Early iPad prototype appears in litigation against Samsung

danomac writes: The litigation against Samsung has now turned up an early prototype of the iPad, from 2002. This prototype is shown against the article against the iPad 2 and Samsung's Tab 10.1, and it dwarfs both in size and thickness. It's almost as thick as a notebook.

Samsung is saying the early design isn't even close to what the Tab 10.1 is now. It does, however, feature the same rounded corners as the current generation iPad.

seriously

[jupiter126]

This is forgetting that the iPad 2 has exactly the same size and colour as the plastic board I used to cut bread for years before it came out!

Re:

[danomac]

I posted it as I thought the prototype was interesting. They don't have the weight of that prototype disclosed, but I'll bet it was freaking heavy, probably 5 or 6 lbs.

I almost wonder if the designed thought clamshells sucked and just decided to do away with it, and wound up with that.

Re:

[jupiter126]

My sarcastic answer wasn't at all oriented towards your post but rather toward the actual patent system.

If inventors --- sorry - investors --- keep on using patents like they are ( shape - weight - size ), then we shouldnt be surprized they start to patent colour - material and why not natural states: 'My tablet is a solid: his should be liquid or gas to be different!'

well I have prior art

[fireman sam]

My coffee table has round corners.
Intersections (and road guttering) have round corners.
The door on my microwave has round corners.
Every phone I have owned has round corners.

How can a company claim that they own round corners.

Re:

[fireman sam]

Further to my previous post. I have found a tablet that predates Apple's tablet by a few years.

The tablet can be seen http://bookshopblog.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/cuneiform.png [wpengine.com]

It also sports round corners - though the tech at the time was not sufficient to produce perfect roundness.