On September 11, 2015 at 03:08, Daniel Tonks said...
To be fair, that's exactly what the iPad Pro is... a 12.9" tablet to compete with the competition's 12.0" tablet. :)
That was my joke. Samsung "won" because they have a 12" tablet that would never have existed without the iPad to copy. Now a 12.9" iPad is out and Samsung will create a 13" to "win" again.
But did Cadillac invent the car?** The internal combustion engine? Tires? GPS? Air bags? Or are they taking technologies and concepts available to others, and putting their own spin on them in a refined way?
No but neither did the detail guy. And if you had to make a list of whos spins mattered most...would it be Cadillac or the detail guy? Apple or Samsung? Samsungs list of accomplishments are all copies of apple devices. Having a faster processor or a larger screen first doesn't mean they are a pioneer.
As I see it, Apple doesn't really develop/invent any particular technology or even concept. What they do... is develop a product by combining and perfecting a product category that others have typically botched up or simply don't know what to do with. And, once their marketing machine has made it a must-have item, everyone else copies their designs.
No one invents anything. A portable music player has existed since i have been alive. Making the content digital doesn't change the other 99% of the product. Sony's walkman has everything the first iPod had except the content came on tape.
That's still no mean feat, and requires a keen eye to know where the market is heading. When the iPad first came out, I seem to remember it getting a lot of scorn... too big to carry around with you compared to a cell phone, and too impractical to use compared to a laptop. Now look.
** Fun fact: Cadillac likely did invent the modern car sedan concept, with the 1905 Osceola, the first closed car design.
Want to know who created the coupe first? Some guy years before the automobile existed. He attached horses to it to make it go.
