Hey Microsoft, isn't that the iPod scroll wheel?
LOS ANGELES--Microsoft is showing off more than a dozen new phones designed to work with its business telephony software, but the thing that caught my eye was the iPod-like scroll wheel on one of the models.
Microsoft isn't making the hardware itself, though the scroll wheel is on a reference design jointly developed by Microsoft, Polycom and LG-Nortel. The Microsoft representative I talked with couldn't comment on the legal issues around the similarity, but assumes it must have passed muster.
In any case, the scroll wheel appears to work as well for navigating a long list of contacts as it does finding the right song from a huge music library.
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(Credit:
Ina Fried/CNET News.com)
Microsoft is showcasing devices from nine companies at the Windows Hardware and Engineering Conference, which takes place here this week. The future Microsoft shows is a neat one, in which the "business phone" morphs into any number of forms from a portable speaker phone to a monitor with built-in array microphone, speaker and high-quality Web cam.
In my demo, there was an delay in hearing the other party, very noticeable since we were both in the same room. Microsoft says the delay is standard for IP telephony and amounts only to about 75 milliseconds and not long enough to be annoying in real world use.
Nearly all of the "phones," which include USB handsets, bluetooth headsets and even a specially equipped laptop, are set to go on sale within a month or two of this summer's release of Microsoft's Office Communications Server. The software, along with a voice-enabled version of the Office Communicator client program, are now in public beta testing.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
http://news.com.com/2010-1041_3-5375101.html
The genius behind Apple was that they thought to put it on an mp3 player. And everyone bought ipods, happily ever after... the end...
Although he had patents Steve BS'ed him on licensing terms among other things. Also, Apple didn't know about it until the guy I'm referring to approached Apple. Sort of like Xerox/Parc labs again.
What an arrogant company.
People should boycott their products. It is obvious that Microsoft thinks that people are stupid and that they can do what they want with no retribution.
Microsoft is unethical and questionable at the best of times. Isn't it time that we the public let them know what we think, rather than continuing to support them by buying their stuff.
"Schiller's scroll wheel didn't come from the blue, however; scroll wheels are pretty common in electronics, from scrolling mice to Palm thumb wheels. Bang & Olufsen BeoCom phones have an iPod-like dial for navigating lists of phone contacts and calls. Back in 1983, the Hewlett Packard 9836 workstation had a keyboard with a similar wheel for scrolling text."
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2006/10/71956?currentPage=all
Word in design circles is that it was the B&O scroll wheel phone that inspired Schiller to recommend it. That phone had been around for a few years before iPod development started.
others have pointed out. What makes Apple different is the
acceleration on it.
inception. The company was built upon the ideas and hard work of
others - yet, they copy, then claim 'who me?', and eventually sue
for the 'rights'.
This time, I hope Jobs and Apple finally expose Redmon for what
they truly are.
No biggie. It isn't like big mean redmond isn't sharing.
MS spends more R&D than Apple makes in profit. silly girl.
No biggie. It isn't like big mean redmond isn't sharing.
MS spends more R&D than Apple makes in profit. silly girl.
No kidding. I think all the people who've been navigating the long list of contacts in their iPods for the past 4 years would agree.
Lets see.....take no name blog writer and throw out flaim bait...get readers. Lame...just like news.com
HEY MICROSOFT, ISN'T IE7 THE FIREFOX FEEL OF A WEB BROWSER?
HEY MICROSOFT, ISN'T VISTA THE OSX LOOK OF AN OPERATING SYSTEM?
HEY MICROSOFT, ISN'T WIN95 THE MAC GUI?
come on everyone join in. i'm sure we can get to 50 items.
discussion
good job
comes to innovation. Microsoft has never "innovated" anything
on their own. They simply take the innovations of others, try to
put their own spin on it and call it "MS Something". This is
evident in their exasperatingly failed attempts to imitate the Mac
OS with Windows. Nice try. Everyone I know who has bought
Vista has dumped it and gone back to XP. Bill, you should have
listened to Steve when the two of you were together. I'd venture
to guess that 10 years from now, Apple computers will be in
every government institution and every other business that
demands the tightest security and the most productive network
enviromnent possible.
Of course, Macs already have that... I just think it's going to take
another 10 years for the computer world to figure out that
Microsoft isn't interested in your productivity or the security of
your information, just how many computers you own that you
can install their inferior software on.
thing. Especially when it comes to the touch pad aspect of the
iPod's control mechanism.
A Jog wheel is nothing more than a dial. To compare a jog wheel
to an iPod, the only fitting one would be the the old mechanical
scroll wheel on the early iPods, and those aren't what are being
discussed in this article.
