Apple iPad design - it's been done before (images)
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols | August 26, 2011 5:11am PDT | Image 1 of 15
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In Germany, Apple currently looks like it may win a legal battle to keep Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 from being sold in the European Union. Their reasoning? The Galaxy Tab looks too much like the iPad.
Excuse me? The iPad just looks like a freaking tablet to me. It also appears that Apple doctored the Samsung's image to make it look even more like an iPad.
Come on Apple, aren't you a little big to be throwing fits like this? Just because, Android now has 20% of the market, do you really have to try to keep potential competitors out of the marketplace by suing them? I think not.
Besides, let's get real, a tablet is a tablet, and I'll now show, there's nothing new about your tablet format—especially if you consider how often the idea's been kicked around in toys and fiction,
Apple iPhone and iPad: First, let's consider the first iPad, and it's little, but older brother, the iPhone. Yep. Sure enough, it's a tablet. We've all seen it.
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While I LOVE the iPad, I couldn't agree with you more. Let the competition (so far pretty anemic) continue. The chase will inspire Apple to greater things. Great job on the photo collection!
None of these designs looks anything at all like the iPad. No wonder Apple is blowing away the competition. This is what happens when you leave design to engineering dorks.
is. Here's something to help them out. Movie props don't count as prior art.
@RationalGuy
...engineers don't design Apple products? Steve Wozniak would be disappointed to hear that, I'm sure.
...engineers don't design Apple products? Steve Wozniak would be disappointed to hear that, I'm sure.
@RationalGuy
Apple patentend the concept of the tablet. They did that without actually making a working protype, just with drawings.
The guy who created that tablet in Star Trek (DS9, TNG, ect) did the same thing, but took a step farther by making a non working prototype.
Steve Jobs can't just come along and say the concept was his because he took the idea and made it functional.
Without that original tablet design, would jobs have ever thought about it?
Apple patentend the concept of the tablet. They did that without actually making a working protype, just with drawings.
The guy who created that tablet in Star Trek (DS9, TNG, ect) did the same thing, but took a step farther by making a non working prototype.
Steve Jobs can't just come along and say the concept was his because he took the idea and made it functional.
Without that original tablet design, would jobs have ever thought about it?
@ddferrari
Could you please enlighten us where could one purchase some of these Star Trek tablets?
Of course, if Steve Jobs stole their design, they could sue Apple, yes? Why nobody has done that yet?
Could you please enlighten us where could one purchase some of these Star Trek tablets?
Of course, if Steve Jobs stole their design, they could sue Apple, yes? Why nobody has done that yet?
@RationalGuy
who do you think engineered all the modern wonders that you see all around you? some apple gods? engineering and engineers are the visionaries here, whatever name you call them. engineering dorks...my *&^%.
who do you think engineered all the modern wonders that you see all around you? some apple gods? engineering and engineers are the visionaries here, whatever name you call them. engineering dorks...my *&^%.
@danbi
and making them actual products. Gene Roddenberry actually encouraged this, and that stipulation was required for all future based Star Trek related material.
and making them actual products. Gene Roddenberry actually encouraged this, and that stipulation was required for all future based Star Trek related material.
@ baggins_z
Wrong. It's conceptual. It's a shame the sci-fi writers and designers didn't patent all this stuff first...
Wrong. It's conceptual. It's a shame the sci-fi writers and designers didn't patent all this stuff first...
@RationalGuy So, you mean to say little elephant and big elephant both are different species? 
growup mate!
growup mate! 
@RationalGuy
Your not to bright I see. Apple is suing samsung over the concedpt of a square with an lcd in it. technically then Apple stole the concept from the first lcd tv maker and then if it is allowed to stand then all lcd tv makers can sue each other saying patent infringment bringing the fact victrola and rca have had video boxes for decades.
Your not to bright I see. Apple is suing samsung over the concedpt of a square with an lcd in it. technically then Apple stole the concept from the first lcd tv maker and then if it is allowed to stand then all lcd tv makers can sue each other saying patent infringment bringing the fact victrola and rca have had video boxes for decades.
@RationalGuy
How about the Jensen's car? Will the people who created the cartoon have the rights to any flying car that is ever actually built?
One of the most silly and baseless ideas I have heard in a while.
How about the Jensen's car? Will the people who created the cartoon have the rights to any flying car that is ever actually built?
One of the most silly and baseless ideas I have heard in a while.
