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> Today Apple went down in history as the biggest > patent-troll of all time, stiffling innovation and > competition like nobody has ever done before. Only

> Today Apple went down in history as the biggest > patent-troll of all time, stiffling innovation and > competition like nobody has ever done before. Only Apple is no patent troll, because they produce and sell high quality products which other companies try to copy. Please, tell me how much innovation will be stiffled when Samsung can no longer produce these highly original connectors http://www.davidglover.org/facsimilist/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/apple-iphone-usb-cable-2007-vs-samsung-galaxy-tab-usb-cable-2010.jpg http://www.davidglover.org/facsimilist/wp-content/uploads/20..., or USB adapters: http://cdn.mactrast.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Samsung-Power-Adapter-ripoff-1.png http://cdn.mactrast.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Samsung-P... > Throw away your Macbooks, iPhones and iPads. Indeed, you won't need them, others came with a plenty of fresh ideas: http://dewith.com/2012/its-not-just-phones/ http://dewith.com/2012/its-not-just-phones/

vibrunazo 14y ago
See, this is why we should use the term "patent extortion" instead of trolls. To avoid pedants like the above.
- fpgeek 14y ago
  I tend to prefer "patent ogre" myself.
unobfuscate 14y ago
How exactly is this whole power adapter and usb connector thing even relevant? Who sits down, and decides to buy a product based on the configuration of the included cables? I sure don't. Nobody is arguing Apple hasn't done great things for the evolution of phones and laptops, but so have other companies. Least we all forget, Apple is the granddaddy of ripping off technologies (and good for them, we are better off for it).
emehrkay 14y ago
Yeah they definitely are not patent trolls unless the meaning of the term has changed since Lodsys made the news earlier this year. Lodsys seems to just be a company who has a bunch of patents and waits for someone to implement one and sue. Apple created something, got it patented, and took it to court. To me that seems like it is what the patent system is about. I dont agree with patents in the current form, but that is the game right now.
recoiledsnake 14y ago
I am sick and tired of the hundreds of multiple trees of comments wasted on misunderstanding plain English terms that another meaning was tacked on and the sides that people take for words used in a casual context. Examples: Copyright infringement vs. Stealing open source vs. Open Source free software vs. Free sofware Viruses vs. trojans patent troll Why can't we have a wiki or manifesto or something where we all agree on some definitions? It's funny how otherwise highly intelligent people(and programmers used to strict programming languages, no less) can't decide on one definition and resort to nitpicking. Back to the topic: >Indeed, you won't need them, others came with a plenty of fresh ideas: http://dewith.com/2012/its-not-just-phones/ http://dewith.com/2012/its-not-just-phones/ Please, someone put a stop with the cherry picking 'before and after' memes. Here's the Sony x505 from 2004 with the wedge shaped look. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20020535-64.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20020535-64.html Why wasn't that included in the picture on the site? Because it doesn't fit with the agenda they're trying to push. Not to mention that there are tons of laptops nowadays that don't look like Macbooks. So now does that mean Apple copied Sony? Industries borrow look and feel all the time and make incremental changes all the time. E.g. the fashion industry or the car industry. Edit: Hell, even Apple had a side project to explore how a Sony inspired iPhone design would look like. (yes, I know they didn't go to market with it and did have earlier prototypes that looked like the later iPhones but weren't Sony inspired) http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/07/early-iphone-prototypes-drew-inspiration-from-sony-ipod-mini/ http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/07/early-iphone-prototypes...
- kgarten 14y ago
  Sorry, but your comparisons are a bit off. Apple might be inspired by Sony, yet innovated on top (like any good innovator does). What Samsung did are cheap copies (as well as HP and Asus for their ultrabooks). This has nothing to do with industry "inspiration" this is plain copying: http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4dadf745ccd1d5aa3f1a0000/samsung-vs-apple-icons.jpg http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4dadf745ccd1d5aa3f1... Downvote me if you want. I don't agree with what Apple does. However, if something like that would happen to me, I would be really angry. Samsungs S-Voice anybody?? Samsung is a great hardware company, yet they are cheap copy-cats when it comes to UI design /services. The patents are ridiculous (as any software patents are). This holds for anybody suing, be it Apple, Samsung, Motorola (Google), etc. Keep in mind that Apple did not start this mess. I actually believe that these lawsuits will let us get more innovation (as people need to come up with fresh designs like Nokia and Microsoft did ... and won't copy like Samsung).
esolyt 14y ago
Because actually both are using the standard 30-pin PDMI connector and just modify the pins. http://www.bizlinktech.com/pix/PDMI%20CRADLE%20CONNECTOR2_clean.jpg http://www.bizlinktech.com/pix/PDMI%20CRADLE%20CONNECTOR2_cl... The comparison images you found are created by uninformed Verge and Engadget forum trolls. It is absolutely normal that all 30-pin PDMI based cables will look identical other than the branding on them. Samsung feared this would happen and made their cable a different color and put a clearly readable SAMSUNG logo there. Apparently, it wasn't enough. Also note that this is completely irrelevant right now. Samsung's phones (including the phone-tablet hybrid Galaxy Note) use the standard Micro USB port and they ship with Micro USB cables.
- huxley 14y ago
  Apple doesn't use PDMI. PDMI standard was developed in 2007. Apple introduced its 30 pin connector in 2001. PDMI was an attempt by industry players to standardize Apple's connector without Apple's input.
  - esolyt 14y ago
    Thank you. I didn't know Apple introduced its 30-pin connector even before the PDMI standard. But still my argument stands. Both Samsung and Asus are using 30-pin PDMI-based connectors for their 10 inch tablets. I find it pointless to do a side-by-side comparison of two 30-pin connectors.

