Everyone Wants a Bite of the Apple

It’s been a long-standing conversation about who copied who when it comes to Apple and their competitors. As early as the 80s, Apple was suing Microsoft for copying elements of the design of their graphical user interface (GUI for short). This continued with Sony and others through the early Wild West of technological advancement throughout the 2000s to the present day. The most notable instance to me began around 2012 with the advent of smartphones. You may remember a time before iMessage was the biggest decider over which phone operating system you used.

For a time, there was a leapfrog effect as the two smartphone leaders mastered and discovered new important features with each generation. Like any new market, the first few years saw big sweeping victories for either side of the Apple vs Android debate each year. It seemed just as soon as a new feature was launched for Android that Apple was revealing it on stage. The competition was fierce, so it was especially notable when either side implemented a strategy that originated with their competitor, especially if they scoffed at it previously. The most stinging instance of this for me, personally, is the removal of the headphone jack that Android manufacturers have all but capitulated to.

What is wild is how Apple seems to have had oracular vision on the matter. When they first moved to remove the 3.5mm jack from their devices I scoffed at a world in which I didn’t need wired headphones. Now, just a few years later, I can’t remember the last wired pair I used, and Android manufacturers were vindicated for removing them as well. Then again, it took Apple years to deliver customizable icons (along with placement) and widgets for their users. Features Android users have enjoyed since 2014. Maybe everyone is just copying for each other? They are, and that’s not so bad.

I write this in response to the backlash that Dell just got for announcing the name changes to their business lineup. They’ve adopted “Pro” and “Pro Max” which come across as particularly egregious references to Apple’s exact same naming scheme for their high-end machines. I thought Pro Max was stupid when Apple first announced it, maybe I’m up to bat to be proven wrong again. Regardless, so what if Dell is blatantly copying competitors? Apple has done the same. I would argue all this copying makes the industry better. Although the smart phone market makes me fear we could just end up locked in a cycle of monotony and stifled innovation.