It really feels like all this patent garbage is going to come back and bite Apple in the butt big time. They started the offense side and now not only are all the lawsuits consuming constant, massive resources, but they are coming under major risk. Nearly $3B from just one patent in just one county, that's serious money, even to Apple. Just pay the damn licensing fees and be done with it already (I don't mean just for this, for everything). And even though I do think Samsung shamelessly ripped off Apple's design, it's just not worth going after them over it. By the time the lawsuits get settled, we'll be 3 generations on into new product designs.
Tim Cook, please stop the madness, stop lining the patent attorney's pockets with billions in legal fees, and just get back to outpacing everyone else, which you already know how to do! It's like you're inning a race and you're out in front, but instead of just running faster, you slow down so you can try to trip the guys behind you, it makes no sense. I'm a fan of Steve Jobs, but I think he was dead wrong on this point, letting his pride cloud his judgement on what was best for Apple, and even for the entire industy.