[goatforce5]

Isn't there a difference between waiting 30-40 years and using a no longer available product as a design reference for something, and waiting a couple of months and making an extremely similar product that directly competes with the source of your inspiration?

[vacri]

"A couple of months"? You've clearly never worked with hardware engineers before.

[tysonjennings]

As far as prior art goes? Nope. How long did Apple wait for the LG Prada to be on the market before they aped its design? http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/LG_...

[pflats]

It's looking like the iPad was prototyped out as a full-screen touchscreen ~4 years before the iPhone ever came out.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/earliest-known-ph...

So it is slightly possible that both companies came to the same conclusion independently. It has happened before.

[goatforce5]

I'd like to see Braun try to form a cohesive argument as to how the iMac was damaging the sales of their boxy speaker on a stand.

[Steko]

Bzzzt, iPhone was demo'd publicly before LG Prada.

[jkn]

The LG Prada was presented for the iF Design Award in September 2006, and won. See http://mobile.engadget.com/2006/12/15/the-lg-ke850-touchable...

Edit: not sure which phone was first on the market though.

[rimantas]

And iPhone was in the works for 2.5 years before being revealed in public. Or maybe they just did everything betwwen Sep 2006 and January 2007?

[Joeri]

The argument is intentionally silly to point out how it's a silly argument in the other direction as well.

Nothing gets designed in a vacuum. If you google around a bit you can find flatscreen tv's from 2002 that look like big ipads, well before apple started designing their tablets. Watt didn't invent the steam engine, he just had a really good idea how someone else's steam engine could be improved while repairing it. Bosch didn't invent electric ignition for cars, he just transplanted the idea from Volta's glass pistol, whose spark in turn was delivered by Volta's "pile" (battery), the idea of which was inspired by Volta's friend who noticed that when he dissected frogs sometimes the frog's legs would jump right off the plate by the generated currents from the scalpel interacting with the metal base. The iphone and ipad are brilliantly executed, but to pretend that they were invented in a vacuum does a disservice to designers and inventors everywhere.

But just as Apple are being silly by pretending they design in a vacuum, Samsung are silly for pretending they didn't rip off the iphone. I think they would have sold more phones if they hadn't actually (I know for me it was a reason not to get a samsung phone, even though I eventually did.) I think the silliness on both sides is why the courts are starting to hand down these silly rulings.

[tysonjennings]

So you think the LG Prada was designed and produced in a weekend?

[Steko]

You specifically claimed Apple aped it's design, soemthing anything with a brain would find laughable. Please keep making these ridiculous declarations.

[tysonjennings]

Why lie, man? Just to "prove" some point? The iPhone was first demoed by Steve Jobs in January of 2007, the LG Prada was demoed in December of 2006.

[Steko]

One photo is not a demo. LG Prada first publicly unveiled Jan 18, 2007.

http://www.slashgear.com/iphone-samsung-f700-prada-phone-rum...

Why call someone a liar man, just to prove some point?

[tysonjennings]

"One photo is not a demo."

So, now we are just degenerating to ye olde "No True Scotsman" defense. Face it, dude. Apple imitated and you fell for it. You've been told now crawl away with some dignity.

[sjwright]

Hacker News commentary is turning into something I don't much care to read. (Including my own contribution here, ironcally.)

[mattyohe]

"January of 2007, the LG Prada was demoed in December of 2006." Yes, tysonjennings, this is correct.

Although, I hope you don't actually believe this is evidence that Apple "aped" the Prada.