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Comment by veemjeem | Hacker News Reader

Yeah, I feel like many HN readers think this is Apple vs Android, but it's not. HN readers want to defend Android, so they feel this is the case where Apple battles Android, but really the case has little to do with Android. In most of the cases where Samsung copies Apple, the Android default implementation would have prevented that. Android handsets usually have a micro usb connector, but Samsung chose to copy Apple's 30 pin connector over the Android default. Why would anyone do that unless they wanted to clone Apple?

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Factually incorrect. All Samsung handsets have micro-USB connectors as mandated by EU rules. How Apple gets away with not having it, I don't know.

Granted, Samsung tablets have a similar wide connector, but so does almost all tablets I have seen due to regular USB not having enough power to charge them efficiently. And then you want it wide, not tall, not to impact tablet thickness.

Apple has no argument here.

About the EU rules:

- They only cover mobile phones

- The devices must be compatible with a micro-USB charger, but it's perfectly alright if you do this with an adapter piece. The charger that comes with the device must also be micro-USB compatible (apple chargers allow you to plug a different USB cord into them).

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/rtte/chargers/questio...

Was it plug-compatible with Apple's connector? That would seem open-and-shut for infringement. I thought it just looked similar, which makes it a judgment call for a jury.

I could accept most of what Samsung did as a technical choice, but that power charger really leaped out at me. Proprietary chargers suck for end users.

It's similar, but not exact. You can actually plug the galaxy into apple addon products (the connector will fit), but you'll probably fry your galaxy. Maybe someone has already done this and complained to Apple.

However, even if the copy was exact, I think it would still be difficult to make the case for infringement.

It's a mirrored version of Apple's connector. This was an especially goofy choice, as there's already a standard called PDMI they could have used.

There's a detailed discussion here: http://www.pocketables.com/forum//showthread.php?p=55941

If it's compatible, it's open-and-shut for NON-infringement, since copying for compatibility purposes is protected by law.

>Samsung chose to copy Apple's 30 pin connector over the Android default

Depends which phone. Some of their phones have BlackBerry-style micro-USB-esque connectors.

all their phones have micro usb connectors. the 30pin adapter is only for their tablets.

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