Oh Look, Apple Copies Android, And That's Not A Bad Thing
from the copying-is-okay dept
While a lot of the attention on today's Apple announcements were around the cloud stuff, there were a bunch of changes to iOS announced, too, and what was striking was how many of them really looked like Apple scrambling to play catchup to Android on certain features -- with the pull down notifications being a key such feature. That feature is standard on my Android phone and has been for some time, and it looks almost identical to the Apple iOS implementation.Of course, this is only fair. Google has clearly copied many of the features of iOS, in building up Android. In fact, I think most people would reasonably agree that Android owes a far greater debt to Apple than Apple owes to Google for features. But the point is that this sort of innovation goes both ways. Whenever we hear about complaints about "copying" or "ripping off" features, people seem to ignore the fact that everyone does this, and it pushes everyone to do more in the future. It increases the pace of innovation. If Android didn't have such a notification bar (which is quite effective), Apple might not have realized what a disjointed mess its old notifications were. Thus, this ends up improving Apple. Not only that, but it gives both parties reasons to think about making the notification effort even better, going forward, to continue to differentiate.
Now, some might claim that if Google had been able to block such copies via patents, Apple would have had to "invent around" this and create something different. But would that really have been useful or efficient? Doesn't seem like it. Under that scenario, one party is inventing something new for the sake of inventing something new. Under the way it is here, everyone has incentive to create something new, only if it really improves the offering. That seems like a much better path to innovation.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: android, copying, innovation, ios, notifications
Companies: apple, google
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I love a good fanboy war
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Every inconsequential thing Apple ever announces is an earth-shattering, cancer-curing event to an enormous swath of the tech press. It's getting really, really tiring.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Response to: Zacqary Adam Green on Jun 6th, 2011 @ 3:04pm
But the thing with Apple is that they know how to sell their products, and it's not about features, never about features, its about experiences, creating desire, which is something Google doesn't even try to achieve.
The notification bar isn't a good example, but Android is a very flexible platform and technically allows for everything else Apple showed today, the data sync for example, or photo roll, why doesn't google sync the Camera pictures back to picasa? The default Picasa sync is only one way as far as I remember, Picasa -> phone, it'd be so easy to implement full sync.
Same goes for docs, Android is almost in version 4.0 and there isn't a proper Google docs client bundled with it.
And why don't we have a google media hub? Google services feel like a bunch of Lego pieces scattered all over the web.
It's all these little things that Google could do and Apple does and very well in a fully integrated experience and with total control over the quality of hardware, software and infrastructure.
Sincerely I'm pissed at Google for letting this opportunity slip.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Response to: Zacqary Adam Green on Jun 6th, 2011 @ 3:04pm
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Response to: Zacqary Adam Green on Jun 6th, 2011 @ 3:04pm
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Response to: Zacqary Adam Green on Jun 6th, 2011 @ 3:04pm
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Response to: Zacqary Adam Green on Jun 6th, 2011 @ 3:04pm
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Response to: Zacqary Adam Green on Jun 6th, 2011 @ 3:04pm
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Response to: Zacqary Adam Green on Jun 6th, 2011 @ 3:04pm
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Response to: Zacqary Adam Green on Jun 6th, 2011 @ 3:04pm
People can wake up from the hype and realize that they dont have a great phone. I did, I love how my 3G dont Have a video camera. The S2 is so hyped right now it may take the iPhone 5 in sales. either way Androids market share is rising and Apple's is going down. Apple is the one who let the opportunity slip.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
But then does a heroin dealer have trouble finding customers?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
http://gizmodo.com/343641/1960s-braun-products-hold-the-secrets-to-apples-future
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Apple to be sued by Google?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Apple to be sued by Google?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Apple to be sued by Google?
I think he infringed on my lawn. There's dead spots to prove it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Apple to be sued by Google?
Apple will patent the pull down notification system. Then they will sue Google and all of its Android partners.
This is a good example of why the patent system should be based on First To File rather than on First To Invent.
(sarcasm)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Apple to be sued by Google?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Apple to be sued by Google?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
iPhone released in June of 2007
First Android phone released Oct. of 2008
iPad released April 2010
Android copy released umm sometime later. I can't find it on google search.
oh well.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
There are a ton of examples, starting with the very concept of the single glass screen (multi-)touch interface for a smartphone. On top of that, there's the scrolling bounce, the pinch-to-zoom, etc.
