40 Apple prototypes revealed in court case, as Samsung annoys the judge
Just another day in court for the two tech giants
Day two in the Apple vs Samsung court case, and more Apple designs have been revealed.
Designer Christopher Stringer was Apple's first witness, and he produced a slew of iPhone and iPad designs, some of which he had with him in person.
Apparently the company produces "hundreds" of prototypes during the design process, mixing and matching elements from each.
One iPad prototype eschewed the familiar slab design, and instead featured a thinner rail around the device that curves around the back on the top and bottom. It's thought this was to improve grip.
You can see the full list here.
"We've been ripped off"
When asked about the allegations, Stringer told Apple's counsel, "We've been ripped off… It's a huge leap in imagination to come up with something new. That's what we did."
Samsung's counsel then cross-examined Stringer, discussing the design patents for the iPhone. He then produced as evidence an email Stringer wrote in 2011, asking for a list of competitor tablets that the team could discuss.
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It's thought Samsung is trying to allude Apple is as inspired by competitor products - as its Sony-branded iPhone prototype might suggest - as everyone else.
Stringer said the point was to gauge the market, rather than to take inspiration for future designs.
Annoying the judge
Samsung has also succeeded in annoying Judge Lucy Koh by sending rejected evidence to the press that she wouldn't allow in court.
The evidence centres on Samsung's F700 phone, which it was working on in the lead up to the iPhone's launch in 2007. It's been denied because it brought it out too late.
After "begging" her to allow it, Samsung sent out a press release containing the "Sony-style" iPhone prototype, saying it would have "established beyond doubt that Samsung did not copy the iPhone design". Koh was furious, summoning Samsung's lead attorney to find out what part he had to play.
And there's four weeks of this case still to go.
Via The Verge
Joe has been writing about tech for 17 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.