Apple Intentionally Tries to Hide Samsung Statement on U.K. Homepage Using JavaScript

As if things weren’t already silly enough in the decision against Apple in the United Kingdom, the technology giant’s gone and made things even worse. The company’s original statement was deemed noncompliant and inaccurate by the U.K. courts, as it was meant to alleviate the slander caused by Apple against the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The courts insisted that Apple issue a revised statement on their U.K. website within 48 hours, and they’ve certainly complied. That’s not all they’ve done, though. Apple’s also included a bit of JavaScript that intentionally tries to hide it.

While it may at first simply seem like something that’s included for aesthetic reasons, as the JavaScript’s function is to resize the iPad banner, it’s telling that the code is included on the U.K. homepage. Some of the other versions of the homepage resize in the same way, but it’s certainly not universal. Canada and Japan both resize, but not the regular homepage for the United States.

By resizing the banner, the JavaScript makes it to where users will always need to scroll down in order to see Apple’s statement. Even though the other versions of the site have the same layout, minus the statement about Samsung, they don’t include the JavaScript bit in question. Here’s the offending code, according to reddit:

var HeroResize=AC.Class({initialize:function(b){this._height=null;this._hero=$(b);

AC.Object.synthesize(this);this.__boundResizeHero=this.resizeHero.bindAsEventListener(this);

if(typeof window.ontouchstart===”undefined”){this.resizeHero();Event.observe(window,”resize”,this.__boundResizeHero)

}},setHeight:function(b){this._height=(b<0)?0:b;return this._height},resizeHero:function(){this.setHeight(parseInt(window.innerHeight||(window.document.documentElement.clientHeight||window.document.body.clientHeight),10)-310);

this.hero().style.height=this.height()+”px”}});Event.onDOMReady(function(){var b=new HeroResize(“billboard”)

});

Apple’s looking to hide the statement as best they can, is how this comes across. Considering that the revised statement is far more cut and dry, it’s no surprise they’d want to avoid showcasing it.  Here’s how the statement currently reads on the homepage, with a link to further explanation:

On 25 October 2012, Apple Inc. published a statement on its UK website in relation to Samsung’s Galaxy tablet computers. That statement was inaccurate and did not comply with the order of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. The correct statement is at Samsung/Apple UK judgement.

That little tidbit reads pretty badly for Apple, but trying to hide it through screen manipulation isn’t going to do them any favors.

(Apple via reddit)

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