‘‘I believe in justice for man, in justice against evils done to man. To the ends of the earth I believe there should be justice for all. However that is still a dream, but dreams come true don’t they.”
– Anonymous
Now if you’ve read any other of my posts you can tell that I’m no fan of Apple products. Why? Simple really, there is absolutely nothing interesting about it. Just a few snippets as to why it’s not;
Scene #1
Apple Person: ‘Better screen resolution people will say’.
Me: ‘Well you never cared before now did you.’.
Scene #2
Apple person: ‘It’s much faster now with the new chip bla bla and bla’
Me: ‘Was the other one too slow for you in the first place?’
Scene #3
Apple person: ‘It doesn’t get virus infections J’
Me: ‘I beg to differ. It can and DID!’
The part that trips me over and over again is how so many who get an old model (well the one’s I have seen anyway) go ahead and buy the newer ones. It’s a sad thing and the cost according to this tumblr post I found was in the $1000s of dollars!
Of course people who see Apple as a some innovative geniuses aren’t wrong per se, they’re just right about the wrong thing. The marketing team at Apple indeed are GENIUSES at marketing. Take it or leave it. These marketing gurus, whoever they are, have convinced so many (I estimate 90% – fallacy of numbers!) that holding an Apple product means you’re ‘cool’ and ‘happening’. Or at the very least it’s an exclusive product (yeah, you and the other millions of owners!) which might make one’s member feel larger or for the ladies they’re front guards.
Of course to give these Apple fan boys and girls the exclusive feel. They must protect their property! I mean it’s only right yes? And so they do. Patents flying around on EVERYTHING! Here and there a patent everywhere. They sue you if you provide the ‘look’ or ‘feel’ of using and iPhone or iPad. Software, hardware and other petty things really. Innovation crippling petty things. I use the word innovation very loosely here as the last thing in #myhonestopinion Apple made that could be called an innovation was the iPhone. Then it took out the call and GPRS function and gave us the iPod Touch and then it took a rolling pin and gave us the iPad. It didn’t stop there though it took the same rolling pin, applied a bit more pressure and made the iPad 2! I mean come on!! Then I hear Apple-ites screaming ‘Oh my gosh! They’re innovative!’? (I’ve made them blonde in my head for convenience sake).
Anyway so they’ve been in constant patent battles for a long time with Samsung and sadly, they won. I sort of blame Samsung here though they unintelligently copied a bunch of Apple features in a lot they’re devices and even had emails discussing what and what they should copy. Not a smart move but it can’t be helped now can it? The court ordered them to pay up for damages and the total came to an overwhelming $1bn+. Cruel, just cruel. The worst isn’t necessarily over yet as if the court finds wilful infringement they are allowed to triple the damages owed to 3bn! Now that, I hope never happens. It could well harm the company quite badly.
I’m not even sure that the jury gave it due process or whatever. There’s still research to be done but here’s an extract from an interview on CNET‘s site;
“It didn’t dawn on us [that we agreed that Samsung had infringed] on the first day,” Ilagan said. “We were debating heavily, especially about the patents on bounce-back and pinch-to-zoom. Apple said they owned patents, but we were debating about the prior art [about similar technology that Samsung said existed before the iPhone debuted]. [Velvin] Hogan was jury foreman. He had experience. He owned patents himself…so he took us through his experience. After that it was easier. After we debated that first patent — what was prior art –because we had a hard time believing there was no prior art.”
“In fact we skipped that one,” Ilagan continued, “so we could go on faster. It was bogging us down.”
However the Samsung geniuses decided to get a little payback on that verdict. They found that there was no specification as to how the money was to be paid. What did they do? They paid the entire thing in ‘5 cents coins’! Do I love them for it? YES!! Was it petty of them? Yes! Does that make it any less amazing? Not in the slightest my dear readers, not in the slightest. Just imagine it, all that money in 5 cent coins. Apparently it will take trucks and TRUCKS to deliver it. I can’t even imagine the hours that will be put into it or if any banks will be willing to take the money in that form.
You reap what you sow. Apple, according to Steve Jobs, started a ‘Thermonuclear War’ on them and they’re paying them back is all; coin for coin. I can only wonder if they want to pursue the ‘wilful infringement’. If the judges and members of the jury would be so kind, don’t add a method of payment. My life would be a happier place if it went through or better yet, find someone else to screw over. Thank you.
Myhonestopinions 