In a recent interview Samsung Mobile's VP of design, Lee Minhyouk, had a few things to say about Apple's claim that Samsung is "slavishly" copying their designs.
"I've made thousands of sketches and hundreds of prototype products (for the Galaxy). Does that mean I was putting on a mock show for so long, pretending to be designing? … As a designer, there's an issue of dignity. (The Galaxy) is original from the beginning, and I'm the one who made it. It's a totally different product with a different design language and different technology infused."
Of course, there are some undeniable similarities between Apple and Samsung products, but since the initial lawsuit, there has definitely been a bit divergence, particularly when it comes to Samsung's wider variety of form factors. There are still a lot of lawsuits flying back and forth between the two giants, and as much personal affront as this Samsung designer might take to the allegations, I doubt things will turn out completely in his favor.
Samsung may have started off being very Apple-like in their design and marketing, but lately devices like the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Note show a different design language and philosophy. (They're hardly copying the Apple stylus, right?)
What do you guys think? Is Samsung a shameless copycat and this designer is just putting on a show, or is Apple's claim to originality overinflated in the face of a long history of mobile technology and interfaces before it?
Source: Reuters
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