@RationalGuy
OK, Apple is God.
Now what else are you going to say?
OK, Apple is God.
Now what else are you going to say?
@RationalGuy
Dude, I think you are the dork here. Or shall I say the dunce. Just who do you think "designed" the iPad. LOL!!
People, also keep in mind Apple is suing Samsung for "design" similarities. Umm...so then why didn't they sue every MP3 player manufacturer? And how about laptop competitors? The designs are all so close that its actually not about the design. Its about ease-of-use and application ecosystem. Duh Apple!!
Dude, I think you are the dork here. Or shall I say the dunce. Just who do you think "designed" the iPad. LOL!!
People, also keep in mind Apple is suing Samsung for "design" similarities. Umm...so then why didn't they sue every MP3 player manufacturer? And how about laptop competitors? The designs are all so close that its actually not about the design. Its about ease-of-use and application ecosystem. Duh Apple!!
@RationalGuy I don't know why they didn't include computers from Fujitsu and Go Computing... they look more like what we think of a tablet today
@RationalGuy
@RationalGuy Less about engineering dorks and more about Apple fanatics. Apple did nothing design- and computing-wise that wasn't done before. It was their cult-like following that helped sell the iPad. Before them several companies made tablets but because none of them have customer fanaticism working for them they are described (mostly by journalists) as failures.
@dshepord
They forgot to put the Tablet Pc . Apple didnt invent anything, they just took the Tablet pc. Make it tinner and remove lots of functionality, like the pencil input and the printer port
They forgot to put the Tablet Pc . Apple didnt invent anything, they just took the Tablet pc. Make it tinner and remove lots of functionality, like the pencil input and the printer port
@SylvainT +1
I can't believe they forgot the Tablet PC xD
I can't believe they forgot the Tablet PC xD
@SylvainT
Yeah ... Apple just made something that worked and was usable.
Yeah ... Apple just made something that worked and was usable.
@dshepord Totally agree, but this photo collection is only a fraction of the similar tablet designs which pre-date the iPad. Some were created for very specific vertical markets, while some were more generic. Some were one-offs created for movies, TV, or whatever. Many weren't as slim and cost far too much, but it's obvious that the iPad is a sleeker derivative work using more modern tech. Where Apple really innovated was the user interface. Given previous tablet designs, though, the evolutionary direction was pretty obvious to anyone who has been following it for decades. The iPad is solidly in the middle of that obvious evolutionary direction. It boggles my mind that Apple thinks they can claim ownership while standing firmly on the shoulders of hundreds of previous designs by others. What's next? Patenting fire, the alphabet or the vocalization of sound? Our IP protection system is so screwed up that it will eventually stifle all future advancement. Politicians should never have been placed in charge of that process, because they are nearly all morons.
@BillDem ..are you people blind or just completely devoid of any imagination.. iPad is NOT the evolution of tablet design.. it's just on of thousands of potential designs..
you say you want innovation, but you are willing to settle for Moto, Samsung etc producing iPad clones.. it makes no sense.. why is it that Apple has to innovate and Moto and samsung are off the hook and they can just copy? this is just insane!
answer this.. if Samung has to come up with something that doesn't look like an iPad (again look at sony's new tablets, look at icona tabs) is that not good for innovation and consumers.. why do you claim you want innovation and then vote for cloning?? make up your mind!
you say you want innovation, but you are willing to settle for Moto, Samsung etc producing iPad clones.. it makes no sense.. why is it that Apple has to innovate and Moto and samsung are off the hook and they can just copy? this is just insane!
answer this.. if Samung has to come up with something that doesn't look like an iPad (again look at sony's new tablets, look at icona tabs) is that not good for innovation and consumers.. why do you claim you want innovation and then vote for cloning?? make up your mind!
@ doctorSpoc iPad clones? Really? How so? You realize that the G-Tab comes in different sizes. How is that a clone? Do you know what the word clone means? The simple fact that the aspect ratio of the iPads is 4:3 and the G-Tabs (all of them) are 16:9 is enough of a difference that Apple doesn't have a leg to stand on. The G-Tabs and iPads are not clones of each other.
@BillDem The Huffington Posts as an article called "History Of Tablet PCs (PHOTOS): A Pictorial Timeline Of Tablets, From RAND To The iPad".
I think the company that mates a thin tablet with voice recognition (without sacrificing touch and pen sensitivity) can take over the tablet market. Even better if they can make "Remote Desktop" function seemlessly between the tablet and a desktop or laptop computer.
