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Apple should tell that quote to Xerox for the Xerox Park rip off.. http://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/sites/mac/parc.html http://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/sites/

Apple should tell that quote to Xerox for the Xerox Park rip off.. http://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/sites/mac/parc.html http://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/sites/mac/parc.html

mwfunk 10y ago
This would be analogous if the Mac was named the Apple Alto and looked like almost exactly like the Xerox Alto and even cloned the marketing materials and presentation templates that Xerox used, if Xerox had ever made the effort to come up with distinctive marketing for their computers (which they didn't, but that's the bar for "this situation is like that situation").
astrodust 10y ago
This is nowhere like a Mac other than in the fact that it's a computer with a screen, keyboard and mouse: http://www.righto.com/2016/06/y-combinators-xerox-alto-restoring.html http://www.righto.com/2016/06/y-combinators-xerox-alto-resto... Read history, then comment, okay? The PARC machine barely scratched the surface of what could be done, and it was far from being packaged in a way that could be marketed to consumers. It was inspiration, and any engineer knows that's a long, long way from a working product.
- ProAm 10y ago
  Let's not act like Apple has not been known to steal ideas and package them with the Apple logo. It's just part of business.
  - astrodust 10y ago
    Usually they've caved in to the conventions of the market (iOS notifications) or missing features (F.lux). The amount of blatant theft seems minimal. They usually put their own spin on things to differentiate somehow. Even Microsoft has gone its own way with Windows after some heavy overlap with MacOS and other windowing systems (DESQview in partcular). Windows 3.1 was more different, and Windows 95 borrowed more heavily from OS/2, which was wildly different from MacOS. If anything Apple was forced to adopt the right-click menu popularized by Microsoft since it became the de-facto standard. Meanwhile other companies have damning memos that say "Make it look exactly like Apple's product".
    - ProAm 10y ago
      > The amount of blatant theft seems minimal This is pure conjecture, but every company does it. My point was let's not act like Apple is innocent and does not.
      - astrodust 10y ago
        Sweeping generalizations like this aren't helpful when the degree to which these things occur is extremely important. Xiaomi has built its entire company on blatant theft of designs. Let's not say "oh, it's okay because Apple once did X" which is like saying murder is no different from a speeding ticket since both things are illegal.
        ProAm 10y ago
        True, but throughout history Apple has done this plenty. They have never been first to market with a product.
        astrodust 10y ago
        They were never first to market with a category of product, that's just not in their DNA. Even the Apple I was a computer largely similar in terms of features to a multitude of others on the market, but it wasn't a direct copy of any of their competitors. Their ideal product entry point is when consumers are familiar with the product but are unhappy with the current offerings because they lack the right contextual fit. Maybe if you have a specific example here of where Apple's flagrantly copied something like Xiaomi has we can talk specifics.
        ProAm 10y ago
        Apple Maps, Apple Watch, F.lux, Those are just off the top of my head, Apples been around a long time and its happen many times (but as Ive said all companies to this). I just don't like deniers where Apple is viewed as all good and in the light, when they absolutely are not. (and neither are most companies) Apple is just made because its happening to them right now and not the other way around, its eating their potential revenue.

Apple should tell that quote to Xerox for the Xerox Park rip off.. http://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/sites/mac/parc.html http://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/sites/mac/parc.html

mwfunk 10y ago

This would be analogous if the Mac was named the Apple Alto and looked like almost exactly like the Xerox Alto and even cloned the marketing materials and presentation templates that Xerox used, if Xerox had ever made the effort to come up with distinctive marketing for their computers (which they didn't, but that's the bar for "this situation is like that situation").

astrodust 10y ago

This is nowhere like a Mac other than in the fact that it's a computer with a screen, keyboard and mouse: http://www.righto.com/2016/06/y-combinators-xerox-alto-restoring.html http://www.righto.com/2016/06/y-combinators-xerox-alto-resto... Read history, then comment, okay? The PARC machine barely scratched the surface of what could be done, and it was far from being packaged in a way that could be marketed to consumers. It was inspiration, and any engineer knows that's a long, long way from a working product.

ProAm 10y ago
Let's not act like Apple has not been known to steal ideas and package them with the Apple logo. It's just part of business.
- astrodust 10y ago
  Usually they've caved in to the conventions of the market (iOS notifications) or missing features (F.lux). The amount of blatant theft seems minimal. They usually put their own spin on things to differentiate somehow. Even Microsoft has gone its own way with Windows after some heavy overlap with MacOS and other windowing systems (DESQview in partcular). Windows 3.1 was more different, and Windows 95 borrowed more heavily from OS/2, which was wildly different from MacOS. If anything Apple was forced to adopt the right-click menu popularized by Microsoft since it became the de-facto standard. Meanwhile other companies have damning memos that say "Make it look exactly like Apple's product".
  - ProAm 10y ago
    > The amount of blatant theft seems minimal This is pure conjecture, but every company does it. My point was let's not act like Apple is innocent and does not.
    - astrodust 10y ago
      Sweeping generalizations like this aren't helpful when the degree to which these things occur is extremely important. Xiaomi has built its entire company on blatant theft of designs. Let's not say "oh, it's okay because Apple once did X" which is like saying murder is no different from a speeding ticket since both things are illegal.
      - ProAm 10y ago
        True, but throughout history Apple has done this plenty. They have never been first to market with a product.
        astrodust 10y ago
        They were never first to market with a category of product, that's just not in their DNA. Even the Apple I was a computer largely similar in terms of features to a multitude of others on the market, but it wasn't a direct copy of any of their competitors. Their ideal product entry point is when consumers are familiar with the product but are unhappy with the current offerings because they lack the right contextual fit. Maybe if you have a specific example here of where Apple's flagrantly copied something like Xiaomi has we can talk specifics.
        ProAm 10y ago
        Apple Maps, Apple Watch, F.lux, Those are just off the top of my head, Apples been around a long time and its happen many times (but as Ive said all companies to this). I just don't like deniers where Apple is viewed as all good and in the light, when they absolutely are not. (and neither are most companies) Apple is just made because its happening to them right now and not the other way around, its eating their potential revenue.