Apple is suing HTC over infringment of patents related to the iPhone. But we doubt that this suit is aimed at HTC , it is aimed at Android or for that matter Google – the creator of the Android operating system. So why is Apple suing HTC and not Google ?
HTC is the largest maker of Android handsets and they are the makers of the latest Google phone – the Nexus One. They worked really closely with Google for the production of the phone as you can see in the Making of the Nexus One videos. While the Nexus One is the first Android phone to be sold directly by Google, the T-Mobile G1 which was launched back in 2008 was the first Android phone and developed by HTC.
Google has been betting that Android will outperform the iPhone and after the success of the Motorola Droid and amount of the coverage the Nexus One has been getting since its launch is pretty impressive. Now the complaints filed talk about the Nexus One, HTC G1 , Hero, Magic and Droid Eris – Android Phones.
It’s pretty clear now why Google CEO Eric Schmidt got booted from the Apple Board. Earlier rumors indicated Apple was dropping Google as the default search engine on the iPhone and that the company was replacing Google Maps with it’s own mapping solution.
Google beat Apple in the race to pick up mobile advertising company Admob last year .
On examining the partial list of patents Apple has managed to patent some of the most obvious things and it leaves almost no room for innovation by other players. We do love the iPhone touchscreen and it’s one of the best phones we have ever used. Some of the patents under the radar are.
- Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image
- List Scrolling And Document Translation, Scaling, And Rotation On A Touch-Screen Display
- System And Method For Managing Power Conditions Within A Digital Camera Device
- Conserving Power By Reducing Voltage Supplied To An Instruction-Processing Portion Of A Processor
Although the rumors indicated Apple and Google were parting ways, during the recent iPad announcement , Steve Jobs was pretty happy to show off the Google Maps application on the iPad. Apple might not want to sue the neighboring Mountain View based Company as Google Services are critical for Apple products . But it’s pretty clear that Apple wants to send out a message to Google and other Android manufacturers. We won’t be surprised if Apple sued Motorola next .
We are no legal experts but if the patent madness continues , someone might even patent the way you breathe or make love or take a leak !
Wish the patent system gets a revival and there is lesser room for corporate monopoly !