Friday's verdict may provide a new boost to Microsoft's effort as it seeks to win support from carriers and device manufacturers. The future of the Android ecosystem is now tinged with uncertainty, with other Android hardware and software designs seen to be vulnerable to lawsuits.

"It is clear that Microsoft has a very different vision for how consumers should be using these devices than Apple did," said Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart. "So if using Android and being sued by Apple and losing is cost-prohibitive, then it actually could push people into Microsoft's camp."