What amazes me is that I'm *constantly* berated as an Apple hater, and yet here, you're accusing me of "fanboyism"? Do you have anything to back that up?
Truth is that I'm neither. I just write about what I find interesting. I also tend to avoid Apple products because I don't like their closed nature. Not sure how that makes me a huge Apple "fanboy" other than in the minds of some anonymous commenter.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Response to: UndergroundWire on Jun 6th, 2011 @ 4:11pm
Hater
Any examples of Android Copying Apple? Use your wonderful Google to search through the thousands of things that Android has Copied from Apple. There wouldn't even be an Android OS if there wasn't an Apple OS to guide the way. You are the only troll here.
Sincerely,
NotAFanBoy
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Uh
Apple and Google. Nothing comes from nowhere. Apple was not the first phone company or computer company. Google was not the first search company, or cloud service.
They incrementally build on others work.
I wish droid was more like IOS. And I wish IOS was more like droid. And guess what, market forces are producing that result.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Notification bar patented?
http://www.androidcentral.com/google-others-sued-microsoft-co-founder-paul-allen
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
You focused on something that neither of them can lay claim on. Do you need some more straw for your arguments?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
It's creating an issue where none exists, and pointing to it as some sort of justification for open source or how bad the patent system is. It's just not really an issue here.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
The USPTO never seems to be unable to grant bad patents.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
No, the argument is merely that Google was likely copied and that there is nothing wrong with that.
and you act like the USPTO has a shortage of bad patents. The majority of patents don't even make it to product (at least not by the patent holder) and every patent that doesn't make it to product is a bad patent.
You're assuming that the patents that Apple sues others (ie: Samsung) over are any better than the necessary patents that would protect Google from being copied. The point is that they're probably not.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20110419/08383113960/details-apples-lawsuit-ag ainst-samsung-revealed-its-even-more-ridiculous.shtml#c509
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Here
http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20110419/08383113960/details-apples -lawsuit-against-samsung-revealed-its-even-more-ridiculous.shtml
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/06/07/1354243/Patented-Gestures-Detailed
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Its up to the brands to market the phone. Not google.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sony uses 4 separate buttons, arranged in a shape and configuration that is similar, but are technically separate buttons.
Microsoft invents a D-pad-like disc, which has the cross shape on top, but the whole thing sits on a large, ugly disc. It allows basic use, but any arcade fighter gamer knows it is inaccurate and prone to mis-presses, a killer when it requires precise control.
Are we, as a whole, better off with Nintendo owning the original? So far, I'd have to say no. It got Microsoft and Sony to innovate, but their results are NOT improvements or good alternatives. Sometimes, there really is only one way to do something, and owning the rights to that one way stifles it's use to users everywhere.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Sony and Microsoft could have easily just duplicated the winning solution from Nintendo. Instead, they have to come up with their own solution for that particular feature of their machines. So what we have now is 3 different solutions, rather than the same solution 3 times.
Innovation is just when you copy something.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Not only innovation but is a path to better products all around and at a reasonable price. Price being key.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Apple is plays an Amazing Con Game
Borrowed, inspired, ripped-off, etc. what Apple announced today is simply a repackaging of what others are doing...what others are doing better...and what others are doing on their platform already. Apple has long worked to attract start-ups to their platform and has a history of just taking their hard work, copying it, and then pushing them off their platform (and often out of business).
Amazing things were announce last week and this week, but a press event to announce nothing but packaging others "inspiration" and claiming they are the first and they have patents they will defend. The new media was all over this non-event helping them create and maintain more cult of Mac followers.
I like what JoeB of Windows Phone had to say:
http://wmpoweruser.com/apple-gives-up-innovating-starts-copying-microsoft/
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Being Delusional is "BAD". Not Copying good ideas.
In a similar sense Apple has taken a lot from the open source world. So it does sting quite a bit when Apple acts in such a hostile manner to open source competitors just because they're doing a better job.
Speaking of which Apple have invented a revolutionary new innovation in GUI design. Full screen applications! Apple in it's infinite wisdom in it's finite bubble universe has realised "it's just better to use some applications that way". Really? Wait a minute. Haven't we seen that idea somewhere before?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I dont get it!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]