Meizu CEO: we only kind of knocked off the iPhone

Funny, we rarely, if ever see a company producing Chinese knocks of high profile devices start defending themselves, but it sounds like Meizu wants to (partly) shed the bad light cast on its M8, er, miniOne non-iPhone. According to some posts in their forums by someone who appears to be Meizu's CEO, J.Wong, the original M8 design for a massive-touchscreen cellphone debuted four days before Macworld -- however, the design was still undergoing changes, and when Apple launched their product, so Meizu reworked the aesthetic, added some metal, slimmed it down, and voila, M8 cum miniOne. We recognize that's some serious gray area for Meizu to be treading -- kind of the design equivalent of double-checking your answers with your neighbors' before turning in your test -- but let's face it, a phone like that coming out of China, it would have been pegged an iPhone knock either way. Plus, they were still ahead of the game with that insane 720 x 480 res screen they've apparently spent $1m US ordering in bulk. So take this one for what you will, but we think Meizu's among the first to keep it somewhat real while still managing to keep it real fake.

[Via Engadget Chinese, thanks Kevin]

[Matt @ Feb 14th 2007 2:05PM]

This should have been another CE-OH no he didnt!

[akintz @ Feb 14th 2007 12:53PM]

Well there are certainly some differences... but the similarities are too many, IMO. Especially in the interface appearance. Even the bottom 4 icons... phone, mail, web, music. Ya, I know, there are only so many ways you can do it and someone would have done it "eventually" but come on.

Best of luck to them anyways I guess.

[Dave @ Feb 14th 2007 1:07PM]

The original white industrial design looks pretty good. Although the reworked icons look more professional.

Jury is still out on touch screen / multi-touch ... I still need my tactile feedback :)

[andy @ Feb 14th 2007 1:23PM]

"added some metal, slimmed it down,"

slimming it down in industrial design is not as easy as this makes it sound, fishy

[Andrew Fong @ Feb 14th 2007 7:52PM]

I don't think they slimmed it down in response to the iPhone. It's just sort of a natural thing you try to do when you revise the design.

[paul34 @ Feb 14th 2007 1:29PM]

Is it cheaper and does it work? Doesn't mean I won't buy it.

One COULD argue that... they are as similar as most PDAs are similar... maybe... I don't know. Just throwing that out there.

[kibets @ Feb 14th 2007 1:30PM]

Multi touch is overrated and I was never impressed with the scroll wheel.

I'll be first in line for one of these Meizu's - too bad they'll probably sell out if they only bought 1 million worth of displays!

If they actually run the Microsoft CE apps that would be fantastic!

[Rohit Kapur @ Feb 14th 2007 1:37PM]

Could you BE a bigger MS fanboy?

I like both companies, so don't worry.

I think it's definitely interesting what Meizu is doing, and if nothing else, I gotta hand it to them for having balls. This is gonna be extremely interesting, no matter how you view it. They're tangling with more than one company on the whole ripping-off thing, and their product is actually looking good at the same time. Let's see. I'll keep an eye out for it (through Engadget, of course)!

[Jared Dilg @ Feb 14th 2007 1:37PM]

Four icons on the bottom? eh, then you might as well say Apple copied PalmPilot on that one. I'll give Meizu credit for this one. Besides, there's only so much Apple can do in the confines of minimalist design.

[Jonathan @ Feb 14th 2007 1:50PM]

I don't get it. First, LG comes out with a prototype phone(the KE850). Then the iPhone hits, people notice it looks like the LG, and we're told, "It's just the natural progression of the cellphone". Now, any phone that looks similar to either is slammed as being an iPhone-knockoff? What happen to this design being inevitable?
Mac people make as much sense as tits on a bull.

[doctorSpoc @ Feb 14th 2007 3:09PM]

Jonathan... look at the progression of the Meizu phone.. they had a design.. that was fine... why does each iteration of their phone look more and more like an iPhone both functionally (moved from 3 physical buttons to 1) and visually.. christ, look at the original music player button which used to be on screen... it IS the itunes logo... look at the backgrounds in the illustration, it's the default background of the OSX desktop... c'mon this company lives and breaths by doing knock off.. LG and samsung used to do the same thing but now they are doing there own thing.. and kicking some design butt

[Ignacio @ Feb 14th 2007 2:23PM]

Dude, look at the freaking icons (particularly, the calendar -iCal- and camera), not to mention the point of this article: that -allegedly- the CEO said "We changed it to look like the iPhone" (it was previously all white, with a different GUI)

[Kev50027 @ Feb 14th 2007 8:23PM]

Thank you. Nice comment, I also am frustrated with Engadget because they claim every mp3 player out there is an iPod rip and every phone now is an iPhone rip. Engadget mobile even called a Sony cell phone a Mac G5 rip! How is that even possible?!?? It's sick, and these mac fans need to STOP blogging in a Windows centric world.

