Apple vs Samsung - What Does It Mean for Design by Banks - Essay Example

Apple and Samsung are world leaders in smartphones and tablets, the two fastest-growing consumer electronics markets across the globe. For this reason, the success of Apple’s lawsuit could potentially have global ramifications even though the ruling only applies to the American market. A possible scenario that could play out is for Apple to pursue other competitors in the US – with many analysts seeing the Android Operating System as the main target. However, given that we do not see Apple’s lawsuit succeeding in other jurisdictions, this would segment the global consumer electronics industry into the US and the rest of the world. This would isolate the US consumer electronics industry from global competition. This could be beneficial for Apple in the short run but in the long run, the lack of competition could eventually make the US consumer electronics industry go the way of the US auto industry.

There are three questions that I see arising from this article. First, interaction design is a fundamental component of consumer electronics. Is it ethical to grant proprietary rights to fundamental components that advance the growth of the industry? Secondly, when looking at such patent-infringement battles is the effect on consumers weighed in or only the interests of corporations are taken into account? What is the greater good?