Netizen

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Apple Samsung: The Verdict Was Unfair

Apple, Samsung Verdict: Implications?
Apple, Samsung, And The Circus
Samsung Galaxy S III Design Story
Apple, Samsung: It's About Android
It Is About Google As Much As Samsung
Apple/Samsung/Conan
Apple Samsung Trial: Big Implications
Hello Samsung, Hi Apple
Samsung Deserves Room To Play
Hello Apple, Hi Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S III
The Smartphone Is A Frying Pan
Apple Acting Soviet
Fighting Over Rectangles
Google Is Not Fighting Back Hard Enough On Android

Apple-Samsung juror speaks out
Jury in Apple v. Samsung Goofed, Damages Reduced -- Uh Oh. What's Wrong With this Picture?

If the jury instructions are as long and complex as they were in this case, a quick verdict can indeed mean it shirked its duty. For example, if the jury rushed so much it assigned $2 million dollars to Apple, and then had to subtract it because there was no infringement, it raises a valid question: what was the basis for any of the damages figures the jury came up with? If they had any actual basis, how could they goof like this? Was there a factual basis for any of the damages figures? .... If this jury thought they knew the right result without instructions, and if they hurried so much they made glaring mistakes, and they did, and all in Apple's favor, something isn't right in this picture. ..... Here’s the thing, ladies and gentlemen of the Apple v. Samsung jury: It would take me more than three days to understand all the terms in the verdict! Much less come to a legally binding decision on all of these separate issues. Did you guys just flip a coin? ....... How did the Galaxy Tab escape design patent infringement? This was the only device to be preliminarily enjoined (on appeal no less), and yet it was the one of the few devices to be spared the sledgehammer. And, by the way, it looks an awful lot like an iPad. Yet the Epic 4G, a phone I own (uh oh, Apple’s coming after me) — which has a slide out keyboard, a curved top and bottom, 4 buttons on the bottom, the word Samsung printed across the top, buttons in different places (and I know this because I look in all the wrong places on my wife’s iTouch), a differently shaped speaker, a differently placed camera, etc. — that device infringes the iPhone design patents....
Relatedly, the ability to get a design patent on a user interface implies that design patent law is broken. This, to me, is the Supreme Court issue in this case. We can dicker about the “facts” of point 2, but whether you can stop all people from having square icons in rows of 4 with a dock is something that I thought we settled in Lotus v. Borland 15 years ago. I commend Apple for finding a way around basic UI law, but this type of ruling cannot stand. ........ This is the second lawyer I've seen predicting this case will go all the way to the US Supreme Court. ..... Now the jurors are contradicting each other. Lordy, the more they talk, the worse it gets. I'm sure Samsung is glad they are talking, though. Had they read the full jury instructions, all 109 pages, they would have read that damages are not supposed to punish, merely to compensate for losses. ....... Samsung, the global leader among smartphone makers, vowed to fight. Its lawyers told the judge it intended to ask her to toss out the verdict....... "This decision should not be allowed to stand because it would discourage innovation and limit the rights of consumers to make choices for themselves," Samsung lead lawyer John Quinn said. He argued that the judge or an appeals court should overturn the verdict....... Apple lawyers plan to formally demand Samsung pull its most popular cellphones and computer tablets from the U.S. market. They also can ask the judge to triple the damages from $1.05 billion to $3 billion....... U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh will decide those issues, along with Samsung's demand she overturn the jury's verdict, in several weeks. Quinn said Samsung would appeal if the judge refuses to toss out the decision....... Samsung said after the verdict that it was "unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners."....... "This is by no means the final word in this case," Quinn said in a statement. "Patent law should not be twisted so as to give one company a monopoly over the shape of smartphones."

Sweeping Apple win, but Samsung set for bounce-back

The U.S. ruling, read out to a packed federal courtroom in San Jose, just miles from Apple's headquarters, came less than 24 hours after a Seoul court found that while the iPhone and Galaxy look very similar Samsung hadn't violated Apple's design. .... it could take "many years" for Apple and Samsung to settle the case whatever the result of this round, leaving the two firmly in control of the $200 billion-plus global smartphone market. .... "The impact on Samsung will be quite limited, as affected models are mostly legacy products and its new products did make some design changes to avoid potential litigation" ..... Samsung's flagship Galaxy S III phone was not involved in the trial ..... "The likelihood of Apple being leapfrogged or a rival creating a new category (of device) is greater if they have to think out of the box. If they just copy Apple, like Coke, Apple can claim to be 'the real thing'." .... Samsung also looks to be staying ahead of the curve - by reviving the stylus function, derided by Apple's Steve Jobs, in its latest tablets and by creating the hybrid phone-cum-tablet, or phablet, category, with its 5.3-inch Note.

