The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern today shared a new documentary about the evolution of the iPhone ahead of its 15th anniversary on June 29, 2007. The documentary includes interviews with Apple's marketing director Greg Joswiak, iPhone co-creator Tony Fadell and a family of iPhone owners. One part of the interview with
reflected on how Android smartphones were getting larger displays years before the iPhone. When asked how much influence Samsung and other Android smartphone manufacturers had on Apple at the time, Joswick admitted that they were "annoying" and accused them of lamely copying Apple's technology.
"They're annoying," Joswiak said. "Because, as you know, they ripped off our technology. They took the innovation we created and created a terrible copy, except that it put a bigger screen on it. So, yeah, we don't So happy. "
And Apple finally released its first large-screen smartphones in 2014, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus.
Apple sued Samsung for patent infringement in 2011, claiming that Samsung's Galaxy series of smartphones copied the iPhone's design. The court initially awarded Apple about $1 billion in damages, but that amount was lowered during a subsequent retrial. In 2018, Apple finally reached a settlement with Samsung and reiterated the following statement:
We believe deeply in the value of design, and our teams work tirelessly to create innovative products that delight our customers. The focus of the case has been on elements other than money. Apple ignited the smartphone revolution with the iPhone, and it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our designs. It’s important that we continue to protect the hard work and innovation of so many of Apple’s employees. We thank the jury for their hard work and are pleased that they agreed that Samsung should pay for copying our products.
The full documentary, which can be viewed on the Wall Street Journal's website, provides an interesting look back at the iPhone over the years:
https://www.wsj.com/video/series/iphone-baby/the-iphone-at- 15-an-inside-look-at-how-apple-transformed-a-generation/4E458113-42D7-4DC0-8DAE-1F66EB93AE99
