A point brought up by Gruber is that the reason Apple v Samsung and Apple v anyone else matters and exists is because of the iconography and language that Apple design maintains.
Look at an iPhone or iPad. There is no clear sign on the front of the device of what it is, who made it or what model it is. Even on the back, a simple and elegant Apple icon exists and the device type. My iPhone 4S only says “iPhone” on the back. Nothing else indicates which one it is because it doesn’t matter. On the front is says absolutely nothing, as does my iPad. This is because the design is so strikingly elegant that only Apple could make it. Because that is the language of Apple design. Elegant, simple and obvious.
In fact, the MacBook range have always said which Mac it is, but the retina was the first time Apple dropped any insignia on the front. Because it’s nicer, more obvious and more elegant. A clear black line embossing the beautiful display, unhindered by anything else. I imagine this will be the future of the Mac range. Even on the iMac range, the only insignia on the front is a small, shiny and elegant Apple logo.
Even more impressive is that, because of the aluminium casing Apple uses, the Apple icon on most products is a shiny plastic so that wireless signal can more freely pass through the shell and provide quality reception. Elegance doesn’t come at the cost of engineering quality.
With all that effort that goes into creating a unique and obvious design without the need for major insignia destroying creative industrial design language, Apple are going to fight hard to ensure that Samsung or anyone else doesn’t infringe on it. Apple want to hold on to their unique linguistic style. Anyone else is welcome to try and compete, but no one is welcome to outright rip it off.