vibrunazo 14y ago

See, this is why we should use the term "patent extortion" instead of trolls. To avoid pedants like the above.

fpgeek 14y ago
I tend to prefer "patent ogre" myself.

unobfuscate 14y ago

How exactly is this whole power adapter and usb connector thing even relevant? Who sits down, and decides to buy a product based on the configuration of the included cables? I sure don't. Nobody is arguing Apple hasn't done great things for the evolution of phones and laptops, but so have other companies. Least we all forget, Apple is the granddaddy of ripping off technologies (and good for them, we are better off for it).

emehrkay 14y ago

Yeah they definitely are not patent trolls unless the meaning of the term has changed since Lodsys made the news earlier this year. Lodsys seems to just be a company who has a bunch of patents and waits for someone to implement one and sue. Apple created something, got it patented, and took it to court. To me that seems like it is what the patent system is about. I dont agree with patents in the current form, but that is the game right now.

recoiledsnake 14y ago

I am sick and tired of the hundreds of multiple trees of comments wasted on misunderstanding plain English terms that another meaning was tacked on and the sides that people take for words used in a casual context. Examples: Copyright infringement vs. Stealing open source vs. Open Source free software vs. Free sofware Viruses vs. trojans patent troll Why can't we have a wiki or manifesto or something where we all agree on some definitions? It's funny how otherwise highly intelligent people(and programmers used to strict programming languages, no less) can't decide on one definition and resort to nitpicking. Back to the topic: >Indeed, you won't need them, others came with a plenty of fresh ideas: http://dewith.com/2012/its-not-just-phones/ http://dewith.com/2012/its-not-just-phones/ Please, someone put a stop with the cherry picking 'before and after' memes. Here's the Sony x505 from 2004 with the wedge shaped look. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20020535-64.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20020535-64.html Why wasn't that included in the picture on the site? Because it doesn't fit with the agenda they're trying to push. Not to mention that there are tons of laptops nowadays that don't look like Macbooks. So now does that mean Apple copied Sony? Industries borrow look and feel all the time and make incremental changes all the time. E.g. the fashion industry or the car industry. Edit: Hell, even Apple had a side project to explore how a Sony inspired iPhone design would look like. (yes, I know they didn't go to market with it and did have earlier prototypes that looked like the later iPhones but weren't Sony inspired) http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/07/early-iphone-prototypes-drew-inspiration-from-sony-ipod-mini/ http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/07/early-iphone-prototypes...

kgarten 14y ago
Sorry, but your comparisons are a bit off. Apple might be inspired by Sony, yet innovated on top (like any good innovator does). What Samsung did are cheap copies (as well as HP and Asus for their ultrabooks). This has nothing to do with industry "inspiration" this is plain copying: http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4dadf745ccd1d5aa3f1a0000/samsung-vs-apple-icons.jpg http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/4dadf745ccd1d5aa3f1... Downvote me if you want. I don't agree with what Apple does. However, if something like that would happen to me, I would be really angry. Samsungs S-Voice anybody?? Samsung is a great hardware company, yet they are cheap copy-cats when it comes to UI design /services. The patents are ridiculous (as any software patents are). This holds for anybody suing, be it Apple, Samsung, Motorola (Google), etc. Keep in mind that Apple did not start this mess. I actually believe that these lawsuits will let us get more innovation (as people need to come up with fresh designs like Nokia and Microsoft did ... and won't copy like Samsung).

esolyt 14y ago

Because actually both are using the standard 30-pin PDMI connector and just modify the pins. http://www.bizlinktech.com/pix/PDMI%20CRADLE%20CONNECTOR2_clean.jpg http://www.bizlinktech.com/pix/PDMI%20CRADLE%20CONNECTOR2_cl... The comparison images you found are created by uninformed Verge and Engadget forum trolls. It is absolutely normal that all 30-pin PDMI based cables will look identical other than the branding on them. Samsung feared this would happen and made their cable a different color and put a clearly readable SAMSUNG logo there. Apparently, it wasn't enough. Also note that this is completely irrelevant right now. Samsung's phones (including the phone-tablet hybrid Galaxy Note) use the standard Micro USB port and they ship with Micro USB cables.

huxley 14y ago
Apple doesn't use PDMI. PDMI standard was developed in 2007. Apple introduced its 30 pin connector in 2001. PDMI was an attempt by industry players to standardize Apple's connector without Apple's input.
- esolyt 14y ago
  Thank you. I didn't know Apple introduced its 30-pin connector even before the PDMI standard. But still my argument stands. Both Samsung and Asus are using 30-pin PDMI-based connectors for their 10 inch tablets. I find it pointless to do a side-by-side comparison of two 30-pin connectors.