I-pod drops the ball...

Who would have ever thought that Apple would drop the ball on Ipod patents? Who would have even imagined that Microsoft might now need to be paid by Apple for every Ipod they sell....Gates must be hooting with laughter.... twists of fate seem to always be on his side. Good Karma I guess or someone in God City truly does love him.
Here's my thought tho'- we all know - We as in the so many millions who've bought i-pods in the last 3 years- we know that it wasnt a Microsoft technology to begin with, since Microsoft anyway has this rather sweet reputation of standing on the shoulders of giants blah blah- what I cant digest is how a company as (blank) as Apple fell down on the job- insert adjective in blank space- HOW?