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I'm as hopeful that Apple gets served its own medicine like the next guy, but this seems more like a common sense design rather than a copy. In fact, I once ma
by runjake 14y ago
I'm as hopeful that Apple gets served its own medicine like the next guy, but this seems more like a common sense design rather than a copy.
In fact, I once made a mechanical clock that looks virtually identical to the iOS example and this was years before iOS was unleashed on the world. It's just thick lines and thin lines thrown together. The hands aren't even tapered like the Mondaine's.
This seems like a desperate grasp from Apple critics, why don't they go after more obvious examples, like the pull-down menus they borrowed from Android?
Heck, I don't even see all this "stealing" to and fro as a bad thing, but rather paradigms moving forward.
Edit: some people pointed out the red line, which this color-deficient, sleep-deprived person failed to notice. But still, doesn't this fall more under homage than rip off?
- ars 14y agoIt's the red circle on the second hand that clinches it. It's not identical though, the minute markers are thinner, and the minute hand doesn't reach all the way to the rim. That said, how many way are there already to design a clock?
- ryanmolden 14y ago>That said, how many way are there already to design a clock? I've seen a lot of clocks in my life, but never one with a big red dot at the end of the second hand. So I would say enough not to blatantly copy what appears to be a non-standard/unique design.
- alexqgb 14y agoI've had three Mondain watches in the last 15 years (I really like them) and I had to compare side by side to see the differences. They're there, but they're subtle, and even to someone who is very familiar with the design, they're not immediately apparent. So yeah, blatant rip. For folks pointing out the Braun parallels, it's important to remember that Braun never made an iPod. Apple transposed design cues from one long-since discontinued product to a different product in a different time. It was an inspired move and I applaud them for it. With this clock, they're transposing nothing, they're adding nothing, they're improving nothing. This is just unlicensed copying. It's a credit to their good taste, perhaps, but not their sense of ethics.
- Tichy 14y agoThere are a lot of ways. You could have numbers with different fonts and font sizes, for examples. Digital clocks. Just check into your next warehouse, lots of different clocks available.
- long 14y agoI'm as pro-Apple as they come but, to me, it does seem hard to distinguish this instance of Apple-Mondaine similarity from the recent Samsung-Apple similarity...
- hcarvalhoalves 14y agoThe design is clearly inspired on Mondaine's one: the seconds handle is exactly the same. I see it more of a homage than plagiarism, though. It would be plagiarism if it were a physical clock with the same design and they were selling it. It's not like Apple makes money selling this app. Mondaine has the right to ask for change or compensation if they feel they got ripped off, though.
- aptwebapps 14y ago"It's not like Apple makes money selling this app." Apple is not a charity and this app, though very minor, is part of their overall strategy to make money. It's 100% a commercial endeavor.
- afc 14y agoI disagree. Why would it be "common sense design" to have the seconds handle in red with a thin line and a big circle at the end? Seems waaay too much of a coincidence to say "not a copy".
- mortenjorck 14y agoI'm afraid this is as "obvious" a clock design as the iPhone trade dress is an "obvious" smartphone design. The Swiss clock is not without a number of highly identifiable idiosyncrasies, such as the circle on the second hand or the unusually thick, rectilinear minute markers. That said, this isn't quite like-for-like. Apple isn't producing a clock for your home to compete with licensed replicas; it's producing an app that mimics the look of a famous (within a niche) clock; it's more like Samsung producing a kitchen appliance that looks like an iPhone than producing a smartphone that looks like an iPhone.
- DenisM 14y agoThey are diluting the brand's value though. I'm not sure I would be pleased to have spent $350 for a watch to find a free replica on the nearby iPad.
- chimeracoder 14y ago> this seems more like a common sense design rather than a copy. That describes so many design patents (including but not limited to Apple's collection) that I've lost count. Honestly, to my eye, they look identical but for the logo. (Not that I'm endorsing the accusation, but many actual lawsuits, including Apple's own, are founded on far less clear evidence).