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Hi Dave, Apple got their iPad design from 2001: A Space Odyssey

August 23, 2011

Apple Inc., iPad, Legal Battles

In what has to be one of the most hilarious, sad, and genius attempts at discrediting a patent, Samsung has pointed to a 2001: A Space Odyssey clip that lasts about a minute in the famous Kubrick film as an example of previous artwork existing. The clip shows a couple of astronauts using a tablet that looks an awful lot like an iPad or a GalaxyTab.

We’re not joking either. Samsung is a little more badass than we give them credit for, or they’re seriously reaching. We’ll let you decide which of the two categories you want to file them in.

Proving there’s prior artwork available that looks like the iPad could lay to rest a lot of the legal battles that Apple has filed against its competitors for ripping off the design, should a judge actually agree with Samsung’s claims.

We’re not lawyers, and we have no idea how this could play out, but we have to admit that the tablet looks nothing like Apple’s tablet, except maybe the display that takes up the entire device. To be completely honest, when stumbling on the image in question, I originally thought that Samsung was claiming that the table the astronauts are eating at was the prior artwork. That may make a bit more sense, wouldn’t it?

Source: Florian Müller

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About Joshua Schnell

It started as a hobby and turned into a full-time job for Josh. One minute he was keeping notes on his switch to the Mac and the next thing he knew he was the full time Editor-In-Chief for Macgasm. He spent his early years designing and developing Web sites, but now it's all writing, all the time. Josh also currently contributes to PCWorld. He produces two podcasts, The Macgasm Podcast, and The AppOrchard, and can be heard on CBC Radio once every couple of years, despite secretly wishing that was a more frequent gig.

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charlie edwards

Will Moses be next?

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yougenius

It's funny, the very first image the tablets are showing looks like it's showing some icons for apps arranged in a grid... until the whole screen changes...

Samsung got it right though, this is prior 'art', for sure.

Next week, they'll be bringing in paintings and ancient sculptures.

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Henry

Are you giving a nod to David Bowie when you state: "2001: A Space Oddity"? :)

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Paul Andrew Skidmore

i think if someone actually invents something that was until now only science fiction, then you get to keep the patent and also use the invention to pummel them about the head and shoulders just for good measure.

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Jeffrey Mann

Geek credit to them! Way to think outside the box to defend their products. I respect that. Too bad the "tablets" were never picked up in the film.

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