In what probably is the most surprising finish to a lawsuit that is commonly thought to drag on (and drag the Apple iPhone in the process), Apple and Cisco have settled their differences.

Surprising finish because:

1. The settlement was THAT FAST (six weeks since Cisco filed suit).
2. Both parties agreed to use the iPhone name.
3. A promise of interoperability between iPhones.

Now, Steve Jobs can relax (can he relax when his company had to pay Cisco and share a trademark with them?) and concentrate on meeting the target release date. Apple fanboys can now sigh in relief.

(New York Times article here.)