Apple Goes After 21 More Samsung Devices

[strongt]

From CNN Money:

Apple targets the Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note

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[OVERKILL]

Think we all saw this coming unfortunately

 

[Nick R]

Apple executives after the first ruling

Seriously, come on now. Nobody can say they didn't see this coming, but it doesn't make it any more frustrating. Look at the patents they are suing samsung for this time. Are you kidding me?

 

[simple_gifts]

Sad thing is, more and more, Apple is making their "1984" commercial an ironic sidenote to their corporate history.

 

[ctrcbob]

I worked for a company that was manufacturing a product for ten years. Another company sued us for infringing on their patents. We were sure that we would win, because our product had many differences than their product. Well,,,,,,

We lost. We had to shut down that product, even though ours was much better. Sad day, but thats what a patent is for.

BTW, my former company is also suing Apple, as Apple is infringing our some of former companies patents. Don't know when the trial will come up. I wish them luck.

BTW, I presently have an updated iPad2 (iOS 5.1.1) and will be ordering two (yes two) iPhone5's as soon as they allow me to pre-order.

 

[Hokiefyd]

The new version of Apple Safari (v6) just now has a unified URL/search bar at the top of the browser. Other browsers have had this for, what, 3 or 4 years now? Is that patented? I'm sure it is, by somebody. Maybe Apple is paying the patent holder a license to use it, who knows.

I'm most interested not in the patent lawsuits (everybody knows that EVERYBODY seems to be in patent court over SOMETHING), but in Apple's relationship with Samsung as a customer. Apple currently uses some Samsung hardware in its products; how valuable is Apple as a client to Samsung? That will be most interesting to me...

 

[MrHorspwer]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Apple currently uses some Samsung hardware in its products; how valuable is Apple as a client to Samsung? That will be most interesting to me...


Apple is Samsung's largest component customer and accounts for nearly 9% of Samsung's revenue ($7.5 billion this year). Samsung recently announced a $4 billion expansion to their Texas factory that exclusively produces Apple components.

Samsung's CEO has indicated that company firewalls are in place that prevent the business interactions of their handset division from affecting the component business. Word is, he even skipped the meeting of upper level execs when the verdict was announced because his attendance may be seen as a conflict of interest and a violation of the internal firewall, since he oversees both divisons.

That whole show was likely to appease investors and show that they're not about to do something stupid, like upsetting one of their largest customers and biggest sources of revenue. There are many manufacturers who would love a cut of that $7.5 billion a year and it'd be silly to think that Apple didn't have a contingency plan to maintain productIon if something were to happen to Samsung's Texas factory (i.e. natural disaster).

To put it simply: It's not personal, it's business. Samsung understand this. Apple understands this. As fun as it is to think/dream/wish Samsung is going to stick it to Apple, it would likely hurt them more than Apple. It just isn't going to happen.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
The new version of Apple Safari (v6) just now has a unified URL/search bar at the top of the browser. Other browsers have had this for, what, 3 or 4 years now? Is that patented? I'm sure it is, by somebody. Maybe Apple is paying the patent holder a license to use it, who knows.

I'm most interested not in the patent lawsuits (everybody knows that EVERYBODY seems to be in patent court over SOMETHING), but in Apple's relationship with Samsung as a customer. Apple currently uses some Samsung hardware in its products; how valuable is Apple as a client to Samsung? That will be most interesting to me...


I hate the unified search bar. I want my search where the search is and the URL where the URL is. There is enough space for each, even on an iPhone display.

 

[jigen]

But with a unified search bar you can still type out the entire web address or just search what you need, no?

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: jigen
But with a unified search bar you can still type out the entire web address or just search what you need, no?


if it works correctly instead of adding stupid www. at the beginning of a good address, or other "let me fix your mistake" tricks.

Originally Posted By: MrHorspwer
To put it simply: It's not personal, it's business. Samsung understand this. Apple understands this. As fun as it is to think/dream/wish Samsung is going to stick it to Apple, it would likely hurt them more than Apple. It just isn't going to happen.


The general business practice (not just at apple) is that you never only have 1 vendor or 1 customer. Even if they are buddies it is possible that 1 accident in 1 factory will destroy enough capacity and inventory to ruin the entire supply chain. Most critical components that have 1 vendor due to design (i.e. very complex chips), will still be manufactured in multiple location and likely by multiple foundries (i.e. TSMC, Charter, Samsung, UMC) to avoid disaster (see Thai flood and Japanese tsunami).

Even if firewall is in place, when there is a shortage you cannot trust your supplier whose sister company is your arch rival will get the same treatment as you. If there is a shortage of chips, they may ship you the lower quality one. If there are multiple design problems, they may fix their sister companies first before they fix yours.

This is industrial practice, not in any particular company. Both Samsung and Apple are too large to not run into each other in this business as customer and vendor.