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Dead Steve Jobs 'made Tim Cook sue Samsung' from beyond the grave

Attacking iPhone's chip maker wasn't a bright idea, sources now claim

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs pressured his lieutenants into suing rival Samsung even though they didn't think it was a very good idea, sources have claimed.

Tim Cook, who was promoted from COO to CEO of Apple following the death of Jobs, never wanted to sue Samsung because Apple was snapping up the South Koreans' chips for iPhones and iPads, knowledgeable people whispered to Reuters.

Jobs, on the other hand, was bent on waging "thermonuclear war" on Google's mobile operating system Android that is used by Samsung in its own phones and gear. After his death in 2011, Apple and Samsung continued to spar in the courts over allegations of ripped-off phone designs.

Apple has tried to diversify its supply chain away from Samsung, but the leading chip-maker remains a big source of components for the fruity firm, which spent about $8bn on Sammy parts last year.

In the Great Patent Dispute Wars of recent years, cases that seemed to go Apple's way have stopped short of any real gain for the Cupertino outfit. Despite winning over a jury in the US to land patent-infringement damages to the tune of $1bn from Samsung, the iPhone maker couldn't get Judge Lucy Koh to triple those damages nor permanently ban any Samsung products from shops' shelves.

Apple can't show that any infringement of its mobile phone designs on Samsung's part is affecting its business because it's still doing shockingly well in sales. As the litigation chugs on, it's looking more and more like the pair of firms would be better off burying the blunt hatchet and getting on with making mobes in peace. ®

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