[len @ Feb 14th 2007 2:02PM]

It is astounding how people keep calling the placement of four icons and the chrome-like finish of a plastic bezel "innovation". This is not nearly enough to even qualify as trade dress. Let it go. Technology is not fashion.

Why does every Apple story have to remind me of Zoolander?

[Matt @ Feb 14th 2007 2:26PM]

Apple does not use chrome plastic. Anything on the iPhone that looks like metal, *IS* metal.

[Matt @ Feb 14th 2007 2:25PM]

Yeah, this is BS. There's no way they launched in THAT style, with THAT interface 4 days before they saw the iPhone.

They're either lying, or they had access to the Apple designs early.

[SOCOMRAIDER @ Feb 14th 2007 2:43PM]

Well, it will be a hit in China. With all the legal stuff, that thing will never see stateside.

[ASTROBOT @ Feb 14th 2007 2:55PM]

It's Fong 'Shi you dumb idiot and don't pretend that you're Asian. By the way, check your facts before leaking garbage out of your mouth.

Whoever is coming out first with a decent price and good phone will get my money.

[Dax @ Feb 14th 2007 3:17PM]

Apple's phone runs OS X. None of these P.O.S. copies will ever be able to replicate that. For all you iPhone haters, show me Vista running on a device that this size!!!

[Michael @ Feb 14th 2007 3:23PM]

The version of OSX running on the iPhone is about as close to a normal version of OSX as windows mobile or windows CE is to windows vista

[John Doe @ Feb 14th 2007 7:37PM]

Yah as if anyone gives a fucking shit that a phone is running OS X. Esp if there isn't an available API its useless.

Give me CE. At least it has a software library that ISN't controlled my the OS designer. Fuck the iPhone.

[Andrew @ Feb 14th 2007 5:02PM]

You should do a little more reading before you decide to post. The iPhone runs Leopard.
http://www.suntimes.com/technology/ihnatko/215441,CST-FIN-Andy18.article

[Matt @ Feb 14th 2007 3:38PM]

Nobody outside Apple (certainly nobody posting here) knows *anything* about the "OS X" system running on the iPhone. It may very well be much closer to Mac OS X than CE is to Vista. In fact, I'd bet good money that it is.

[Andrew @ Feb 14th 2007 5:02PM]

Couldn't agree with you more. Check out this article though because it gives a little more insight on this matter.
http://www.suntimes.com/technology/ihnatko/215441,CST-FIN-Andy18.article

[picaso @ Feb 14th 2007 3:41PM]

Other companies just don't get it. It's not just the industrial exterior that matters. What's most important is the elegant simplicity. The Apple design means that you will rarely if ever have to read an instruction manual to figure out how to use a product. That's the true genius of the iPod, iTunes, the Mac OS, etc. Many companies will knock-off the exterior design, none will get the software right. Unfortunately few understand this, go beyond the looks.

[AKBlade13 @ Feb 14th 2007 5:02PM]

Piscaso I totoally agree. I wish people would figure this out sooner than later. Now as for the rip off MP3 player...I wish it was kind of actually a phone with CDMA, I'd buy it so I can at least know I'm that much closer to obtaining my iPhone (WHY APPLE? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO CINGULAR EXCLUSIVE!?).

AKBlade13

[SubGenius @ Feb 14th 2007 3:59PM]

Even though there is room for 16 icons up top they only have 11 up top and 4 on the bottom.
Hmmm where have I seen that combination before?

As far as Windows CE being similar to Windows XP/Vista....thats the problem with these devices. No matter how you dress her up, she's still a pig Verne.

[NuttyBars @ Feb 14th 2007 4:19PM]

Cisco should license the iPhone name to these guys. :)

[blackfield @ Feb 14th 2007 4:26PM]

Does any consider the Onyx innovation? Seems to have a head start on several iPhone UI enhancements back in 2006.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/21/the-onyx-synaptics-clearpad-concept-phone/

[len @ Feb 14th 2007 6:38PM]

Interesting. I wonder if we'll be able to download their ARM port of Darwin. Somehow I doubt it.

[Alpay Kasal @ Feb 17th 2007 8:50AM]

Andrew, here's a bit from your own posted link:

>So will it run Mac software? Nope. The iPhone runs OS X, but it's an iPhone, not a Macintosh. And it stands to reason that the OS on the iPhone doesn't include any bits that it doesn't need. And no, the iPhone's Widgets aren't the same as the Mac's Dashboard widgets.

how could anyone think the SAME os on your desktop/laptop is gonna run on the iPhone. look at the countless unix variants, some designed to be SUPER lightweight for embedded computing, sure you can recompile code meant for it's bigger cousins - but it ain't the same exact os knucklehead. I'd say the comparison to CE and XP is certainly valid.

[Frankenstein Black @ Feb 14th 2007 5:43PM]

NO US MOBILE OPERATOR WILL CARRY THIS!
- Cingy has iPhone
- T-mobile wants iPhone 2.0 (so don’t want to piss Apple off)
- Verizon & Sprint are CDMA and a TD-SCDMA/GSM phone, not compatible
- imports will only do voice & SMS. No Data (email, video, web, etc.)
SO I ASK AGAIN, WHO IN THE US IS THIS PHONE FOR?

