Apple Sues Cobalt Over Cube

- 2000.08.03

8/3/2K: Steve Jobs apparently believes turnabout is fair play: In response to a possible legal suit by Cobalt over their Qube computer, Apple has filed a countersuit against Cobalt.

None of this would have been possible if Apple hadn't purchased NeXT lock, stock, and barrel. That purchase included the NeXT OS, Steve Jobs, lots of great software engineers, and the legacy of some long-discontinued hardware including the NeXT Cube (right).

In fact, the black NeXT Cube has more in common with Cobalt's Qube than Cobalt would care to admit in court: like the Qube, all the NeXT hardware ran a vesion of Unix. Despite differences in size and color, on a purely functional level, that could be a real sticking point in court.

On the other hand, if Cobalt tries to differentiate their Qube from the NeXT Cube based on video output, a mouse, and a keyboard, Apple would be able to counter that the G4 Cube differs from the Qube in the same way.

Gotta love it!

A former NeXT employee stated, "NeXT pioneered the cube design for computers in 1988, as it allows the most efficient use of space and just looks cool."

In discussions with the press, an Apple spokesperson was heard to say, "We will not sit idly by. They are trying to exert their marketing pressure; they will pay for it."

Numerous sources have indicated that shipping dates for the G4 Cube have slipped. Speculation exists that this, in fact, has absolutely nothing to do with lawsuits and everything to do with quality control issues. After all, if it's not good enough for Steve Jobs, it's not good enough to ship.

A Cobalt representative had no comment on the matter.

More information will be obtained as further details become available.

- Anne Onymus

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