How Apple and Android Copy Each Other

Jared Spurbeck -
The iPad may be a "magical, revolutionary product." But sometimes it seems like there's nothing new under the sun, whether in the Android or Apple worlds. Here are some of the most egregious examples of copycatting!

Android

Android device manufacturers like Samsung have long copied Apple's style, almost to a T. Witness the photos and illustrations on All Things Digital, which show Samsung devices that look nearly identical to Apple's except for the logo. Meanwhile, the company's new Galaxy Tab tablets are basically generic-brand iPads, with the biggest difference (besides their Android operating system) being that they come in three different sizes.

Of course, all Android tablet makers struggle to differentiate their wares from the iPad, since they all can be described as "like an iPad, but". Even in the smartphone world, even with Android's increasing market share, the iPhone is still the benchmark. That's no accident; Android itself has always been a copycat. Before the iPhone came out, the prototype Android device aped the BlackBerry, but now they all have multitouch screens and rows of app icons.

Does Android have to be this way? I don't think so. HTC uses its HTC Sense overlay to create an extremely classy experience on its Android phones, one that's in many ways improved over the original. Meanwhile, Barnes and Noble redesigned Android's interface from the ground up for its Nook series of tablets, not just to be "original" but in order to make using a Nook easy and fun. So far, its strategy seems to be paying off. to read more of this article click the link above