[Andrew Fong @ Feb 14th 2007 7:54PM]

Why does it have to be the US? There are more customers, especially ones willing to buy knockoffs, in China.

[Jamar @ Feb 14th 2007 10:57PM]

Who cares about Apple if the Meizu is just as good? Anyway, who says that it's TD-SCDMA? China's getting WCDMA too. Also, there's this little thing called GPRS that provides data to non-3G phones. Maybe you're too used to 3G or something.

[Ypoknons @ Feb 14th 2007 5:59PM]

Believe it or not, not all of Engadget's readers are from the US =)

[Eric @ Feb 14th 2007 6:34PM]

uhhhh, so what's up with the 720x480 3.3" screen? Nobody seems to show any sort of skepticism about this. Anybody do the math on this? Isn't it something like a 250ppi screen?

Doesn't that sound, oh, I don't know, noteworthy? Seeing as Apple is touting a 160ppi screen, a 250ppi screen is either pwnage or, shall we say, a falsehood.

[Aaron @ Feb 14th 2007 6:48PM]

I was thinking about the screen, too. If they can really pull off that kind of resolution, then I'd say this device, knock-off that it may be, is totally awesome.

[len @ Feb 14th 2007 6:58PM]

The Nokia N800 is 800x480 with a 4" diagonal. These higher density LCDs are becoming more common.

The iPhone is 320x480, the same as all non-square Palm devices. So I guess that is, uh, er, pwnage.

[Kev50027 @ Feb 14th 2007 8:28PM]

My Nokia N80 has a pretty insanely high DPI too.. Just because something has a really high resolution doesn't mean it's fake.

[ch0rx @ Feb 14th 2007 7:08PM]

I can't wait, this is like how Microsoft came up with all the ideas for vista, and apple robbed them and put it in OSX.

haha.

[Mat @ Feb 14th 2007 7:33PM]

"and voila, M8 cum miniOne."

The word CUM should only be used on sites where I can expect to jizz my pants. Don't get my dick up for nothing...

[Ryan Block @ Feb 15th 2007 12:02AM]

What are you talking about? Are you just making stuff up? Sounds like it. Many (if not most) of us have and use Windows machines. I don't think any of us are Mac-only.

[Ben @ Feb 14th 2007 8:24PM]

I agree 100% with NuttyBars. The funniest thing cisco could do is license the iphone name to them. They could call it the iPhone 2 or something better. I would 100% buy one of these.

Apple are good inovators, I wanted a mac mini when they came out to add linux to it.
I would buy a mac mini now and put windows straight onto it if I had the cash.
I would buy an ipod if it worked with Napster.

Inovation is good, but immitation is usually better. See something good, make it a bit better. I am all for people copying ideas, it drives people to make better products.
Imagine if motorola patented the mobile phone completely. Inovation today would be hugely limited. I don't like patents at all.

If somethings worth making its worth making well. (The first time)

If Apple made a product so good at a decent price then they wouldnt be scared of other companies. Because they would simply be better. They just want to make as much money as possible.

I'm off to ebay to check out some funky Hong Kong imports.

[doctorSpoc @ Feb 14th 2007 8:24PM]

people keeps saying that it isn't OSX... it is.. in UNIX the real OS is the kernal that provides all the core services.. the windowing system and all the other things that people consider part of the OS are not.. in UNIX you can choose any windowing system, GUI you'd like or none for that matter and just run the OS through a command line interface.. the OS is not the GUI even in windows it's just that in windows and the desktop version of OSX you don't have the choice of which windowing system you want to use... but in OSX you can open a terminal like all other unix OSs and run everything though it...

[jonathan @ Feb 15th 2007 1:14AM]

The first version has the same layout on screen as the last, the only thing they changed was how shiny it is. The visuals have changed, but the layout hasn't at all.

[mike @ Feb 15th 2007 2:22AM]

If Apple made a product so good at a decent price then they wouldnt be scared of other companies.

--

They're not.
But there's no reason why anyone should get to skip all the R&D costs that are needed for innovation.


Sorry, we're still talking about Meizu?

Apple's main objective is to not give these guys too much free pub, as Meizu fades into obscurity.

[Nick @ Feb 15th 2007 6:47AM]

May the best man win ;)

[Martin Ler @ Feb 15th 2007 9:42AM]

What i've read, some china manufacturers are providing not number of pixels, but number of transistor. so 720x480 is 240*480

[Xigam @ Feb 15th 2007 11:19AM]

I'd rather have this phone than an iphone.. I can write programs for this phone and make it do stuff I want it to.. It does need WiFi though, and a programmable infrared port so that I change channels, etc on devices without a bluetooth remote interface.

[rockintom @ Feb 15th 2007 4:26PM]

Racism- Always stupid.