As reported by PatentlyApple, "Apple has received a Granted Patent relating to the iPhone's graphical user interface for displaying electronic lists and documents." Lists? documents? Boring, right?
Wrong! Lists, in particular, are what the web and almost all electronic interfaces are made of. So getting a patent for how lists of elements are displayed on smartphones is kind of like getting a patent on something as basic as water for use in an old-time grinding mill.
And the document aspect is important, because prior to the launch of the iPhone in 2007, smartphone interfaces were too cluttered and hard to read anything remotely like a document.
Specifically, "Apple's patent covers UI modules covering blogging, email, telephone, camera, video player, calendar, browser, widgets, search, notes, maps and more importantly, a multi-touch interface." Wow, that's a lot! What we have here is a situation where Apple has succeded in patenting things that most consumers would consider generic about a smartphone. The implication is that whatever settlements there will be over Android will be more punitive and place Apple at an even greater advantage.
This is a bad break for companies that are invested in Android, but it will most likely lead to more innovation of the Android UI. Companies like Frog Design have shown their ability to create imaginative and unique UI elements on top of Android's code and there is likely to be much more of that sort of work to be done moving forward.
The patent is also, perhaps, a slight victory for the Windows Phone as well, since it is not tied to Apple's paradigm as tightly as Android.
