Microsoft Patents iPod (moved from ATSNN)

The makers of the infamous iPod, forgot to get patents for parts of this devise. Microsoft used this to their advantage and got the patents for parts of the device. Apple officials say that they are going to argue the case, or modifiy the patents



Wow I think this is more funny than anything really, since according to the article iPods account for more than 1/3 of the revenue for Apple. I hope that Microsoft keeps the patent, that should teach Apple to pay more attention.

Lmao. Thats classic Microsoft corporate strategy for you, just when I thought they were brutal putting Halo 3 out on PS3's launch day. I just wonder who'll win the case. If Microsoft does then Apple is effectivly screwed.

Looks like Apple was too busy pulling in the money to make sure they had their bases covered, and now in typical fashion MS will try to steal and screw them, maybe even force them to stop selling iPods till they change the newly patented parts for ones that MS hasnt already patented, which in and of itself is a hard task anymore as MS patents just about every single thing they even dream about. It would be nice if Apple could stop this move, but chances are MS has more money to grease the wheels with and will roll right over them.

This wouldn't be the first time Microsoft has made tons of money off of Apple ideas. Remember, it was Steve Jobs of Apple that originally wrote Windows (which was based on an operating system stolen from IBM, which was based on a little O/S for the Commodore 64 called Geos), though it had a different name before Microsoft stole it.

Microsoft wouldn't still exist if it wasn't for the ingenuity of Apple.

Picasso once said "Good artists copy, great artists steal."

I think that is Microsoft's motto.

You really can't blame Microsoft for this one. All the technical genius in the world can't trump business sense. That's where Gates has been lightyears ahead of the rest of NerdWorld. People can bash Microsoft till the cows come home, but if the rest of us had been dependent upon Apple to supply the world's burgeoning demand for computer technology, Apple would be backlogged two hundred years. You can have the fanciest shootin' iron in wild, wild west, but it isn't much good if all you can do is to shoot yourself in the foot with it.

www.abovetopsecret.com...


[edit on 2005/8/17 by GradyPhilpott]

:shk: This is big business and people are playing for keeps. Apple despite the warm and fuzzy cult following it has plays just as nasty in the market place. If they were so stupid as to leave thier big money making and high profile product, then they deserve what they get.

Gates did sell a product to IBM before he had it, but stealing is a bit overblown. Also, the origional Apple computer (Of which I still have one) was hardly the warm and fuzzy Mac everybody assosiates with the company these days.

And lastly, Both Apple and MS benifited from the GUI work done by Zerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center). And contrary to popular belief that APple invented the mouse, it was invented by SRI International in Menlo Park, CA

Hahaha, hilarious all the apple eaters out there. "Yea! I love when my computer crashed because I tried to play an advanced game, solitaire."

While us smart computer owners have real computers that allow us to play games! Half Life 2, Doom 3, Far Cry, and anything made in past 1-2 years can't be played on Macs for they suck.*

Ok any good games made in past 1-2 years can't be played because they require more then a mouse in a hamster wheel for graphics. Anything a Mac can do a PC can do better and then everything else. I've never had my pc crash, Mac owners are lucky to go a week without the Mac crashing.

James the Lesser, have you even used a Mac? I dont own one and have always had PC's but im not ignorant to the fact that graphically the new Macs beat PCs hands down. And so far as stability (crashing) is concerned, well Macs biggest selling point is their OS stability.

FredT's a whole lotta right, this is business.

I think, however, Apple will come out on top. Microsoft doesn't really have much of a leg to stand on, and the number of ways out for Apple are just too many.

Personally, I'd have done this for the sake of doing it. I bet Jobs and Gates think up ways to prank the others, Gates was probably just upset about those 5,000 pizzas delivered to his door.

I think, however, Apple will come out on top. Microsoft doesn't really have much of a leg to stand on, and the number of ways out for Apple are just too many.

Maybe, maybe not. Personally I could care less what either company does. Apple is just as cutthroat as Microsoft(or Intel I see them as partners in crime M$ and Intel that is) and closes the doors to any third party manufacturers and has planned obsolecense written all over the fricken machine, at least with an x86 based system you didn't have to swap the case every single upgrade.

I object to M$ because of it's history of willfull patent infringment, not because they were sharp and saw a mistake by Apple they could pounce on I would have done the same if I knew about it lol.