His comments about design, and the difficulty of great design, could not have come at a more pertinent time for Apple. Its court battle with Samsung follows a succession of skirmishes in Britain, Germany and Australia, and is being hailed as the “patent battle of the century”.The fight began last year when Apple sued Samsung for “slavishly” copying its devices. Samsung counter-sued, claiming that Apple is trying to stifle competition so it can keep raking in “exorbitant” profits. The first day of the trial in San Jose, California, was taken up with picking the ten-person jury. District Judge Lucy Koh asked prospective jurors which brand of mobile phone they owned, with just one saying they did not own one at all. Opening arguments are due tomorrow in a case that is expected to last four weeks.