tim_cook_headshotIn a report outlining the well-examined "frenemies" relationship between Apple and Samsung, Reuters notes that Apple CEO Tim Cook was opposed to suing Samsung for allegedly copying iOS, iPhone and iPad patents in the creation of its own line of tablets and smartphones. Cook's thoughts illustrate the differences between him and predecessor Steve Jobs, who said he was willing to wage "thermonuclear war" on companies that "stole" from Apple.

Tim Cook, Jobs' successor as Apple chief executive, was opposed to suing Samsung in the first place, according to people with knowledge of the matter, largely because of that company's critical role as a supplier of components for the iPhone and the iPad. Apple bought some $8 billion worth of parts from Samsung last year, analysts estimate. [...]

Cook, worried about the critical supplier relationship, was opposed to suing Samsung. But Jobs had run out of patience, suspecting that Samsung was counting on the supplier relationship to shield it from retribution.

Cook's operational expertise no doubt influenced his perspective in worrying about impacts on the supply chain side of the equation, but he was overruled by Jobs. Since the dispute with Samsung broke out into the legal arena, Apple has been working to reduce its reliance on Samsung, but the two remain closely linked.

During Apple's Q2 2012 conference call, Cook said he has always "hated litigation", noting that he would prefer to settle rather than battle it out in the courts, although he emphasized that Apple does not want to become the "developer for the world". Apple has settled with other companies that it has had patent issues with, including HTC, but last November Samsung publicly said that it was not interested in settling with Apple.

Top Rated Comments

MattMJB0188 Avatar
138 months ago
I like Tim Cook. Jobs' tantrums were ridiculous. All he did was cry like a baby over stupid stuff.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tankmaze Avatar
138 months ago
cook was thinking objectively... Just like don corleone said.. It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business :D. Steve took it very personally..
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turtlez Avatar
138 months ago
Cook fails to see this:

You can choose another manufacturer. You can't get back stolen designs. EVER
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gnomepatrol Avatar
138 months ago
Cook fails to see this:

You can choose another manufacturer. You can't get back stolen designs. EVER

I am much more apt to listen to a CEO than a forum surfer. As I have said in the past, Samsung is the best supplier of flash, nand, chips, and screens on the planet. From productions standpoint they would be shooting themselves in the foot to sever the ties with samsung. The higher failure rate of the alternatives was and still are unacceptable. They need samsung until they can find a manufactuerer that can meet the needs they have. We have already seen the issues with the new screen manufacturer (tracking diagonal swiping correctly) and I am sure they would like to avoid that.

In essence cutting ties with samsung, for now, would result in lower quality products. That is not to say that in the future it will be the same issue. Until the day comes though apple needs to play nice.

Tim Cook is a supply chain guy, he knows his stuff and wouldn't have raised these concerns if there was no reason.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Renzatic Avatar
138 months ago
Suing Android manufacturers was not a mistake. Jobs viewed Eric Schmidt as using inside information to unfairly compete with Apple's iPhone.

Oh, God. Not this again.

If Steve Jobs thought Schmidt was using his position to strengthen his own platform, then his "thermonuclear war" would've included suing the everliving hell out of the guy.

Instead, he went after Samsung.

And it's not like Jobs ever kept his feelings a secret. If he actually truly believed Schmidt stole directly from him, he would've been lambasting the guy every chance he got. Instead, he had nothing but nice things to say about him up until the day he died.

So please, lets all put this "Schmidt directly stole from Apple" fantasy to rest. Because that's exactly what it is. A fantasy. It has absolutely zero basis in reality.

And lets not get into the MS stole the GUI from Apple business. In fact, lets put this whole Apple Victimhood thing as deep in the dirt as we possibly can. It's really annoying, and only spoken from a position of ignorance.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macnerd93 Avatar
138 months ago
Cook needs to understand direct competition, not just let them get away with it and vice versa. The reason being i've seen it happen all too often just look at the British automotive and motorcycle industry.

Britain were at the top of their game in the 1950's and 1960's. Then other manufactures from other countries began copying our designs and concepts.

We did nothing and well the rest is history, we have no car industry today.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17 and iPhones Feature

iOS 17: 10 New Features That Just Launched

Sunday September 17, 2023 12:35 pm PDT by
In June, Apple announced iOS 17 with a wide range of new features and changes for the iPhone. Following over three months of beta testing, the free software update will be released this Monday, September 18 for the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have recapped 10 key features coming to the iPhone with iOS 17, with additional features coming later this year. The update should be released to...
iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

iPhone 15 Models Feature New Setting to Strictly Prevent Charging Beyond 80%

Tuesday September 19, 2023 2:04 pm PDT by
All of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models feature a new battery health setting that prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% at all times when enabled, as confirmed by The Verge's Allison Johnson during a Q&A session today. The new setting is separate from the pre-existing Optimized Battery Charging feature on iPhones, which intelligently delays charging past 80% until a more...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 17 With StandBy, Live Voicemail, Improved Autocorrect, FaceTime Video Messages and Tons More

Monday September 18, 2023 10:05 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, the latest operating system updates that are designed for the iPhone and iPad. As with all of Apple's software updates, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 are available for free. iOS 17 is compatible with the iPhone XR/iPhone XS and later, while iPadOS 17 runs on the iPad mini 5 and later, the iPad 6 and later, iPad Air 3 and later, the second-generation 12.9-inch...
flighty standby

Best Apps With New iOS 17 and watchOS 10 Features

Monday September 18, 2023 3:02 pm PDT by
With the release of a new operating system, there are multiple features and design elements for developers to adopt. Now that iOS 17 is out, many major apps are getting interesting updates today, which we've rounded up below. watchOS 10 also has a new design language, so there are a range of Apple Watch updates to check out too. Flighty (Free, Premium Subscription) Popular flight tracking...