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Apple Licenses Swiss Railway Clock Design for iPad's iOS 6 Clock App

Friday October 12, 2012 6:23 am PDT by Eric Slivka

Last month, we noted that the Swiss Federal Railways service was objecting to Apple's use of its iconic clock design for the new iPad clock app in iOS 6.

The Verge now points to a press release [Google translation] from the railway service announcing that a licensing agreement has been reached.

For the use of the SBB station clock on devices like iPad and iPhone, the Swiss Federal Railways SBB and Apple have agreed and signed a license agreement.

Apple's iPad clock app (left) and Swiss Federal Railways clock (right)
Terms of the licensing agreement, including payment and term length details, were not disclosed.

Top Rated Comments

(View all)

justperry

91 months ago

That's what Apple should have done first place.

Rating: 55 Votes

D.T.

91 months ago

SBB: "We want $20 million for licensing"

Apple: "How about a 20 free iPhone 5s?"

SBB: "20 iPhones?!? Absolutely not!"

Apple: "What if we can guarantee none of them are scratched?"

SBB: "Deal."

Rating: 51 Votes

jabingla2810

91 months ago

Good to see. It's such a cool clock design.

Rating: 36 Votes

QCassidy352

91 months ago

Thank God. I can finally stop losing sleep over this.

Rating: 32 Votes

Zunjine

91 months ago

This is a clock-face that I could have designed. It's so basic and derivative. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple's designer came up with it on his/her own coincidentally. But yeah, it would look like a total ripoff if it weren't so generic. I would have rejected this design.

People say this all the time and, well, they're pretty much always wrong.

I'm not saying this to have a go at you so please don't take this personally, but great, iconic designs, the simple ones that last for generations, they are the hardest to create - if they weren't then we'd all be doing it!

You see it as generic now, but that's only a measure of how successful it has become. Just how so many say that swipe to unlock is generic, or pinch to zoom... accept people were blown away by the simplicity of them, the implementation was so perfect and so natural that they left everyone scratching their heads and asking "why didn't I think of that?!"

This clock design is iconic and, no, you probably couldn't have designed it. Nor could I. If I could design stuff like this, I'd be a richer man than I am today.

Rating: 18 Votes

ArdBuijsen

91 months ago

[fandroid mode on] I really don'r see what the problem is. It is quit clear that there is no other way you can design a clock [/fandroid mode off]

;)

Rating: 17 Votes

FrankyCH

91 months ago

This is a clock-face that I could have designed.

Only thing is, this clock was designed in 1944, and has been part of our culture ever since.

Cheers
F

Rating: 16 Votes

turtlez

91 months ago

Glad they worked it out quickly

Rating: 11 Votes

macnchiefs

91 months ago

Eminently sensible conclusion!

Sensible yes after this Swiss company had to call them out.

It would have been nice for Apple to license it properly in the first place and actually follow what they were preaching themselves in the Samsung trial.

Rating: 11 Votes