If you are following the guidelines of a protocol such as UTMS then it's pretty obvious you are going to be doing things in the same way as other people.

Fortunately, the iPhone does not use the state-of-the-art technology 3G EV-DO that these patents involve. Once again, Apple outsmarts the market by packaging old technology in a slick wrapper, much as they did for years with slow PowerPC chips.

These standards are becoming larger all the time, and it is no longer possible for a single organisation to generate IPR to cover all aspects of a technology. With the GSM specification, there was almost a "gentleman's agreement" within the European contributors to the specification, which permitted open contribution and development of the standard and products complying with it.

Things are changing now and sales advantages are sought using the network vendor IPR. The UMTS specs permit licensing, but suggest that the core technology mandatory to the development of a mobile device or network element must be made available to other vendors of equipment at "a reasonable and fair value". The value that QC want is, as far as the European vendors are concerned, unfair.

QC thus far have been extremely aggressive when it comes to protecting what they believe is theirs! Now it's everybody else's turn!

BRCM is clearly more interested in being #1 with a lawsuit than developing a compelling 3G solution. May their new found business plan do them justice.

" Once again, Apple outsmarts the market by packaging old technology in a slick wrapper "

Bully for them, then! By using 802.11b/g, and not n, and EDGE and not the not-as-supported-in-its-target-market 3G, it does have a slower connection speed, but longer battery life! Furthermore, you're more likely to find a wifi hotspot than a 3G antenna, especially since you can install the former in your own home. And while most people won't notice the connection difference save when looking at bullet points, smartphones' short battery life is one of the common complaints.

It's like how the ipods weren't color until the prices of the displays were cheap and efficient enough. Or they had hard drives until they could get good prices on flash memory. And the iPods still don't have wireless. But what would you rather have, being able to squirt, or being able to listen for longer?

Doing more with less. Fancy, that.

"But Blain," you cry, "3G is what's big in Europe, where Apple isn't selling!" And in the states, the steering wheel's on the left side of the car.