Google Warned Samsung About Copying Apple

AllThingsD:

In February 2010, Google told Samsung that Samsung’s “P1” and “P3” tablets (Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Tab 10.1) were “too similar” to the iPad and demanded a distinguishable design vis-a-vis the iPad for the P3.

This is before the litigation process began between Apple and Samsung; pretty brutal. The tidbit also shows that, even before launch, Google wasn’t stupid. They realised that Apple had kickstarted the tablet market again, whilst everyone else disparaged the iPad until it was too late. I don’t think it is a coincidence Android is the only competitor to the iPad, two whole years on. Google is smart.

Specifically, some 2006 internal design presentations that outline a mobile UI similar to the one that ultimately debuted on the iPhone, a handy before-and-after-the-iPhone-handset comparison and some internal Apple emails that it claims suggest “Apple’s revolutionary iPhone design was derived from the designs of a competitor, Sony.”

That intrigues me immensely and I really hope more information on Samsung’s defence leaks out to the public. Who in Apple thinks they are a copycat company?

By the way, I am still wary of the accuracy Strategy Analytics’ specific figures. I challenge them to predict iPad sales for the next quarter, before Apple tells everyone, for instance. That would give me confidence in their other numbers (which can’t be verified). However, even if the details are unreliable, I am sure the large-scale market trends reflect their estimations.