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Apple Quashes pBop

Posted by pudge on from the oops dept.

mojotunes writes "The pBop (nee pPod) MP3 player mentioned on Slashdot a while back has been officially pulled by its creator StarBrite Solutions, apparently because of legal pressure from Apple. Well, duh. Who didn't see that coming?"

8 of 69 comments (clear)

  1. not a very helpful link... by MatrixBandit · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's funny how the the slashdot article is actually longer than the original source.
    Seriously, does anyone have any useful links on this, as to exactly how they were infringing on Apple, and not just the obvious speculation?

  2. History Repeating by Trurl's+Machine · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Reading similar stories, I always have the same feeling of deja vu. First Apple introduces some new gagdet or a new user interface concept. Then it gets immediate bashing from both pro-Apple and anti-Apple camps - how ugly, dysfunctional and stupid it is! Then we see an avalanche of various clones of the new Apple gizmo for Linux or Windows. And finally we hear a common outrage when Apple sends its famous "cease & desist" letters and the avalanche indeed ceases and desists. We have had that with Aqua, Dock, iTunes etc. - now we have it with the iPod...

    1. Re:History Repeating by CptTripps · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Put yourself in their shoes. Every time they 'invent' something, about 6mos later, someone copies it (this time EXACTLY) and the world is amazed when Apple sues them over it. Remember the eMachines 'iMac' clone back on 2000? Remember the operating system that Microsoft copied back in 1983?

      Can you blame them?

      --


      My .sig can beat up your honor student.
    2. Re:History Repeating by clifyt · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Gates never saw the Xerox interface. Jobs did.

      Jobs bought the interface off of Xerox and Xerox invested heavily into Apple at the time.

      The first GUI for mac looked NOTHING like the Xerox one other than it used a mouse and graphical elements. Some of the Mac / Lisa guys were already working on graphical elements and a folder hierachy that became the basis of the Mac. Add to that the common elements and it was a completely new interface.

      The first few iterations of Windows were lame attempts to copy what Apple had licensed and were now legal owners of, as well as everything else.

      Mac wasn't inspired by Xerox, but influenced by it. Windows as directly ripped from the Mac to the point its engineers decided to do things like throw menus in different locations and button positions in highly odd locations simply to prove it wasn't.

    3. Re:History Repeating by Rick+the+Red · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Jobs bought the interface off of Xerox and Xerox invested heavily into Apple at the time.
      Can you site sources for these apparantly contradictory claims? I doubt either is true. Indeed, I recall Xerox being quite upset with Apple over the Lisa/Mac. Perhaps you're confusing Xerox with McIntosh, who were paid for the use of the name.
      --
      If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
    4. Re:History Repeating by raga · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Checkout this reply.

      Everything you wanted to know about Mac development by the guys who did.

      cheers- raga

  3. Re:The Peoples' Hate Affair with Apple by justMichael · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think the reasons that Apple takes a beating are:

    1) People fear that which they do not understand.

    2) The Mac doesn't have any software for it, it can't be any good.

    3) You can't walk into just any store and buy/get help with an Apple product or software.

    4) The percieved high price of Apple products.

    Now, I could be way off, these are just my perceptions.

    Personaly I felt the same way. Up until OS X, I never liked the pre Aqua UI, still don't.

    I started watching OS X when it first came out, when OS X got strong (about 10.2) I decided it had matured enough. I just happened to be in the market for a portable, I bought a PowerBook when they first started shipping 1GHz. Never looked back.

    There are still 2 things I do on my Windows box; Play games and my Finances. I already had my games for the PC and I don't want my Financials on a portable machine.

    BTW: I NEVER thought I would see the word "duvet" used on Slasshdot ;)

  4. Re:The Peoples' Hate Affair with Apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Actually, the Best Buy in our area (Bay Area, CA) has started carrying a few Macs. Unfortuantly I haven't seen any mac games being sold since they started, but they have a G5, iMac, Powerbook or two. There always seems to be someone looking at them too.