William Goodall's Blog Occasional mutterings

Nokia executive vice-president Rick Simonson, in an interview with The Economic Times:

By 2011, our efforts will start producing results, as we will be
at par with Apple and RIM in smartphones. Not only we draw level
with them, we will also win the war because, in addition to email,
we will be adding content, chat, music, entertainment and several
other features, which will soon become very critical for success
of any company in this space.

Even with where Apple (and RIM) will be in 2011, or even with where they were in 2009? And in what way have “content, chat, music, and entertainment” not been key factors in the iPhone’s success since 2007?

★

[From Nokia Plans to Patch Hole From Iceberg by 2011]

Nokia are thrashing.

Finns to match Apple ‘by 2011’ Nokia has beefed up its legal challenge to Apple, filing a second patent-infringement lawsuit against Cupertino in US District Court in Delaware. This time around, the Finnish outfit says that Apple stole patents that make Nokia unique, including patents for a camera phone and a touch-screen display.…Offloading malware protection to the cloud [From Nokia sues Apple (again)]

Smacks of desperation.

Nokia ramps up its legal fight against Apple, claiming that almost all of its products infringe its patents. [From Nokia expands claim against Apple]

I guess the next move is for Apple to dig up even more patents it claims Nokia infringes. Apple has been in the computer business a lot longer than Nokia has been in the phone business, and smartphones are computers.

Last October, Nokia sued Apple for a 10-patent infringement. Today, Apple has sued back while snubbing Nokia with this awesomely catty one-liner: “Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours.”

That was the only official Apple statement we’ve yet seen on the matter, by Bruce Sewell, Apple’s General Counsel and senior vice president. Apple is countersuing Nokia for 13 infringing patents.That’s three more than Nokia. And it’s hard to imagine Nokia coming back at Apple with any less than 18 at this point.

Apple Countersues Nokia CUPERTINO, California-December 11, 2009-Responding to a lawsuit brought against the company by Nokia, Apple® today filed a countersuit claiming that Nokia is infringing 13 Apple patents. “Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours,” said Bruce Sewell, Apple’s General Counsel and senior vice president.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.[From Apple Countersues Nokia [Apple]]

This should be amusing.