Will Apple and Palm End Up in Court Over Pre?
8:46 am, January 22nd, 2009, Lonnie Lazar
Apple interim CEO Tim Cook spoke plainly during Wednesday’s earnings call about the company’s being “ready to suit up and go against anyone” who might try to gain a competitive advantage in the mobile device arena by “ripping off” the iPhone’s IP.
General consensus holds the Palm Pre poses the best competition for iPhone thus far, with some analysts drawing close connections between Apple and Palm around the Pre’s touch interface.
Mike Abramsky, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets put the question directly to Cook on Wednesday’s call, asking, “the Palm device particularly seems to almost directly emulate the kind of touch interfaces that [Apple] innovated…Is that to what you’re referring with regarding to ripping off IP?”
Cook declined to talk about any specific company and reiterated his and Apple’s position that “competition is good [and] makes us all better.” However, he also drew analysts on the call a clear picture of Apple’s belief that the “magic” of the iPhone has little to do with hardware and everything to do with software.”
“We’ve said since the beginning software is the key ingredient and we believe that we’re still years ahead on software,” Cook said, adding “we approach [this business] fundamentally different than people that are approaching it only from a hardware point of view.
It’s obviously way early in the game, and in the event Palm’s Pre never manages to gain significant acceptance in the marketplace, Apple is likely to keep its attention and resources focused on other things.
Should the Pre come on like gangbusters and should there be a lot of “hey, this thing works just like an iPhone” talk, it’s not too difficult to imagine Apple calling on its competitive advantage in cash and legal muscle to put the squeeze on a company that, not long ago, was being written off by many as headed for the dustbin of history.
Posted by Lonnie Lazar in Apple, News, Software, iPhone | Comment on this article
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or they aren’t talking about the Palm at all because they know that under the cover is different and thus no issues.
I would be very shocked if Apple took up a bunch of questionable legal attacks against folks. it makes them look just like the folks attack them for bogus and thin reasons.
Lucas, on January 22nd, 2009 at 9:11 am
Apple should just improve their UX and get the basics right. Palm has been brill at doing the basic PDA stuff: calendar, to do lists, mail, sync notes, sync at home as well as at the corporate desktop and … … … copy/paste.
My 11 yeras old Palm Pilot Professional is still working. As is my Palm IIIxe, my Palm V, my Palm Tungsten T5 and my Palm T|X.
I love my iPhone, but I’m still using my PalmT|X. Surely the Palm Pre will be excellent at what Palm has been good at for years. And surely it will surpass the iPhone in that respect.
In stead of hiring lawyers, Apple should see the challenge and invest in improving the basic UX of the iPhone.
Gary Fisher, on January 22nd, 2009 at 9:23 am
Well, you got to be wary when so much of the Pre was really built by people, who, just a year ago was on the iPhone team. It’s not hard to imagine that they took more than their stationery when they left Apple for probably a MUCH better paying job at Palm.
Ryu, on January 22nd, 2009 at 11:43 am
If Apple does end up suing Palm it will be because Apple does not have any new products to show off (software or hardware).
It would be ashame if they did try to sue because Palm’s WebOS seems to be superior to the now dated iphone software platform. Multitouch? Apple is only running ONE implementation of the technology which happens to be unfortunately named “multi-touch”.
Perhaps a court case would be beneficial for the world at large so that everyone might learn in detail all about the technology.
Olternaut, on January 22nd, 2009 at 11:53 am
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Comical. If it’s got anything to do with a touch screen, Palm’s been using a form of touch screen since 1996. I’m STILL using my old IIIxe and when an alarm goes off, I use my index finger to click on either “OK” or “SNOOZE” on the display. If that ain’t a touch screen, I don’t know what is. Maybe not as high-tech and fancy as what the iPhone uses, but it’s 9 or 10 years old now. Maybe Palm should take Apple to court.
Perhaps Apple is still just bitter about the failure of their Newton?
Apple’s got a lot of nerve complaining about anyone else when they are no better. They didn’t invent the MP3 player, but you wouldn’t know it to listen to Steve Jobs & the legions of iPod fans. Now they’re pretending they invented the PDA phone (ever heard of the Handspring Treo?)? Somebody please introduce TPTB at Apple to reality.
PalmUser, on March 31st, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Darn it. I meant “tapping” not “clicking” either OK or Snooze.
PalmUser, on March 31st, 2009 at 3:09 pm