind of sweeping. Tablets were still in the air so it's very hard to say where we'd be now. Who's to say that people wouldn't focus on productivity tablets sooner (Surface Pro) instead of following the ipad's idea of an overly large, glorified portable web browser.

The ipad does what it's meant to do well but like most tablets (Nexus 7, Galaxy Tab etc) they are all still glorified "toys". At least Microsoft is looking to change that with essentially a PC in a tablet format.

It's ironic that Apple did a sales campaign in the UK years ago where they likened using PC's to being boring things for tech use and work and spreadsheets etc and the Apple product was fun, fun , fun. This is the ethos for the tablet. An easy to use fun thing. Not a serious piece of tech kit for furthering research and boosting productivity.

I say that Apple led the tablet format down the wrong path. The Surface Pro is the new way to go.

[Kantastic]

Originally Posted by hat

So it's okay for Apple to patent rectangular objects with rounded corners?

Is it legal?

Originally Posted by the54thvoid

I say that Apple led the tablet format down the wrong path. The Surface Pro is the new way to go.

That was more of a hardware and fabrication limitation.

[mediasorcerer]

I heard about this, surely microsoft got in on this during the early tablet era of the nineties? What about all of the slates and digitizers etc?

[TRWOV]

Originally Posted by mediasorcerer

I heard about this, surely microsoft got in on this during the early tablet era of the nineties? What about all of the slates and digitizers etc?

The Slate doesn't have the same layout as the iPad. The buttons, orientation and I/O cluster is different:



Again, this patent covers Apple's specific iPad design, not all tablets with rounded borders. This is to protect Apple from knock-offs not competitors. I'm sure there're Slate, Nexus, Surface, etc., etc. design patents as well.

[Crap Daddy]

Originally Posted by the54thvoid

Kind of sweeping. Tablets were still in the air so it's very hard to say where we'd be now. Who's to say that people wouldn't focus on productivity tablets sooner (Surface Pro) instead of following the ipad's idea of an overly large, glorified portable web browser.

The ipad does what it's meant to do well but like most tablets (Nexus 7, Galaxy Tab etc) they are all still glorified "toys". At least Microsoft is looking to change that with essentially a PC in a tablet format.

It's ironic that Apple did a sales campaign in the UK years ago where they likened using PC's to being boring things for tech use and work and spreadsheets etc and the Apple product was fun, fun , fun. This is the ethos for the tablet. An easy to use fun thing. Not a serious piece of tech kit for furthering research and boosting productivity.

I say that Apple led the tablet format down the wrong path. The Surface Pro is the new way to go.

I'm glad that somebody says what I'm thinking. But I'm also sad that Microsoft is not pushing the Surface as it should. It amazes me that they are not selling it outside their few shops, that it's basically unaivalable and that it's priced way too high.

[the54thvoid]

Originally Posted by Crap Daddy

I'm glad that somebody says what I'm thinking. But I'm also sad that Microsoft is not pushing the Surface as it should. It amazes me that they are not selling it outside their few shops, that it's basically unaivalable and that it's priced way too high.

That's Microsoft for you, great tech but hugely arrogant with it.

[hat]

Originally Posted by Kantastic

Is it legal?

So you're allowing the government to define your own personal morality, your own personal sense of right and wrong?

[micropage7]

Originally Posted by TRWOV

The Slate doesn't have the same layout as the iPad. The buttons, orientation and I/O cluster is different:

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9516/hpslate1.jpg

Again, this patent covers Apple's specific iPad design, not all tablets with rounded borders. This is to protect Apple from knock-offs not competitors. I'm sure there're Slate, Nexus, Surface, etc., etc. design patents as well.

wait wait, look at from side. its like iphone
so Apple still has chance to bring it to the court
this patent should not pass

[A Cheese Danish]

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