By your logic, the jog wheel was retroactively "innovated" from
the radio, the telephone, and any other prior device that used a
dial to navigate through something. Dial's aren't anything new or
innovative. Touchpad dials that click are.
the design of the scroll wheel. I'm not so sure about that, simply
for the fact that rotating wheels on a panel have been used for
decades to input or scroll through data. Look at the old rotary
phones. Additionally, any knob on an antique radio or your
modern home theater receiver does essentially the same thing.
What Apple brought to the game that nobody else had done was
that they first teamed up with Synaptics (as somebody
mentioned above) and made it into a touch pad. The original
scroll wheel was mechanical, and in itself, was not revolutionary.
Additionally, as also mentioned above, the acceleration feature
was helpful, although, this wasn't mentioned in the article as
being a feature of this new telephone, so that can't be brought
to the table.
What really made the scroll wheel so revolutionary (and Apple's
own design) was the introduction of the CLICK WHEEL, which
allowed navigation and playback controls, all in one control.
Microsoft doesn't seem to be copying this aspect of the iPod's
design. However, they are copying the layout of the navigation
by putting a button in the middle of the circle, and even boldly
calling it select. The layout issue will probably get them in more
trouble than the scroll wheel itself.
I do agree with the posters that say Microsoft is pretty much
anti-innovation. Those defending Microsoft by saying Apple
stole it are probably the same people that sit around and say it
is okay to steal music or movies, because everybody else is
doing it. Grow up and develop your own opinion on things,
rather than following the group like sheep.
Those defending Apple or accusing Microsoft of stealing their
design need to get a life and stop fanning the flames. These
boards would be a lot more interesting if people didn't waste
other people's time by ranting about something that either a)
everybody is already thinking or b) something that really has
little to do with the article. Yes, the title of this story did
compare the two, but it seems that it would be much more
effective to debate about the differences and similarities
between the two devices than get into a flame war about who
stole the technology first, or who is the most innovative.
I myself like Apple more than Microsoft, but I wouldn't say that
Apple is perfect and I wouldn't say that Microsoft is pure evil.
They both do their seedy things, and they both do their share of
introducing new technologies. The bigger difference in this area
is that Microsoft introduces more new stuff into the corporate
and R&D areas, while Apple works primarily in the consumer
market.
Get over your childish bickering and start to think about what
you write.
It's like anti-lock brakes on a car. Some french guy in 1929 invented it and now it's been enhanced and improved and being used on almost all vehicles, to the benefit of the consumer. You will see this in endless forms in almost any product you look at. Someone creates a product and other companies improve upon it and find other uses for it.
If they've infringed on a patent, I'm sure they'll pay for it. I for one would love to see the "iPod scroll-wheel" on many applications other than the iPod. To limit the use of said invention is truly stifling innovation.
And how often will we have to be subjected to the ramblings of another "predictor"?
"10 years from now, Apple computers will be in every government institution and every other business that demands the tightest security"
Why? Does Microsoft have security issues? Yes, most assuredly. Do they also have a large share of the PCs used to do ACUTAL work and contain ACTUAL data that a thief or hacker may want to get thier hands on? Yes, also most assuredly.
NO ONE, not anyone on this board or anyone at Apple or Cisco or RedHat or any Linux or Unix distributor can possibly know how their system will hold up with the majority of the focus on them. Apple is the only company who even pretends to think that their systems are that much better. But they gear thier ads towards HOME users, not business.
Were the tables turned and Microsoft had 10% marketshare to Apple's 90%, would OSX be any more secure? Doubtful.
Everyone can sit and debate about which uses the "better" OS. Honestly, I use the OS that serves my needs as an IT professional, a gamer, a digital photographer, a programmer and as an enthusiast. That OS happens to be Vista.
The real innovation isn't the stupid scroll wheel either. The corporate desk phone hasn't changed since the 80s. I've got one of these new ones on my desk next to me. This thing is nuts powerful and easy to use. Most of the time you never touch the scroll wheeel anyway because the screen is touch screen and it's easier to scroll it that way.
The term 'scroll wheel' is applied to the wheel found on computer mice certainly, and those have been around since the mid '90s. But the [b]iPod[/b]-type scroll interface is Apple's own invention. Even the U.S. Patent Office thinks so.
- Re: Scroll Wheel
- by ckani May 16, 2007 8:46 AM PDT
- My parents had a designer type phone in the early 90's. You run your finger around it (touch sensitive touchpad) till a number was shown on the primative screen. When you get the number you want you press down. I think the phone was advertised as the "Touch Tastic" phone or something like that.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(36 Comments)That is why my brother and I used to call the ipod the "Touch Tastic" mp3 player.