Apple Pressures Competitor to Change Product Name

Lotus Esprit · May 8, 2010

Rumors are circulating that under pressure from Apple the German tablet maker Neofonie has changed the name of its iPad competitor from WePad to WeTab.

Source: crunchgear.com

iggibar · May 8, 2010

I wonder what EeePc is going to do with their talked about EeePad?

Lotus Esprit · May 8, 2010

There are implications for other products such as "MaxiPad" which does have the full Apple trademark "iPad" in it.

the8thark · May 8, 2010

That depends if maxipad has trademarked their name or not.

Lotus Esprit · May 8, 2010

the8thark said:
That depends if maxipad has trademarked their name or not.

To Steve "Darth Vader" Jobs it doesn't matter.

Do you remember the Macintosh 1984 Commercial? Where Apple was smashing IBM who was "Big Brother"?

After the incident with the 4G iPhone, in going to search the kids house who found and sold it, Apple is now BIG BROTHER.

the8thark · May 8, 2010

Actually I agree with Apple's measures they took to get the phone back. If your most prized possession was stolen I'm sure you'd move heaven and Earth to get it back. And you'd have police bash as many doors down till the property stolen from you was back in your hands. And Apple did no different.

Kash · May 8, 2010

Did Apple pressure them, or was it simply a business decision to change the name because it was so silly? The name WeePad gives the connotation that it's an inferior knockoff.

So what's more plausible, the simple explanation given by the company, or the more elaborate one that has no factual basis?

Lotus Esprit · May 8, 2010

the8thark said:
Actually I agree with Apple's measures they took to get the phone back. If your most prized possession was stolen I'm sure you'd move heaven and Earth to get it back. And you'd have police bash as many doors down till the property stolen from you was back in your hands. And Apple did no different.

The problem with this is that the events of the police bashing down the doors and Apple wanting to do a search happened after they had their property returned.

Steve Jobs is now Darth Vader

Lotus Esprit · May 8, 2010

Kash said:
Did Apple pressure them, or was it simply a business decision to change the name because it was so silly? The name WeePad gives the connotation that it's an inferior knockoff.

So what's more plausible, the simple explanation given by the company, or the more elaborate one that has no factual basis?

WeTab is even more silly than WePad so I am not buying it.

jazmine1987 · May 8, 2010

thats stupid...

dave421 · May 8, 2010

the8thark said:
Actually I agree with Apple's measures they took to get the phone back. If your most prized possession was stolen I'm sure you'd move heaven and Earth to get it back. And you'd have police bash as many doors down till the property stolen from you was back in your hands. And Apple did no different.

What? Apple was contacted by the guy that found the phone and they didn't believe him. He then contacted Gizmodo who paid him for the phone and then they contacted Apple. Apple got it back and over a week since everything started, the cops raid Jason Chen's house with illegal search warrants trying to send someone to jail because an Apple employee screwed up and then Apple ignored the guy trying to help them. They might be upset at the outcome with the photos & information but that doesn't necessitate sending the cops out and makes them look like the bad guy big time.

Lotus Esprit · May 8, 2010

dave421 said:
What? Apple was contacted by the guy that found the phone and they didn't believe him. He then contacted Gizmodo who paid him for the phone and then they contacted Apple. Apple got it back and over a week since everything started, the cops raid Jason Chen's house with illegal search warrants trying to send someone to jail because an Apple employee screwed up and then Apple ignored the guy trying to help them. They might be upset at the outcome with the photos & information but that doesn't necessitate sending the cops out and makes them look like the bad guy big time.

Plus Apple security went to the kids house who found the phone well after they had possesion of it again and wanted to search the place. Apple is Big Brother now and Steve Jobs is Darth Vader.

We are looking for an upstart tablet maker to be the present day Apple Computer of the 1980's.

Winchester92367 · May 9, 2010

WeTab

I was just reading this at the WeTab website and appears that they did this own there own. Probably a good decision considering Apple's reputation

the8thark · May 9, 2010

I wonder if Nintendo will complain about the WeTab because We sounds like Wii.

Doug b · May 9, 2010

I really feel like watching episodes IV and V now. ... "That's no moon, it's an giant Apple !"

D.