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… or maybe they could come up with their own designs instead of copying what others are already doing? If their design is so like another company's design that
by m_eiman 14y ago
… or maybe they could come up with their own designs instead of copying what others are already doing? If their design is so like another company's design that they're not 100% sure that it's allowed, that's a sign that maybe a tweak or two is in order.
- ajross 14y agoDid you read the article? It was the 7" tablet that was banned.
- ori_b 14y agoThere isn't really much you can do with a tablet design. There isn't room for variety. Sharp edges are uncomfortable, so you round them. You need to hold the thing, so you need a frame. The screens come rectangular from the factory, so you make it rectangular. Apple's design patent seems to cover any reasonably comfortable tablet designs. Perhaps, just to differentiate, for the next iteration they could go with a sea urchin inspired design and put spikes all over the back. I'm sure that would make a great tablet. Or they could use a design that makes sense, and risk getting sued again. If changing the size dramatically, using a different aspect ratio, and having different styling isn't enough, what is?
- runako 14y ago>> There isn't really much you can do with a tablet design. There isn't room for variety. Edit below: clarifying that the whole product is the consideration. Also, they all look like a blackberry a few miles away; the point is what do they look like to the user. So you'd have trouble distinguishing among the Microsoft Surface Tablet, the Kindle Fire, and the iPad? How about when they are on?
- ori_b 14y agoAt what distance? From across the room, they'd all look pretty much the same to me, outside of size: http://geekntech.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Surface-tablet-the-verge.jpeg http://geekntech.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Surface-tabl... http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/08/galaxy-tab-7.7-product-image-lead-1314834951.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/08/galaxy... http://www.eweek.com/images/stories/slideshows/ipad_security_enterprise/ipad02.jpg http://www.eweek.com/images/stories/slideshows/ipad_security... http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/4ec2a063eab8eae47e000033/kindle-fire-app-library.jpg http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/4ec2a063eab8eae47e0...
- runako 14y agoIf one of those had a keyboard, that might help it stand out...
- ori_b 14y agoAh. Gotcha. Here's an iPad with a keyboard. http://www.warepin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ipad-keyboard-case.jpg http://www.warepin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ipad-keybo... Ok, I'm not entirely serious with that. The thing is that the keyboard is an accessory for the surface, and the styling of all the tablets is quite similar. (I was actually surprised by how similar when I looked up the images). If shipping an accessory is enough to prevent design patent infringement...