Apple practically confirmed Samsung's stature as currently the biggest smartphone maker in the world but that reputation was tarnished, the tech giant insisted, when the South Korean firm "chose to compete by copying Apple."

For that, Apple thinks Samsung must pay $2.44 billion in damages, stressing that the Samsung smartphones within the Galaxy product lines were 'slavishly copied' from the bestselling iPhone.

"Samsung's infringing sales have enabled Samsung to overtake Apple as the largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world," Agence France Presse (AFP) quoted Apple as saying in a new court filing.

The demand was forwarded before the U.S. District Court presided over by Judge Lucy Koh a few days before the scheduled patent trail between Apple and Samsung.

Apple also made known its incredible damages claim barely a week after its CEO, Tim Cook met with top Samsung executives purportedly to settle their differences outside of the court room set up, which turned out a failed negotiation try according to Reuters.

Analysts presumed that the figures have been discussed in the Apple-Samsung meeting last week, which could be part of the reasons why no settlement was reached in the second round of talks pitting two of the most profitable firms in the world.

Apple's filing was made public almost at the same time that the tech titan issued its latest financial report, which expectedly carried figures that further improved from previous results, already impressive by themselves.

Overall, Apple reaped 20 percent jump in sales and profits but the revenue and income of $US35 billion and $US8.8 billion for the latest quarter paled in comparison with prior period results and market forecasts, disappointing company investors that have been pampered by staggering windfalls from the biggest company in the world in terms of market capitalisation.

According to The Associated Press (AP), Apple executive pointed to economic difficulties in specific markets for the below expectations results plus the fact that global consumers who still purchased Apple gadgets opted for the old and discounted models of both the iPad and iPhone.

Mr Cook also admitted that there was a slow down in iPhone 4S sales but not because fans have switched to Android.

Many were thought to be holding off in snapping up a new iPhone to wait out for the much-anticipated release of its fresh version, which experts said should hit the global market by October 2012 at the earliest.

By the end of the year, Apple executives should be flashing wider smiles as analysts predicted that blockbuster figures will definitely be in the report of the company, which will be largely pushed by what is deemed as another record sales result in the making for the new iPhone.

And the past few weeks, the current week including, have been positive for Apple as the company scored successive legal wins against Samsung when Judge Koh granted pre-trial injunction pleas filed by the Cupertino, California-based firm.

Court rulings barred Samsung from selling the Galaxy Nexus smartphone and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in U.S. markets pending the resolution of the patent contests between the two companies, which this week was followed by a German court decision to ban the Galaxy 7.7 tablet from the European Union market.

But Samsung got one consolation: the same German court allowed the sale of Galaxy Tab 10.1N in Europe as revisions implemented by the Asian tech giant on the product left it "sufficiently different," from the iPad.