File this under the fun/cool funny, parody and homage categories.
Can’t wait for the Apple Inc. iPhone? Then check out iPhony, a free (as in beer) launcher /skin for your Palm device. The developer is a respected Palm application / simulation developer who put this together for fun, and is now taking a bit of heat online for it.
We’re not linking to it, as any reasonably web-savvy surfer knows, a simple search using any of the popular search engines will reveal many links to the iPhony palm application.
Oh, and Apple is, of course, issuing takedown notes to anyone posting the actual launcher application, or images of the launcher — copyright violations you know.
Anyway, there’s lots of free PR for Apple with this issue.…what’s that old saying…any press including bad press as long as they get the name right?
 Update: after three months, this could be the last surviving iPhony link on the internets.
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Yes, be warned. If you develop something, even a skin/UI, for a competing product based on something Apple designed, Apple will be pissed because design is part of what they’re know for. Hardware examples would include the eMachine iMac ripoff, or the Luxpro Super Shuffle iPod ripoff. I guess the point can be made that a Palm skin that apes/pays homage to the iPhone interface that was demoed this month isn’t really a big deal, but based on how much importance Apple is obviously placing on the success of this product, it probably shouldn’t surprose anyone that they’re a little sensitive to people copying their interface.
I guess Microsoft did the same thing to the Mac OS in the ’80s, and the legal battle between the two was one of the biggest you could imagine. In the end Mr. Softee won, and Windows 3,95, 98, 2000, XP were spawned to great success (business-wise, not usability-wise!).
But tying the two together – do you think it was any coincidence Apple chose to preview the iPhone at Macworld, six months before the phone even comes out, when Macworld was just two weeks before Vista was being released to the masses? With just days to go, everyone’s ga-ga-ing over the iPhone instead of hyping up Vista. When Windows 95 was released it was front page news for weeks in advance. When Vista is about to be released, Apple is front page news instead. The conspiracy theorist inside me thinks this was no coincidence…
Where was I?? Oh yes. iPhoney. Develop something like that at your own legal risk. OK I’m done. Hope you’re having fun with Joost!