Apple stole idea for iPhone from Amiga DE?

[Lando]

I was just idly looking at some ancient articles about the Amiga DE on OSNews (http://www.osnews.com/comments/459) and came across a post from Mike Bouma (some people here may remember Mike, some perhaps not too fondly..) but what astounded me was his description of what Amiga DE was intended to be, it isn't just 'similar' to the iPhone, it 'is' the iphone (with a couple of exceptions)

The games you see here will run without modifications on future cellphones with 16-bit 240x320 color displays. Such phones/PDAs will offer functions like:

- email (touchscreen with handwriting recognition, some will use bluetooth and enables you to use your stylus to write on any surface and wirelessly transmits the data to your phone.)
- webbrowser (not just text, it will support high quality graphics and sound as well, Flash)
- MP3/MPEG multimedia players (something like an inbuilt iPOD and fullscreen videos)
- Global positioning Services (Maps with your location, and find nearest restaurant/hotel/hospital/etc functions)
- Games(Both 3D and 2D but adjusted for small screensizes, online gaming i.e. play chess nomatter where your opponent is located i.e. in a train in Tokyo Japan or in the hospital somewhere in Amsterdam)
- Built-in webcam and 384kbs (currently available in Tokyo) allows you to instantly see to who you are talking with.
- Other stadard functions will also be available of course: Schedule, Calculator, Alarm, Call Answering, Voice Memo in Standby or Text Memo.

Built-in iPod, GPS, Web browser with high quality graphics, 3D gaming... Remember this is in 2001, 8 years ago, when mobile phones were lowly little text-based devices with blocky monochrome screens.  Could it be that a certain Mr. Jobs reads OSNews, came across Mike's post and decided to invent the iPhone? What do you think?

[mongo]

Could it be that a certain Mr. Jobs reads OSNews, came across Mike's post and decided to invent the iPhone?

No.

[Tension]

No.  Apple's phone is locked down.  Apple have complete control.

I believe the Amiga version would've basically been some type of HAL so different manufacturers could use the same piece of software (or "app" i suppose) cross platform, basically.

Apple are really starting to piss me off.

[Bamiga2002]

Maybe Amiga Inc. sold their concept to fund the trial against Hyperion? Hmm...

[Piru]

Ahahahahaha

[fishy_fiz]

All he's saying is that future (at the time)phones/pdas/etc will have that functionality, it has nothing to do with AmigaDE specifically. AmigaDE had the "write once, run anywhere" idea in mind, and could have potentially run on the devices that have the functionality you mentioned/quoted without being specially adapted. In no way, shape or form has apple been inspired/copied/etc ideas for iPhone from AmigaDE. They're different kettles of fish.

[Homer]

Did I ever mention that I invented the doughnut  :python:

[warpdesign]

Lolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Sorry

[tone007]

Could it be that a certain Mr. Jobs reads OSNews, came across Mike's post and decided to invent the iPhone? What do you think?

The iPhone is nothing new, PDAs could do much of that stuff before 2001, and:

In October, 2001 Handspring unveiled the Palm OS Treo smartphone, utilizing a full keyboard that combined wireless web browsing, email, calendar and contact organizer, with mobile third-party applications that could be downloaded or synced with a computer.

The iPhone is just another generation of "smartphone," and far from being the first to offer integrated GPS and videochat, etc.

[tone007]

The iPhone is nothing new, PDAs could do much of that stuff before 2001, and:



The iPhone is just another generation of "smartphone," and far from being the first to offer integrated GPS and videochat, etc.

edit: hey, the iPhone couldn't offer two-way videochat anyway, could it, since the camera is facing the wrong way.  Maybe a little clip-on mirror would help...

[tokyoracer]

Did I ever mention that I invented the doughnut  :python:

That's an odious lie!

I invented the pie within 2 slices of bread though, I did I tells ya' *looks shifty*.

[jj]

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ho ho ho ha ha heh heh heh ha ha ha ha he he ho, soooooooooo funny

[persia]

It needs a second, front facing camera.  That would add maybe €5 to 10 to the price, but it would chew up bandwidth, Many users only get a GB of usage a month....

edit: hey, the iPhone couldn't offer two-way videochat anyway, could it, since the camera is facing the wrong way.  Maybe a little clip-on mirror would help...

[Orjan]

It needs a second, front facing camera.  That would add maybe €5 to 10 to the price, but it would chew up bandwidth, Many users only get a GB of usage a month....

Does anyone still use the videochat function? I have never seen a real person use it here in Sweden, and all the new phones that are coming out is lacking the videochat camera.

Also, over here most iPhone buyers gets unlimited data usage..

[kolla]

Does anyone still use the videochat function? I have never seen a real person use it here in Sweden, and all the new phones that are coming out is lacking the videochat camera.

I've used it once. I had just bought the SE P1i and a friend of mine had bought a Nokia thing, we were sitting in a pub, drinking beer and comparing phones, suddenly we realized both supported videocalls. So, we tried it while sitting there, and that was the only time I ever used it.

Also, over here most iPhone buyers gets unlimited data usage..

Only iPhone buyers? What stupid discrimination is that?