Steve Lohr, reporting on a research note from Steve Milunovich argues that Apple *might* be better off losing its patent battle with Samsung:

>“It could hurt Apple,” he writes, “because the real threat is not a competitor beating Apple at its own game but instead changing the game.”

Bullshit.

Are we to believe that Google, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, et al. stand any chance at “changing the game”? These are entrenched players that, to this day, still show that they lack a fundamental understanding of why, what Apple is doing, is working.

The companies don’t get it and that is why they are copying instead of innovating. That will not and cannot change if they are forced to make workarounds. You know what will happen: they *will* make crappy workarounds and not give a crap about user experience — as evidenced by the quality of devices (generally) and crappy skins they apply over Android.

Look, I’m not saying these companies are incapable of coming up with a few features that are better than what Apple offers, but I *am* saying that Samsung stooped so low as to copy the icons that Apple uses.

*The* icons.

I don’t know what logic Milunovich was using, but I bet if Apple outright wins its lawsuit it would be far more crippling to Samsung than it ever will be to Apple.