The Illusion of Apple Innovation...
I was recently reading an article that I won’t justify with a link. In this article, the author was putting in a great deal of effort trying to say that all Google has done with Android is copy Apple, and that Apple is actually the true innovator. I’ve read this position time and time again. I’ve even seen it in Apple’s own marketing. I think what makes this so annoying is it’s complete lack of truth. Let’s look over some of Apple’s products, shall we?
Macintosh:
Let’s start with the original Macintosh. What’s innovative about the Macintosh? Well, it’s an all in one personal computer with the first commercial GUI. All in one computers were nothing new when Apple made the first Macintosh. Commodore was making them in the 70s. The GUI? Well, that wasn’t an Apple innovation either. They copied the work from Xerox Parc. So, one of the greatest Apple innovations ever is just a combination of two things that other companies had already done? Yay for Apple. From there on, Apple has done nothing but build on this idea.
iMac:
It almost turns my stomach to even include this category. The iMac is innovative? No, it’s really not. Again, Apple pulled out the all in one computer. The original Macintosh was an all in one computer, why is this innovative? Because it’s blue? Not exactly new. So what the heck is innovative and original about the iMac? Someone please educate me. Please?
iPod:
The iPod is a music player. It’s a glorified Walkman. The only real difference is the fact that it plays digital music instead of from a CD or tape. It wasn’t even the first device to do that. I owned an MP3 player before Apple even hinted at the iPod. All Apple did is take an idea that had already been implemented by someone else, and made their own version of it.
iPhone:
Ah, the illustrious iPhone. True innovation at it’s best? Hardly. The iPhone interface is a blatant ripoff of the interface used by the Palm Pilot. Apple prettied it up a bit, but essentially the iPhone’s interface in 2007 is the same as the Palm Pilot’s interface in 1997.
iPad:
Another one that nauseates me. This one for several reasons. The biggest? It’s just a giant iPhone/iPod. That’s what Apple did. They took the phone interface that they’d already copied from Palm, gave it a bigger screen, and called it something new. On top of that, this is not the first Tablet computer either. They’d been made by other companies for years. So, again, Apple took an idea that someone else had, added another idea that someone else had. That’s it!
Conclusion:
Apple has been hailed as an innovative company for literally decades, while it seems like anybody and everybody that competes with Apple is only stealing their ideas. At least that is what I’ve seen the Apple faithful claim over and over again. They’ve done it with Microsoft. They’ve done it with Linux. They’ve done it with Google. Seriously, the Apple faithful can’t even come up with a new and innovative argument! Apple is not the end all be all innovator. Most of their ideas didn’t even originate at Apple! Please, can we lose this tired old argument?
Of course, you’re more than welcome to correct me. Please. I’d love to hear something new and original.
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