Apple Cleared Of Infringing Two Google Patents By ITC

Apple, Samsung Verdict: Implications?

Will Samsung appeal? Will there be judicial review of the amount? There was when the jury awarded billions to Oracle in its fight with SAP.

Will the appeal last a long time? How long?

This is Google's loss more than Samsung's. If Android came before the iOS, why is Android losing legal battles?

Samsung has to take this decision through the appeal process.

If an injunction were to take effect, how exactly would you apply it? Do we see empty stores? How does that work? It feels Soviet.

I can easily see conflicting verdicts on the same tussle around the world.

Samsung Galaxy S III is a superior phone to the iPhone 4. Will not iPhone 5 have copied the Samsung Galaxy S III? Because, when you copy, you can only hope to be as good, if that.

Samsung is not a clear loser. But Google is. For simply not fighting back hard enough.

A Verdict That Alters an Industry

Samsung .. lost on almost every count ..... Google, which makes the Android software that runs at the core of Samsung phones, will clearly feel an impact .... Most popular smartphones today are a slab of glass and metal controlled through a touch-screen full of icons arrayed on the screen. .... the user interface — the icons and other features that users see and touch — of the Nokia Windows phones look distinctly different from the iPhone. Nokia, a longtime maker of phones, also has a thick portfolio of patents to protect itself. .... Android phones are the most common smartphones on the market today. Samsung is the world’s largest maker of smartphones and it has been quickly gaining market share. Collectively, the various Android phones from Samsung and other makers easily outsell Apple’s iPhones. .... While Google is not involved in this case, Apple was clearly going after Android all along .... “It’s not good news for Google ..... Apple’s real target is the Android ecosystem, the Android world, everything having to do with Androids. That’s really what they are targeting here.”

Jury Awards $1 Billion to Apple in Samsung Patent Case

That is not a big financial blow to Samsung ..... Consumers could end up with some welcome diversity in phone and tablet design — or they may be stuck with devices that manufacturers have clumsily revamped to avoid crossing Apple. ...... Samsung said it would ask the court to overturn the verdict and, if that is unsuccessful, appeal to a higher court. ..... Because Samsung was found to have willfully infringed Apple patents, the judge in the case could grant an Apple request to triple the damages Samsung is required to pay, though lawyers said the size of the initial award made this less likely. ....... the eye-popping award, one of the largest ever in a patent case .... Apple’s suit against Samsung, the world’s largest maker of smartphones, has partly been viewed as a proxy war against Google ..... Apple is expected to ask the judge in the Samsung case for an injunction preventing Samsung from shipping products that infringe on Apple’s patents. The verdict could also bolster Apple’s legal attacks on Android devices from other companies. ..... the iPhone inspired a major effort by the Korean manufacturer to overhaul its mobile phones. .... The verdict in the trial hardly concludes the legal battles over patents among companies in the mobile business. There are dozens of such cases winding their way through the courts; Samsung and Apple have also been battling in Germany, Australia and elsewhere. Even so, Samsung remains a major supplier of components for Apple products. ..... Samsung said in a statement that the decision was a “loss for the American consumer.” ...... “It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices,” the company said. “This is not the final word in this case or in battles being waged in courts and tribunals around the world, some of which have already rejected many of Apple’s claims.”

Counterintuitive: Did Samsung emerge a winner?

