[hahainternet]

He's mocking the triviality of the patent. Patents are supposed to protect an innovative new process or technology. Putting a button on a screen to activate a previously existing technology is just spending money to try and cripple competitors who accidentally infringe.

[dextorious]

Trivial, I agree.

But I don't know what is sadder: Apple patenting this, or the fact that very few (if any) phones did it before the iPhone...

[hahainternet]

Many many phones did this sort of thing before Apple. What they have patented is to display a button for it.