“Just days prior to Apple’s iPhone unveiling this past January, Microsoft filed a new patent titled Transforming Media Device which describes a communications device which could be transformed into at least three different shapes with each representing a different feature set by physically modifying the device. The three possible shapes, the document reveals, include that of a phone, media player and a camera. This report briefly reviews this new patent along with two other related patents which clearly demonstrate just how off guard Microsoft really was – the day that Apple unveiled their revolutionary iPhone,” neo reports for MacNN.
“The bottom line is that prior to and shortly after Steve Jobs’ unveiling of Apple’s stunning iPhone, Microsoft had shown their cellphone hand through a series of current patents covering a tri-forming mechanically driven media device, a Data Buddy system/device and a thin smartphone. Microsoft’s detailed patents clearly go to demonstrate just how off-guard Microsoft was the day that Apple unveiled their iPhone’s many innovations and just how off-target Microsoft really was in respect to understanding what device innovation even means,” neo reports.
neo reports, “All that you have to do is compare Apple’s easy to use morphing capabilities of the iPhone which quickly allows the user to transition the iPhone UI into that of an iPod/music player, media web browser, calculator, camera and so on with a simple touch of a virtual button to that of Microsoft’s cumbersome Transforming Media Device which forces the user to physically transform the device manually. In contrast to the iPhone, Microsoft’s Transforming Media Device is mere Buffoonery.”
Full article here.
Related articles:
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RIM co-CEO doesn’t see threat from Apple’s iPhone – February 12, 2007
Apple’s soon-to-be iPhone rivals sound just like iPod rivals circa 2001 – February 01, 2007
O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile battle for exclusive rights to Apple iPhone in UK – January 26, 2007
Rogers to offer Apple iPhone exclusively in Canada – January 25, 2007
FUD Alert: Apple iPhone ‘isn’t very practical’ and a ‘security risk’ for business – January 24, 2007
Research in Motion downgraded due to Apple iPhone competition – January 23, 2007
Microsoft CEO Ballmer laughs at Apple iPhone – January 17, 2007
RealMoney: Apple just blew up the whole damn mobile-phone supply chain with its new iPhone – January 11, 2007
The massive FUD campaign against Apple’s iPhone ramps up – January 10, 2007
eWeek: Apple iPhone fallout: ‘They must be crying in Nokia-ville and other telephony towns today’ – January 10, 2007
Jefferies downgrades Motorola on fears of market share loss to Apple iPhone – January 10, 2007
Time: ‘iPhone could crush cell phone market pitilessly beneath the weight of its own superiority’ – January 09, 2007
Analyst: Apple iPhone should be given its own category – ‘brilliantphone’ – January 09, 2007
Apple debuts iPhone: touchscreen mobile phone + widescreen iPod + Internet communicator – January 09, 2007
Neo is back.
Neo is writing opinions and being witty !
I am glad the effects from that Macsimum security site they had hid at are wearing off.
The brainwashing is wearing off.
Neo is wriring, is telling us about the industry, is giving us views.
Views, Opinions, Ideas, it’s all this business is about.
Welcome back Neo.
Good work.
Good having you back.
Eureka! Finally someone who understands the business that Microsoft
is really in: they’re in the buffoonery business! Yes!
Pictures of the Apple iPhone clone Meizu M8 / miniOne
http://www.meizume.com/showthread.php?t=720
“MDN Magic Word” is ‘window’ like this knock-off phone uses Windows Mobile 6
Jerry T: yep, I wish I could use off the shelf GPU cards in MacPro too. It really annoys me that we’re stuck with Apple’s own brand, they should be like Hard Disk and RAM where we can use any.
“MDN Magic Word” is ‘maybe’ as in maybe Steve Jobs will change his mind and OSX will have driver support for all nVidia and ATi cards?
“Buffoonery” IS in the Apple Dictionary. Now all they need to do is add the Microsoft logo.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
Maybe it in the Leopard upgrade.
That Meizu M8 / miniOne has a screen resolution of 720×480 pixels (same as regular DVD) which is higher than Apple iPhone. 🙁
It also has a 3MP camera. 🙁
Doesn’t have OSX though.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
Oops, missed the Z…
“Buffzoonery”
It’s too bad that Apple had to show the iPhone so early, it would have been better if they had dumped a few mill’ into this turkey first. You owe Apple one M$, they saved you bundles… Chumps!
*yahoo ROFL emoticon placed here more than once*
The diagrams crack me up. This is priceless.
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Oh, bugger it….
Microsoft’s patent FIG. 7 noted below, illustrates a multi-modal portable communication device having multiple internal services and capable of consolidating services in accordance with an aspect of the invention
Fig 7.
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Satellites ——> [ DRM ] <—— Internet
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[ Cancel or Allow ]
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Malware ——> [ Interface Component ] <—— DHS
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[ Cancel or Allow ]
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Activation ——> [ DRM ] <—— EULA
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[ Allow or Allow ]
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[ User Interface ]
</pre>
Well, it appears once againt that DOA has struck Micro$oft.
Oh, did I forget to de-intialize: DOA = Delusions of Adequacy
MW: “meaning” as in Mr Bill has been meaning to do something original for nigh onto 30 years know. At least it’s in development…
What worse, an idiotic Transformer phone, or MS seriously thinking they’ll have their own iPhone ready & available for the Holiday shopping season?
Ballmer, you’re Apple’s best friend. Just keep doing your best.
Here’s the Microsoft TransPhone Carrying Case:
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Peek-A-Blocks-Shape-Sorter/dp/B0002YDPRO
Is this part of the Wow?
Coming to a sad realization. Cancel or allow?
@Preview Test
Quite the funniest post of the day!
“Microsoft’s multi-modal multi-language portable communication device”
Are they kidding?
It took them 5 years to put lipstick on a pig. How on earth are they going to manage to get any ONE of the “multi-modal multi-language” features to work right…
Countless man-hours of study, research, and consumer testing in interface design and this is what they ended up with?
Sorry to use the already-used up “Wow” phrase, but holy-double-wow!
How many Edsels can one company pump out? Yikes!
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I wonder how long it much longer it’ll be before we start reading about sweeping management changes at Microsoft. It’s gotta be coming soon; this company is ripe for change. How many black eyes can they take before they actually do something about it?
Another boring MDN anti-Microsoft hate article, or should is say “digest”?
mac NN
does the nn stand for No News ?
Why thank you, SydneyStephen. I was planning on diagonals too… but the lack of a Preview Test made it impractical.
Microsoft’s obsession with physically manipulating this “device” to allow certain functions makes me wonder what they really know and understand regarding how software actually works. After all, it did take Microsoft five years to release “Service Pack Vista”.
Next to the thrill of discussing Apple’s release of a new product here at MDN is the satisfaction of denigrating the release of some poorly design product from the world’s leader in pandemic OS. I think that other sites will also express feelings of absolute bewilderment to abject horror at this technological embarrassment imagined by the brain trust at Redmond.
@MDN
Don’t miss this. The horror is still unknown to most.
Vista’s DRM is reason enought not to upgrade.
But once you install Vista, you’re part of the game, whether you want to be or not. And if you think you understand the rig, wait a few months: it will change on you. With that change will come new rules by which Microsoft will govern your computer use, and there’s jack shit you can do about it. And as Vista achieves market penetration and saturation, it won’t just be about digital content — it will become much more far-reaching.