There’s one important thing to remember when trying to second-guess the likelihood of Apple and Samsung coming to terms: Apple’s litigation against Samsung and all other Android device manufacturers is just a war by proxy. What Apple is really trying to bring down is Android itself, and by extension Google’s mobile efforts. Samsung being the largest and most successful Android proponent by far is therefor taking the brunt of Apple’s wrath. In other words, Apple isn’t trying to stop Samsung, they’re trying to stop Android. And this is where things get interesting. Samsung have pretty much tied their future success in mobile products to Google’s Android platform- but are Samsung feeling comfortable about that strategy longterm? With Samsung now being the worlds largest mobile phone manufacturer, even overtaking Nokia worldwide, I think Samsung is beginning to have second thoughts about relying so heavily on another company’s OS for all their mobile products. “Mobile is the future”, so if you’re the largest mobile phone company in the world, would you want that future to depend on another company’s whims? Jumping on the Android bandwagon was the sensible thing to do for Samsung back in 2008 in order to deliver a fast response to the new disruptor, the iPhone. It worked, as we all know now. But if you’re the CEO of Samsung it’s gotta make you frown to see Google buying Motorola Mobility, effectively becoming a competitor to your bread and butter, the hardware. So here’s a crazy idea; what if Samsung can alleviate some, if not most, of Apple’s beefs with Samsung simply by privately disclosing to the Apple reps that Samsung over the next couple years are planning to fork Android and make their own “Samsung OS” based on the Android open source, and in the process promise Apple to get rid of some of the most glaring iOS “inspirations” in the OS?