Samsung may have come out ahead even with the court loss. ..... Samsung also sells an array of products that Apple doesn’t and setting up the comparison with Apple worked out well for the entire company ..... “It only cost $1 billion to become the #2 most profitable mobile company. Remember how much Microsoft paid for Skype? $8 billion. So, for 1/8th of a Skype Samsung took RIM’s place and kicked HTC’s behind…I bet that RIM wishes it had copied the iPhone a lot sooner than it did. So does Nokia, I bet. Samsung is a much healthier company than any of those BECAUSE it copied the iPhone” ....... Samsung does $1 billion in revenue every 2.4 days. .... PR win: Any phone Samsung launches will be super hyped — and compared to Apple ..... could actually help cement Samsung’s place atop the global smartphone market. As a “fast executioner”, Samsung should be able to churn out new devices that don’t infringe on Apple patents and avoid any potential ban. ..... more than a dozen pending cases elsewhere around the globe, the Samsung brand has gained recognition — as an equal to Apple rather than merely a supplier.

Samsung’s exposure: It can survive the Apple hit

Samsung is much more than a phone maker, but its smartphone business has been a growth juggernaut in recent years as its Galaxy line has emerged as the flagship brand for Android phones and the iPhone’s one legitimate challenger in the smartphone wars. ...... If Apple’s patents are held to be valid, Samsung could be forced to redesign its phones and their user interfaces. It’s found a recipe for success in the Galaxy line, but now it may have to change up the ingredients.

Facebook's Proposed Campus: Lots Of Open Space

What if it were a four story building with a similar square footage? I think that would bring about greater interaction.

I like the warehouse concept, broadly speaking.

Lots of open space, easy access to food, a huge rooftop garden. So far so good.

I only struggle with why this is a one story building. Also, where is the emphasis on exercise? And the opportunity for naps? Something Arianna Huffington is big on.

The rooftop garden is a good idea, but there are not enough trees around the building. The Apple campus plan has more trees. I am talking about the spaceship.

And there's no big body of water either. That is a minus.

Facebook envisions swanky new digs as shares sink

a single-story, hangar-like building covering 420,000 square feet, or roughly the area of eight football fields combined under one roof..... a tram will shuttle employees back and forth through a tunnel connecting the two work sites. .... the new structure will have few interior walls and instead resemble a minimalist warehouse with an open layout, so the social network's engineers and designers can easily collaborate on projects .... Scattered around the building will be numerous cafes and a restaurant and a garden will nearly span the entire roof

Facebook Unveils New Campus: Will Workers Be Sick, Stressed and Dissatisfied?

a single room, stretching 10 acres, where everyone will sit in the open with moveable furniture .... “It will be the largest open floor plan in the world,” housing over 2,800 engineers. ..... Open work environments are supposed to foster greater communication and chance meetings, which in turn would lead to more creativity, teamwork and the breakdown of silos. However, many people who work in open environments point out: The increased noise from phone calls and casual conversations impedes their ability to concentrate and focus .... Germs spread more readily and workers are more likely to get sick .... The lack of privacy (whether to take a call or to scratch an itch) increases stress and reduces morale ........ “In 90 per cent of the research, the outcome of working in an open-plan office was seen as negative, with open-plan offices causing high levels of stress, conflict, high blood pressure, and a high staff turnover.” ..... traditional office environments may increase individual wellbeing by 32% and office productivity by 15% .... “Some studies show that employees in open-plan spaces, knowing that they may be overheard or interrupted, have shorter and more-superficial discussions than they otherwise would.” ...... Proximity, Privacy and Permission....... Proximity: Give people plenty of space between each other, but facilitate traffic patterns that result in “run-ins” at shared resources like restrooms, entrances/exits, snack rooms, elevators, etc....... Privacy: Work stations need to be designed to offer visual and acoustic privacy; a cardinal rule is that workers should always be able to see if someone is approaching them. ....... Permission: The corporate culture dictates what is “permissible”; workers need to know to what degree is informal socializing accepted or encouraged, and what is acceptable or not when it comes to interrupting someone who is working

Facebook taps Gehry to design campus expansion

everyone will sit out in the open with desks that can be quickly shuffled around as teams form and break apart around projects ..... "cafes and lots of micro-kitchens with snacks so that you never have to go hungry" ..... "And we'll fill the building with break-away spaces with couches and whiteboards to make getting away from your desk easy." ...... Facebook will maintain its current campus and use an underground tunnel to connect the two areas

Guggenheim Architect To Design Facebook HQ’s New 3,400-Employee Tree-Topped Engineering Building

Engineers will hack away in one giant room, separated from the product and ads teams in the main campus. ..... the idea of taking a stroll through a rooftop tree garden to help your brain work through a tough coding problem sounds pretty awesome