I think the company that mates a thin tablet with voice recognition (without sacrificing touch and pen sensitivity) can take over the tablet market. Even better if they can make "Remote Desktop" function seemlessly between the tablet and a desktop or laptop computer.
@dshepord same feelings here, let us not also forget about Nokia's predecessor to the iPhone 1, I can't remember the name off hand but guess what, it had on/off button, volume, and most notably the single lonesome home button that brought the touch screen back to the "app drawer" it was a complete failure and nothing like the later to come iPhone that had a home button that drew the "app wall"
@dshepord You're just encouraging the lazy internet journalism that involves bating at least two sides of a contentious argument with a handful of photos and cobbled together words. And... you're wrong.
I agree, see article in regHardware in February this year, about a British TV prgram:-
"Jonathan Ive, Apple's British designer-in-chief, could well have been inspired by John's fondleslab. Born in 1967, he was aged between six and 12 when The Tomorrow People was shown."
http://www.reghardware.com/2011/02/07/apple_ipad_tomorrow_people/
The device shown looks very like one of tlday's slate tablet pc devices...
"Jonathan Ive, Apple's British designer-in-chief, could well have been inspired by John's fondleslab. Born in 1967, he was aged between six and 12 when The Tomorrow People was shown."
http://www.reghardware.com/2011/02/07/apple_ipad_tomorrow_people/
The device shown looks very like one of tlday's slate tablet pc devices...
@dshepord
The way Apple is fighting Galaxy tooth and nail; make me believe that they are admitting to real opposition in the Galaxy. Fight fair Apple. You are now going the same way as Microsoft. Trying to create a monopoly!
The way Apple is fighting Galaxy tooth and nail; make me believe that they are admitting to real opposition in the Galaxy. Fight fair Apple. You are now going the same way as Microsoft. Trying to create a monopoly!
I don't need a tablet I have smartphone (4.3 inch screen)...
@AdnanPirota I think that too but as I get older the bigger screen would be nice.
@nbkz81f Samsung Galaxy Note phone-tablet is your answer. It has a 5.3" screen and built-in stylus.
I am surprised no one notices the "i-pad" used by the main character in The Incredibles (which distributed long before the i-pad).
@langgang D'oh! You're right. I missed that one and I lovedthat movie.
@langgang Um..Didn't Steve Jobs own Pixar when that movie was made?
@langgang, true that, but then the Incredibles is distributed by Walt Disney Home Entertainment and Pixar Animation Studios and I seem to recall Steve Jobs has a connection to those companies.
@YaBaby
While that may be, those companies are distinctly not Apple. Therefore, the Steve Jobs argument is irrelevant.
While that may be, those companies are distinctly not Apple. Therefore, the Steve Jobs argument is irrelevant.
@William Farrell
Wow, does anyone understand what trade dress is? It's not about the origins of the tablet form factor design. Rather it's about a collection of design elements that defines the iPad device as the iPad device.
Wow, does anyone understand what trade dress is? It's not about the origins of the tablet form factor design. Rather it's about a collection of design elements that defines the iPad device as the iPad device.
@langgang
And the iPod came before the Incredibles, you're argument is moot.
And the iPod came before the Incredibles, you're argument is moot.
@langgang
Did you know Steve Jobs is owner of Pixar, the company who created the incredibles?
Did you know The "iPod" came out long before the incredibles?
Did you know that the iPad was developed before the iPhone, but the company decided to release the iPhone first?
Did you know that Apple have been working on tablets going back to the 80's?
Did you know Steve Jobs is owner of Pixar, the company who created the incredibles?
Did you know The "iPod" came out long before the incredibles?
Did you know that the iPad was developed before the iPhone, but the company decided to release the iPhone first?
Did you know that Apple have been working on tablets going back to the 80's?
@dave95.
Did you know The PADD came out long before the iPod?
Did you know that the iPad was developed after the iPhone?
Did you know that Apple has been working on tablets going back to the 2000's, while others had done it back in the 80's?
Did you know The PADD came out long before the iPod?
Did you know that the iPad was developed after the iPhone?
Did you know that Apple has been working on tablets going back to the 2000's, while others had done it back in the 80's?
@ Mister Spock
Wow, how embarrassingly wrong could one be? I'll give you the chance to correct your above post if you'd like to save you from this embarrassment (and I'll delete mine).....
