I found a lot to agree with in Patrick Thibodeau’s article Innovation is the most abused word in tech
The iPad is about as innovative as the toaster. You can still read books without an iPad, and you can still toast bread without a toaster… True innovation radically alters the way we interact with the world. It is something like air conditioning, the combustion engine or the telephone, not the smartphone.
The patent system seems to have little to do with genuine innovation, and much to do with protecting established power.
Hat tip: Tweet from Hans Peter Bech