By Kim Yoo-chul

The patent dispute with rival Apple has strengthened Samsung Electronics' innovation drive, according to industry experts and Samsung officials.

''Although U.S. federal Judge Lucy Koh is not likely to overturn the jury verdict awarding Apple $1 billion in damages, Samsung is changing already and will change more,'' said Song Jong-ho, a senior analyst at KDB Daewoo Securities, Sunday.

Song said," Samsung has diversified its product lineup like a 4.8-inch Galaxy S3 smartphone and the 5.5-inch Note 2," explaining that Apple is heavily dependent upon its 4-inch iPhone.''

The Korean firm is challenging Apple with its advanced fourth-generation (4G) long-term evolution (LTE) technology.

Samsung also unveiled its next-generation Galaxy Note 2 that shows major improvements from surface design to specifications.

The iPhone 4S has been out for about a year in contrast to a series of new products by Samsung. Apple could unveil its latest iPhone next week but has not announced its release date.

Top Samsung officials are also talking about a change that may have been triggered by its fight with Apple.

Yoon Boo-keun, the president of Samsung's consumer electronics division told Korean media recently: "Becoming a software-driven company is the main initiative. We will raise the quality of our products and services by pressing further for software, design and solutions."

Yoon is close to Samsung Corporate Strategy Office Head Choi Gee-sung.

Samsung spokesman Lee Seung-joon declined to elaborate about the senior executive's remarks.

The unveiling event for the Note 2 started with the idea that ''what you will see here is pure innovation,'' according to company officials and experts.

The Note 2 has a bigger screen and significantly improved picture quality. But the major striking feature is that it comes with the S-Pen.

The feature responds to a minute variation in pressure and almost feels like a pencil.

''This is the stylus that's going to be the standard accessory for upcoming devices from Samsung,'' said Lee.

With the Note 2, which runs on the updated Android 4.1 Jelly Bean software, Samsung is set to make more Windows 8-based Web-connected devices.

''Apple's recent victory could be short-lived as our new updated devices will make us much stronger in market share and offer more options to consumers,'' said another Samsung executive.

The firm has also found a chance to replace some Apple patents as the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) said a ''circle-to-zoom'' patent was already valid.

The development of the patent was aimed at beating the shackles of Apple's ''multitouch'' and ''zoom'' features, patent holder Moon Joon-hee reportedly said.

When a user draws a circle with a finger or digital pen, content inside a device's screen can be enlarged. A picture can be made smaller by going clockwise. The size gets bigger, when going counter-clockwise, KIPO said.

The verdict in California said that Samsung copied Apple's patents for its ''scroll function,'' ''multitouch,'' ''zoom,'' and ''navigate'' features, as well as some of its design patents. The jury ruled in favor of Samsung in one instance, ruling Apple infringed on Samsung's ''bounce back.''

Samsung declined to comment on whether the company intends to use the circle-to-zoom patent in its upcoming Galaxy line.