If you’ve been around the tech scene for some time, you’ll know that Apple is famous for starting the current smartphone revolution in 2007, that Android was birthed some time after iOS, and that Apple has been seen as the standard by many for what a good, premium smartphone is, even in 2015.
Well, HTC may want to challenge that notion, but the Taiwanese manufacturer finds itself in trouble with the latest One A9 smartphone revealed earlier this week. As is the norm with every Android smartphone, diehard iPhone fans (and even some Android fans) have resorted to claiming that HTC has “blatantly ripped off” Apple in order to craft a smartphone that will likely sell because of its “iPhone” design. HTC North Asia President Jack Tong responded at a Taiwan press briefing to the iPhone copy claim with, “We’re not copying. We made a uni-body metal-clad phone in 2013. It’s Apple that copies us in terms of the antenna design on the back.”
HTC does have a point about the One A9 but it finds itself in the same camp as Samsung with regard to Apple. Samsung’s Galaxy S6 speaker grille has been compared to Apple’s speaker grille in the same vein, even though Samsung implemented an identical speaker grille on its Windows Phone Ativ S back in 2012. Apple fans are quick to talk about things like speaker placement, headphone jack placement, etc., but there are only so many positions and ways to uniquely place these features onto a handset. I fear that many of the complaints about “some Android manufacturer copied Apple” are debates created for the purpose of mere chatter.
There are a number of manufacturers that do copy the look and feel of the iPhone, however, and there are a few (that shall remain nameless) that even implement the same wallpapers as those found on current iPhones and iPads (if you’ve seen the purple flower petal with the black background on a few smartphones, you’ll understand.). While imitation is still the highest form of flattery, each company has its own unique take on the market and doesn’t need to copy the look and feel of the iPhone. HTC hasn’t copied the iPhone with the One A9, Samsung hasn’t copied the iPhone with the Galaxy S6, but there are some manufacturers who do. To those, I’d say that customers want something unique and distinct from Apple. Not everyone believes that “A” is for “Apple.”
What do you think?
You’d think their PR department would have prepared a response prior to launch so Jack Tong wouldn’t have been left to his own wits (or lack of) to come up with such a crap response. The iPhone6 looks nothing like a HTC One M7 and you’d never mistake a M7 for a iPhone6, but this A9 certainly does look a lot like an iPhone6.
Lol they literally dont look like eachother. Different camera/flash position and size and ratio, different logo position, different curve angle of the whole of the back, different antennae style that wraps around the top. The edges are totally different too, iphones are curved HTc M7’s are hard and plastic. This argument is a joke. Apples design is an evolution of the same design language they have had the whole way through.
“Different camera/flash position and size and ratio, different logo position”
Interesting because you say the A9 looks just like the iPhone 6 despite having different camera position and size as well as different logo position. Guess that argument only works when you want to prove your point?
Your honour, the defence rests. 5555
lol this is a pointless debate, you are a complete joker. For a start the iphone 6 looks more like the first iphone than the HTC M7 so that automatically nulifies your argument completely. Secondly iphone 6 was almost certainly already in development and the blueprint already down when the M7 was realised as apple works on a 5+ year product cycle. Look at all the prvious iphones, the logo the flash the camera, the antenna, the buttons almost EVERYTHING in the same place, same design langauge. Name me 1 thing the iphone has in common with the HTC one M7 apart from a vaguely similar horizontal antennae and the fact its made of a similar material? The A9 on the other hand has the same angled corners, same flat back which the OBVIOUSLY changed to match the iphone as the m7/m8 and m9 always had curved backs. The camera and flash module shrunk from the M9 and changed shape and layout to match the iphone exactly, same protrusion too except they centrally alligned it probably for avoid lawsuits. They abandoned boom sound and stuck a speaker grill in the same place as the iPhone in a very similar style. They rounded the edges in exactly the same way as an iphone, again abandoning the M7/M8/M9 aesthetic. Im done even talking about it, its a joke this debate. You literally need a serious eye test if you cant see how bloody obvious it is, stop kidding yourself.
So I was right those arguments only work when you want to make a point? Every tech blog says every phone copies iPhone, that is nothing new they have been saying that for years. Techblogs also think Apple invented the smartphone, if that’s who forms your opinions I feel very sorry for you.
lol talk about arguments only working when trying to make a point. Pot calling teh kettle back or what. At least I gave a detailed explanation based on the actual design specifics, the only argument you have is that you personally think the iphone 6 looks a bit like the M7, completely discounting anything to do with the actual design, the whole history of apples design language, the original iphone 1 design or the huge weight of evidence and arguments against you that says its a straight rip…which it is. Even android fan blogs are saying it, don’t act dumb. As someone who always liked HTC its just sad that the company and people like you would even condone this. There is sailing close to the wind and then there is straight copying. This is the later and should not be condoned. Hope HTC steer clear of this cynical copying mentality and employ some proper talent for their next release.
Apple was so inspired by the One M7 they not only copied the rear design they made it 4.7 inches with almost the same dimensions. What was the size of the M7 again?
The Xiaomi Mi4 had even less in common with the iPhones, people still labelled that as an iPhone clone.
You’d think you would actually look at the two phones objectively before writing such nonsense. The only difference between the 6 and the One M7 is the placement of the camera (although the Apple logo is exactly where the M7 camera lens is). Just look at the picture below.
oh great, it’s our resident “marketing” guy.
Yeah I see the photo below. What they neglected to post were comparison photos of the front, side, top and bottom. I wonder why they didn’t post those? The photo also does a good job of hiding the curved back of the M7 VS the flat back of the ip6. The photo below only proves Apple may have in fact borrowed the antenna design as Jack Tong said.
Oh great, it’s our resident “troll” guy. We only need to look at the back of it to see where Apples “inspiration” came from. No one is here saying it is a direct 1 to 1 copy just like the A9 isn’t a direct 1 to 1 copy of the iPhone.