MACBOOK PRO no longer unique-Copied all over

Wow, it seems the MACBOOK PRO and even the Air are no longer unique latops as they are being copied by several laptop manufacturers. Their laptops now all look like MAcbook PROs.

Things like aluminum cases, spaced keyboards, backlit keyboards, slim design, glass trackpad.

What is the sense in trying to imitate the Macbook PRO?
Why not come up with something different?
Don't wait for Apple to come up with a design and then copy, what then is the purpose of having a product design team or product design manager?

 

May I ask who has the glass trackpad? Aluminum casing is simply a choice of material; chiclet keyboards / backlit keyboards were not invented by Apple, they simply adopted the design as well.

Slim design? How does apple hold any exclusive right to that? And as the market is expanding for ultraportables/ultrabooks, slim is simply the new trend that is popping up on many manufacturers.

I don't see the point of this thread at all.

 

Neither do I. Sure, I think some manufacturers make certain notebooks that are similar in looks to a MBP or MBA but this is nothing new and even dates back to the old PowerBook days. Remember the black PowerBook with the upside down rainbow Apple logo on the back of the display? I knew someone with a Dell (or maybe it was an HP) that looked just like it. I don't know if that company was specifically trying to copy Apple but they did. There were also notebooks similar looking to the iBook G3/G4 and the PowerBook G4.

Devices tend to look like other devices. Sure, companies could add dye to their aluminum to make it look a little different and some do that. HP's aluminum looks a little different than what Apple uses. However, you can also say that Apple copied Palm with the Newton and again with the main design of iOS (with the app layout). Companies are constantly feeding on each other and it is nothing new. Now, if a company came out with a notebook using the same body as the MBP or MBA, we would have issues.

 

Nothing special about their design materials/keyboard.

The actual LOOK, well I've never seen a laptop that copied the MBP look yet. Nor their glass trackpad. What laptops are you talking about?

 

Glass trackpad on MBP? Mine doesn't feel like glass.

 

Yep, the MBP, MBA, and Magic Trackpad all have a glass surface. I don't think it is the same glass as on the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch but it is still glass.

 

Glass o.o mine feels like plastic...

 

Apple - MacBook Pro - A notebook full of innovations.

 

Its glass, but they paint on a coating on top, but its definitely glass, you can tell if you check it out closely.

 

I like my glass trackpad. sometimes i slide across it on my bum.

 

I don't think you've been looking close enough. There's no painted coating on top of the glass. If you tilt the MBP or Magic trackpad and the proper angle you will see the clear glass laying on top of the aluminum.

 

define unique? except for glass touchpad and unibody the rest is not new, as a single package it is moreso. everyone has copied everyone to some point.

thin and light I believe started with the HP Soujourn in 1998. ( 0.75" thick, metallic case and under 3 lbs )
HP releases 3-pound notebook - CNET News
HP OmniBook SOJOURN - 12.1" - P MMX - Win95 OSR2.5 - 64 MB RAM - 2.1 GB HDD - Laptops - CNET Archive

the island keyboard dates to tandy, Atari and Texas Instruments in the late 70's early 80's and more modernly found in Sony since 2000

backlight keyboards ..... T.I, AST and Panasonic since mid 90's

but as was pointed out the synaptics touchpad IS glass, I have a couple broken ones

 

I think I read somewhere that the old HP Envy 15 has a glass trackpad. It certainly feels similar to the MBP's anyway.

Even so, no laptop has all the unique features of the MBP together.

 

sorry... "paint" might be the wrong term to use...

I was referring to the oleophobic coating that is on the glass... so it doesn't act like normal glass and get all finger printed up and smudgy so easy... and feels slightly different, other than the fact its very thin with metal so close.

 

Others copied Apple? LOL. Only Apple users would think so.

 

well... no.

although sometimes Apple may declare a foul when there is not one, there are certainly cases of overt copying. Here are some examples...

...Oh wait, you said Apple "users". I'd rather not contribute to flame bait.