SkratchBoard.com

Here is a quick rundown of what happened last month between Apple and Palm :

• On Jan. 8, Palm unveiled Palm Pre at CES 2009. Palm Pre was raved by many early reviewers and was even called an “iPhone Kller. The Palm Pre was named “Best in Show” for CES later on in the week.
• On Jan. 20, Apple was awarded the iPhone and Multi-touch patent.
• On Jan. 21, during Apple’s quarterly earnings call, COO and acting CEO Tim Cook warned:

“We approach this business as a software platform business. We are watching the landscape. We like competition as long as they don’t rip off our IP. And if they do, we will go after anyone who does.”

Apple has rarely been on the offensive in the past when it comes to patent-infringement cases. Apple also hasn’t made a peep about other phones with touch-screen inputs. While Mr. Cook’s comment did not name Palm explicitly, it was very obvious to which company the comment was directed.

Apple sold over 10 million iPhones last year, and it’s expected to sell over 28 million this year. It doesn’t seem like Apple would appreciate any company threatening its market share while its growing its iPhone business. Apple does not seem concerned about any other competitors in the smartphone market, yet it seems to be acting a little bit threatened by the Palm Pre. Why? Check back tomorrow to find out.

Our Own Patent

As an aside, coincidentally we just received a notice today that a patent we filed in 2005 has been issued (pat on the back for us). But the notice didn’t come from USPTO. Instead, it came from a company that is trying to sell us commemorative stuff like plates, certificates and mugs. Checking with USPTO, our patent really did get issued though. The official notice is probably still in the mail…