Apple ruling could be good news for Microsoft
Aug 27, 2012, 7:05 AM | Updated: 8:24 am
When a jury awarded Apple $1 billion in damages in a landmark patent battle with Samsung over the iPhone, it sent shockwaves across the mobile industry. But consumers and Microsoft could actually come out of the ruling winners.
“In some ways it’s good because there are times when you go in the store and its actually hard to distinguish among the many different phones,” said Todd Bishop, with
Geekwire.com, in an interview with Seattle’s Morning News.
At issue is the look and feel of Samsung’s mobile phones, which the jury ruled ripped off the iPhone.
“You’re not talking about things that were under the hood. You’re talking about the way the products are presented and experienced by the user,” Bishop said.
While Samsung is expected to appeal, if it’s ordered to change the look and feel of its phones, other manufacturers would likely have to follow suit.
“In this way you could see the makers of Android devices actually start to do some different things and perhaps some more innovative things than they might have gotten by just copying the look and feel of the iPhone,” Bishop said.
The news was welcomed in Redmond, where Microsoft is betting on a completely different interface for its Windows Phone. Bishop said the company hopes the ruling will help establish Microsoft’s offerings as a viable alternative to the iPhone.
“The basic idea is you’ve got these different tiles on the screen that are not only a way to launch programs but provide you a window into the program by giving you little pieces of data from the app. Microsoft is looking pretty good after this ruling,” Bishop said.
Todd Bishop can be heard weekends on 97.3 KIRO FM. Listen to GeekWire on Saturdays at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Available anytime ON DEMAND at MyNorthwest.com.