From Wikipedia,.... In 1986, Jobs bought The Graphics Group (later renamed Pixar) from Lucasfilm's computer
Even after selling to Disney Steve Jobs still remains the majority owner of Pixar today.
As Jobs explained at D8 himself, the iPad idea came before the iPhone. A tablet prototype was first developed and tested before the iPhone.
"Ill tell you a secret. It actually started with the tablet first," Jobs said. "I had this idea about having a glass display, a multitouch display you could type on with your fingers. I asked our folks: could we come up with a multitouch display that we could type on? And six months later, they came back with this prototype display. And I gave it to one of our really brilliant UI guys and he called me back a few weeks later and had inertial scrolling working and I thought, my God, we can build a phone with this! So we put the tablet on the shelf... and we went to work on the iPhone."
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/06/jobs-the-ipad-begat-the-iphone-not-the-other-way-around.ars
Apple's history in tablets goes all the way back to the early 80's not 2000's like you're falsely claiming (see below link). Please get your facts straight before attempting to correct me.
http://liquidpubs.com/blog/2010/11/08/apple-their-tablet-computer-history/
Wow, how embarrassingly wrong could one be? I'll give you the chance to correct your above post if you'd like to save you from this embarrassment (and I'll delete mine).....
From Wikipedia,.... In 1986, Jobs bought The Graphics Group (later renamed Pixar) from Lucasfilm's computer
Even after selling to Disney Steve Jobs still remains the majority owner of Pixar today.
As Jobs explained at D8 himself, the iPad idea came before the iPhone. A tablet prototype was first developed and tested before the iPhone.
"Ill tell you a secret. It actually started with the tablet first," Jobs said. "I had this idea about having a glass display, a multitouch display you could type on with your fingers. I asked our folks: could we come up with a multitouch display that we could type on? And six months later, they came back with this prototype display. And I gave it to one of our really brilliant UI guys and he called me back a few weeks later and had inertial scrolling working and I thought, my God, we can build a phone with this! So we put the tablet on the shelf... and we went to work on the iPhone."
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/06/jobs-the-ipad-begat-the-iphone-not-the-other-way-around.ars
Apple's history in tablets goes all the way back to the early 80's not 2000's like you're falsely claiming (see below link). Please get your facts straight before attempting to correct me.
http://liquidpubs.com/blog/2010/11/08/apple-their-tablet-computer-history/
@mister spock
just so you know Steve admitted during an interview that the iPad came first. (Do a little search first, dave95 is correct) He didn't let it go to market because he felt the market was not ready for a tablet yet (netbooks were becoming "the big thing" and he didn't want that to affect sales of the iPad).
So iOS was designed for the iPad, it was scaled down for the iPhone, which would be why there is not much difference between iOS on the two devices. (on the apple clan link, search for the word "before" to find the reference to iPad "before" iPhone)
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/06/02/jobs-says-ipad-idea-came-iphone/
http://www.theappleclan.com/steve-jobs-resigns-five-reasons-he-made-apple-great/
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/06/02/steve-jobs-the-ipad-concept-came-before-the-iphone/
just so you know Steve admitted during an interview that the iPad came first. (Do a little search first, dave95 is correct) He didn't let it go to market because he felt the market was not ready for a tablet yet (netbooks were becoming "the big thing" and he didn't want that to affect sales of the iPad).
So iOS was designed for the iPad, it was scaled down for the iPhone, which would be why there is not much difference between iOS on the two devices. (on the apple clan link, search for the word "before" to find the reference to iPad "before" iPhone)
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/06/02/jobs-says-ipad-idea-came-iphone/
http://www.theappleclan.com/steve-jobs-resigns-five-reasons-he-made-apple-great/
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/06/02/steve-jobs-the-ipad-concept-came-before-the-iphone/
@dave95. - Just curious but did you also know in the same 80's Commodore bailed Apple out of bankruptcy ? and The defunct Commodore Computer company are the only reason Apple even exists today ?
LOL one of the few articles I find funny from SJVN. I about fell out of my chair when I saw the etch-a-sketch! Now that is some fine reporting
@LoverockDavidson_ Some lawyer will definitely be sending him a "thank you"
It was not Apple that granted the patent, but some fool in the Patent office. Apple would be foolish if they did not take advantage. Point at the right target.
@hayneiii@... Yeah the judge stupid enough to think this is more than laughable.
Why innovate when you can steal it then SUE someone.
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