It wouldn’t be right to go a day without mentioning Apple and Samsung’s ongoing legal battle, even though I’m sure most of you are sick of it.

Yesterday, Samsung designer Jin Soo Kim testified that the development of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 began in October of 2009. This claim is a direct defence against Apple’s accusation of “slavish copying” of its products by Samsung, because this date precedes the release of the iPad, which came out in January 2010. Makes perfect sense right? How can Samsung have copied Apple if they began work on the Galaxy Tab before the iPad was made public?

Kim claims that his job was to make the 10.1 thinner and sleeker. At this point, iDownloadBlog point out something very important. The design of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was changed after its unveiling in February 2011, shortly after the iPad 2 was released. Coincidence?

A few months ago the iPad 3 was released and… oh, what’s that? A new Galaxy Tab was released today?

In all fairness, the latest model is actually slightly thinner than the iPad 3. So, whilst it may be the case that Samsung never intentionally copied Apple, they haven’t done themselves any favours by releasing their devices shortly after Apple, and making them look exactly the same. And please, don’t attest these views to the whim of some disgruntled fanboy, an internal Samsung communication read:

“Since it is too similar to Apple, make it noticeably different.”

Whilst another read:

“Google is demanding distinguishable design vis-a-vis the ipad for the P3 (the Galaxy Tab 10.1)”

Kim denies knowledge of the overtures from Google.

There is clearly a problem with the similarity of these two devices. The question here is not, does the Galaxy Tab look like the iPad? Because it does. The question is did Samsung intentionally style their product in this way? Or did both companies just hit on the best design solution, and turn up to the party wearing the same outfit?

@TiP_Stephen

Via: iDownloadBlog