Samsung shows second second-gen 7in Galaxy Tab

Here's another one for Apple's lawyers to sink their teeth into: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. No, it's not the Galaxy Tab 7.7, nor yet an old Galaxy Tab re-issued with Android 3.2 Honeycomb. But from the look, you'd be forgiven for thinking it's pure Apple lawyer bait. Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus The 345g tablet has a …

[Anonymous Coward]

watches

it's a bit like a fake Rolex, but claiming that it's okay, it's not a rip-off, cos it says "Rolek" on the watchface instead

[John Robson]

Or it's like Swatch suing casio for making a "portable clock designed to be worn around the wrist."

or "a time measurement device using two hands sweeping across a circular face"

[jolly]

But it doesn't say "Appel" on the front (or any other slightly misspelled variant of "Apple"). So, in the words of Arnold, what you talkin' bout Willis?

[David Evans]

I was unaware Apple made 7" Tabs as well. In fact I seem to remember a certain Glorious Leader of the Fruit Clan highlighting the rubbishness of that particular screen size.

[dave 46]

It's a touch screen tablet, are we saying because Apple has a successful touchscreen tablet nobody else can use the most obvious form factor?

Should Samsung have a superfluous keyboard just to be different, or make it round to clearly separate it from Apples offering?

Given the purpose of these things they have to be as thin and light as possible and the shape of a widescreen LCD of whatever size.

Should Samsung sue Apple should they ever dare release a 7" tablet? Cause you know, 7" is Samsung's thing, their copyrighted dimension.

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, no. It's not like that, since this isnt claiming to be made by 'Appel' or any slightly similar name. And the device is the same general shape as every other tablet out there - a rectangle with curved corners. Add the different screen aspect ratio and size, and it's fairly clear this is not an iPad, and no-one who buys one is going to think they've bought an iPad.

[Lamont Cranston]

Wasn't this proven in the courts?

Provided that consumers do not believe that their £5 Rolek is an actual Rolex, there's no infringement.

I would imagine that the word SAMSUNG being emblazoned across the product, would probably dissuade all but the most well bunged members of the German judiciary, from believing this to be an iPad.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep - probably has a $5 quartz movement too - wearers lose out on the instant credibility and respect from all that wearing a genuine Rolex brings, though will actually know what the time is unlike their clockwork wearing brethren.

[Chris Miller]

My $5 fake Rolex

reads 'Bolox'.

[Dazed and Confused]

More ammunition

for Samsungs lawyers to throw at the inevitable iPad3.

The more products they can get into the field, the more things they can claim Apple copied from them too.

This is going to be a war of attrition.

The real winners will of course be the lawyers.

[RayG]

No Apple rip-offery detected

Oh come off it. Apple don't even MAKE a 7" tablet, despite it being an absolutely perfect size for a tablet. It's far from a ripoff, it's a downright superior form factor with much better ergonomics.

I have a 7" Galaxy Tab classic and I get a lot of comments along the lines of "wow, it's like an ipad but it's small enough that you're actually carrying it - my ipad never leaves the sofa, I should have got one of those instead!". I'm glad to see Samsung think that the 7" size is worth keeping going; when mine dies or becomes hopelessly obsolete, it will get replaced with something the same size (assuming Apple haven't succeeded in banning every tablet under the sun by then).

[Troy Peterson]

I completely agree. I love my (classic) 7" Galaxy Tab and would not replace it with anything except maybe another 7" Galaxy Tab. it is starting to feel a little sluggish next to my dual core LG phone and could use a refresh. The 7" form factor is ideal in my humble opinion.

[Alan Denman]

One to watch

No point of Apple using expensive technology if they can continue to make 50% profit claiming copycat copycat.

[Evil Weevil]

Were the pics supplied by Apples lawyers ......

.....and are they photoshopped ?

[Steve King]

Lawyer Bait?

Cue lawyers everywhere trying to Photoshop half and iPhone and half an iPad together to prove Apple made 7" tablets first......

Compaq had better watch out - it's only a matter of time before Apple lawyers target the Jornada 720 and Photoshop out the keyboard (hey - I was just thinking that I still miss my 720 which I stopped using when the battery died and was too expensive to replace. Maybe Apple can sue them for thinking of that first as well?)

[ZankerH]

Choice is good

To summarise, samsung now offers or plans to offer android smartphones/tablets in the following sizes

3.5"

4.5"

5.3"

6"

7"

7.7"

8.9"

10.1"

Compare to Apple's "You want this, period" policy.

[N13L5]

you forgot 4.0 and 4.3...

[Chris007]

OMG- it looks white

Only Apple are allowed to sell white devices as these are even more hotly anticipated than the bloody black versions.

Samsung gonna get sued for this one for sure...

[Andy Kay]

Aside from all the legal discussions...

it seems a bit 'out-of-date' already with "1024 x 600 display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor". HTC have a 1.5GHz dual core out for their mobiles, and are about to release a 720p on a 4.3" screen.

[Kay Burley ate my hamster]

Anyone up for an Apple Store Android tablet flashmob?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ummm, nope, looks nothing like anything Apple produces. Where's the issue here...?

[Anonymous Coward]

Bit harsh on Apple

You lot have got to remember that Apples user base are the sort of folk outwitted by a 2 button mouse. These sort are not going to be able to tell beer from wine if the containers are even slightly similar. Apple are just trying to protect the poor special sods. They are the champions of weak minded sheeple / Darwin fodder and I for one think it admirable. Samsung tablets are at least relatively benign, the real danger to Apple users is going to be some unthinking chemical company making drain cleaner etc. and putting it in a black or white rectangular container with rounded corners... :*(

[Eponymous Bastard]

And you you can add your own storage etc. etc. etc.

Trouble is, most of the lawyers probably think an iPad has wings and is used to keep a badly-packed kebab (© Viz) from spoiling garments, so how are they going to understand that anything other than something with a fucking Apple on it allows memory expansion and connection to a computer via USB at the very least?

[N13L5]

Samsung probably bought an old Foxconn factory, and those machines can't make anything else.

I do think Apple stinks, but still, I already thought with the Galaxy SII "why does it look like a stupid iPhone? I don't want to be mistaken for one of those folks"

And the centered writing on the back of this tablet again makes it needlessly look more like Apple than it had to. As a designer, I don't like over-designed crap-boxes like most PC laptops and Apple's stuff does look better, its also a bit soapish, boring and far from impossible to surpass.

When I think that the lawsuits are about trade dress, I can't help but roll my eyes and think how unnecessary it was to keep other designs so close with factors other than the much discussed rectangle with rounded corners.

[cortezcortez]

Thieves! Can't they do anything original?

For those who believe that Apple pioneered the minimalist touchscreen slate design, I give you the HP/Compaq TC 1100.....from 200andfrickin'3:

http://www.techautos.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/HPtc1100Slate.jpg

Look familiar? It wasn't even HP/Compaq'f first touchscreen slate.