Apple's inspiration

The commercial products and software that inspired Apple. Not always getting the consent of their creators.

Apple lawyers work in one direction: they spend their time looking for someone who copies Apple products, but they never look to see if Apple products copy others...

Swiss watch

It was designed by Hans Hilfiker for Swiss train stations. It is a facility whose design is registered and owned by that country's railway service, SBB. This design is found in the iPad watch app without consulting the copyright holder. It is a form of skeuomorphism (virtual reproduction of a real object), brought to an extreme. Perhaps a little too much, SBB claims to have contacted Apple to find a legal and financial solution to this dispute. Apple eventually agreed to pay €17 million to resolve the dispute.

German calculator

The calculator on the left is Braun's ET 44, an older model, but one whose design appeals to Apple, and when Apple likes something, it takes it. Ive, Apple's lead designer, is said to have great admiration for Brown, and several Apple products are inspired by the company's products. The iPod, for example, resembles the Braun T3 pocket radio. But Apple fans will tell you it's not copies, it's homages. They're not the same.

Brown was also a constant inspiration for Apple's design, as shown in this video.

Japanese (and

Korean) inspired smartphone

Left is a prototype designed by a Japanese designer working for Apple and inspired by Sony products. Right iPhone. Apple's original design resembled the iPod, a design also close to Nokia, with a smaller size than the Sony model, so the Sony model was ultimately preferred.
During the trial between Apple and Samsung in San Jose, Apple secured the exclusion of the Sony prototype because it was not submitted within the allotted time, and Samsung was found guilty of copying the iPhone design.

The design of the iPhone is also very similar to the LG Lada, which was presented at the iF Design Award and won in September 2006, before the announcement of the iPhone in January 2007.

Conclusion

Apple often pays tribute to other companies' designers, but can't stand it when tributes are paid to its own products. In particular, the AppStore has a habit of rejecting an application when a graphic element resembles its own design too closely.