Apple has just launched its attack over the similarities between its own iPhone and iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy S and Tab models.  Despite the influx of touchscreen devices on the market since the iPhone saw an official release, Apple has decided that Samsung has hit too close to the mark.

The suit, filed in Northern California, claims patent and trademark infringement. Apparently the “core technology and aesthetics,” as well as the icon display of the devices, are too similar to the iOS on Apple’s flagship technology. Apple is bringing a total of 16 claims against Samsung, which it claims has "slavishly" copied its look.

As a personal avoider of most Apple technology, this suit seems a little frivolous to me. Evidently Apple is offended that the Samsung devices take the shape of a rounded rectangle with a black border. Really? How close is too close? Is a black background behind application icons within a rounded rectangle the unique property of Steve Jobs? Why do the lawsuits start here, when plenty of rival Android devices look and function similarly to the iPhone?

It just seems strange that Samsung crossed a line that many developers have been straddling for years. I currently use a phone running WebOS, which isn’t horribly distinct from the rest of the mobile operating system market. It, too, is a rounded rectangle with touchscreen usability. Really, most phones—and lately, most tablet devices—utilize icon-based navigation in their home screens. Why is Apple crying “slavish” copying now—and only over Samsung’s products? Why not sue Motorola over the Droid, HTC over the Evo, Nokia over the N8? 

Maybe it’s the combination of the S and the Tab that hit a little too close to home for Apple. Many smart phone manufacturers haven’t ventured into the tablet market, and Samsung’s crossover might have come across as too audacious for Apple. But again, it seems strange that Apple singled out Samsung when Motorola, HP and BlackBerry have all released tablets recently: all of them rounded rectangles, none of them terribly distinct from the iPad. Is it Samsung’s use of Android, the forefront in the competition with iOS? Why then isn’t Motorola, with its double whammy of Droid and Xoom, facing the heat?

There could be several motives for Apple’s lawsuit. Maybe it’s merely a claiming of territory—a reminder to developers that they were first on the touchscreen market. Maybe someone on their legal team legitimately believes that the folks at Samsung are outright design copycats. Either way, I’m skeptical that anything Samsung puts out, no matter how shiny or similar to iOS it is, will put any kind of dent in Apple’s market. Apple’s appeal lies in a unified aesthetic. Apple fan boys and girls aren’t going to stray from their franchise just because another company puts out a visually similar product. The point is that there’s an absolute trust in Apple technology, a trust first founded long ago on the iMac and iPod: a trust that isn’t going away anytime soon. True devotees of Apple aren’t quite so fickle as this lawsuit suggests. The whole thing makes me wonder if there’s a larger rift in brand loyalty than I’m aware of. Maybe there’s a new and secret reason for Jobs to be worried about the future of his company.  

(via Telegraph.co.uk)