It sounds like those court-ordered settlement talks between Apple and Samsung are going pretty well — Tim Cook just told analysts on Apple's Q2 2012 financial call that he's "always hated litigation, and I continue to hate it." The problem, according to Cook, is that Apple "wants people to invent their own stuff," but that "if we could get to some kind of arrangement where we could be assured that that's the case, I highly prefer to settle versus battle."
"I've always hated litigation, and I continue to hate it."
That doesn't mean Cook wants Apple to back down from its traditional hyper-protective stance — he was adamant that "the key thing is that Apple not become the developer for the world... we need people to invent their own stuff." We'll see how that change in tone is reflected in Apple's ongoing lawsuits around the world.