Re:Got as far as "justifiably" (Score 2, Insightful)

To certain extent there is a shorthand that is used to communicate that says "the most exposed example" is the original. It is not about obscuring reality. I can tell you with absolute clarity my father operated an air-cushion, 2-stroke lawn mower that he built himself in Trinidad W.I. in 1969. Have the pictures to prove it, complete with me following behind picking up cuttings. My dad is not the creator of the Flymow. I understand the somewhat glamerous light in which Apple and its employees are sometimes painted. But I think the fundamentally important point raised is; Apple did copy, as does everyone, but they made improvements that went beyond the original. Even this doesn't seem that flash an achievement, but I am hard-put to point out a single other company that has consistently produced this effect. I would say that the most remarkable thing (to me) about Apple is that it has grown so large, and so influential, whilest remaining passionate. Loopy, eccentric, painful, expensive... creative. Lightning is striking because creativity is happening, but it is happening in an environment where "just enough to ship" is not sufficient. I strive to make my own company work like that. : )