Apple vs. Samsung = Windows Phone??
The Apple/Samsung case had Apple as the clear winner. The jury decided that Samsung did infringe on Apple's patents. Although the argument that consumers were confused between an iPhone and a Samsung phone and that Apple lost sales due to that is beyond me. As another author wrote, that's like Dodge suing Honda because the Caravan and Odyssey are both mini-vans and people can't tell them apart.
The surprising thing that was revealed in this case was that Apple and Microsoft had signed an agreement where they would license patents from each other and that they wouldn't steal each other ideas and designs. With many Android phone makers,like Samsung, left worrying about the future cost of making Android devices (now that extra money would have to be paid to Apple for patents) creating Windows Phones based upon the soon-to-be released Windows Phone 8 is looking a lot more appealing.
Windows Phone 7 was pretty late to the smartphone market and have yet to catch on. The interface on the Windows Phone is nothing like Apple or Android (maybe that's because of the deal they signed with Apple?), is very smooth and integrates well with the popular social networks (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook). The problem is there wasn't really much interest from the phone manufacturers (why pay a licence to Microsoft for their software when the Android software is free?), the cell phone companies or the public. The main problem with the public is there there is no awareness of the Windows Phone devices. There are too few of them and not enough marketing. Ask any Windows Phone user and they love their device. If more people just knew about it we know it would catch on. With this Apple/Samsung case going the way it you never know, it could be an Apple & Microsoft smartphone market in the near future.