Apple V Samsung Opening Statements Reveal Details Of Iphone Design Process More

As we noted earlier this week, Apple and Samsung are officially back in the court room this month to continue their seven years and running debate over iPhone design patents. In addition to the comments made by Apple’s VP of product marketing Greg Joswiak, today’s opening statements brought a few notable tidbits about the iPhone creation process and more…

Richard Howarth, senior director of Apple’s design team and one of the lead iPhone designers, kicked things off today with a pretty blanket statement, as noted by CNET. Howarth argued that Samsung “blatantly ripped off” the iPhone’s design. “They were trying to rip off part of the iconic nature and say, ‘We’re cool, too,’” he said.

Howarth continued and explained that Apple rejected “hundreds and hundreds” of iPhone prototypes during the initial design process – included rounded models, one with an octagonal bezel, and more:

The ultimate design is one that felt like “something you could get your head around,” Howarth concluded.

This, Howarth argues, is what makes Apple’s design patents so valuable. “The phone is an idea. The whole thing is the phone..You can’t take just a part and say ‘Let’s protect just that’,” he said.

During cross-examination by Samsung’s lawyer, Joswiak admitted that Apple does study competitors’ phones, but never copies what they do:

Meanwhile, Tony Blevins, VP of procurement at Apple, gave an emotional recount of that initial design process, and when Samsung unveiled its copycat devices, it hit the Apple team hard:

Blevins also recounted Apple’s design philosophy, explaining that many companies use a “building-block philosophy,” which is the “exact opposite” of Apple. He remarked that he spent two and a half weeks in a factory just trying to make the vibration motor small enough to fit.