Apple and Cisco separated, but still speaking to each other

Apple and Cisco are still trying to work out their differences—for the children. According to a report in the San Jose Mercury News, Apple’s deadline for responding to Cisco’s trademark lawsuit is close of business today (5PM PT).

“We still fully hope to resolve this issue amicably and that’s what the two companies are currently working on — a mutually beneficial agreement,” Cisco spokesman John Noh said Wednesday.

Apple, based in Cupertino, confirmed that the two companies are talking “with the aim of reaching agreement on trademark rights and interoperability,” Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said.

Of course, given the fact that Apple has repeatedly called the lawsuit “silly,” it seems to me that Cisco’s going to take pleasure in dragging them to court. Whether or not they can win is another matter: Apple seems to think they have a good shot, and it seem as though Cisco really only started using iPhone as rumors of Apple’s product built last fall.

And somewhere in Apple’s Cupertino campus, Steve Jobs sits, hands steepled, staring at a clock. Because when that little hand hits five, one thing is certain: Cisco CEO John Chambers is a marked man.