Apple increased R&D spending by $1 billion in 2012

Re:Apple increased R&D spending by $1 billion in 2012 by mmanfrin on Thursday November 01, 2012 @08:59PM (#4730699)

> Often when there's a lack of vision a company (Microsoft is a great example) will produce a plethora of solutions in search of a problem and patent the shit out of everything along the way.

What sort of patents has MS exercised in this fashion? They've shown some amazing tech demos over the past 4-5 years and a lot of them have materialized in to actual products. Even perhaps the biggest 'demo noshow' has been used: Surface (i.e., the surface of 4 years ago).

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Re:Apple increased R&D spending by $1 billion in 2012 by alwaysinshade on Friday November 02, 2012 @09:19PM (#4735577)

First, I have a huge respect for Microsoft and use many of their products, so this isn't a brand-love pissing contest...

> What sort of patents has MS exercised in this fashion?

Ask manufacturers of Android phones how Microsoft exercises its patents.

> a lot of them have materialized in to actual products.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20064439-75.html

"A little more than three years after opening Pioneer Studios, a skunkworks operation to develop consumer electronics and experiences, Microsoft has closed the unit"

"The ill-fated Courier tablet--something of a dual-screen tablet that predated Apple's iPad--emerged from Pioneer."

"the group zeroed in on opportunities that offered revenue opportunities north of $100 million a year. And because the group focused on those opportunities so early, it had a 20 percent success rate."

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Re:Apple increased R&D spending by $1 billion in 2012 by caycep on Thursday November 01, 2012 @09:39PM (#4730811)

Nathan Myrvhold's patent troll firm that has some ties so MS is probably what was being referred to.

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Re:Apple increased R&D spending by $1 billion in 2012 by tptacek on Friday November 02, 2012 @12:51AM (#4731286)

Nathan Myrvhold did not build a patent portfolio out of Microsoft's R&D budget.

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