Doesn't Apple know that one cannot proceed by clinging on the patents and legal protections alone.
They're doing no such thing. They're trying to slow others so that they can stay ahead.
For the longest time I refused to buy new smartphones because I don't agree with Apple's iPhone lockdown (If I buy a product, it's mine. Nowhere does it say I'm leasing an iPhone, Apple should have no say about what I do with it.) and because multi-touch was a make-or-break feature.
By keeping manufacturers afraid of implementing multi-touch Apple keeps consumers like me from going to them because they seem behind on the times.
They know that some people would be bothered by this but they don't have any great reason to care as the competetive edge this might give them on the 99% of their market which does not care would far outweigh the damage done by bothering the 1%.
99% of their market doesn't even know about this trial, or even what software patents are. Only the one 1% that is bothered about this knows about and understands the issue. In the end it will be a big loss of money for Apple and its shareholders and HTC too. A lose-lose situation, well done Apple...
They're doing no such thing. They're trying to slow others so that they can stay ahead.
For the longest time I refused to buy new smartphones because I don't agree with Apple's iPhone lockdown (If I buy a product, it's mine. Nowhere does it say I'm leasing an iPhone, Apple should have no say about what I do with it.) and because multi-touch was a make-or-break feature.
By keeping manufacturers afraid of implementing multi-touch Apple keeps consumers like me from going to them because they seem behind on the times.