This is fantastic news and something I really hope every other major tech company starts to do. Maybe they finally realized that the money they hemorrhage to their legal departments can be better served elsewhere.
Does anyone actually think that Google and Samsung won't enforce the shared patents? They'll have immensely more enforcement power, so why wouldn't they? If anything, software patent wars are going to get worse.
This doesn't really change anything. It's patent cross-licensing, not some shell company created to house the combined patents. They probably already had a more-limited one for just Android-covering patents.
If you're supporting them, you are by proxy supporting and funding patent-trolling and global abuse of software-patents.
Apple are the reason others have to resolve to (bad) means like this. I'd hardly call them out as an example to follow.
They use this legal vehicle to create shell companies armed with ex-Nortel patents to attack Android manufacturers and Google itself.
So they (Apple) very much play this game, and this evolution can be seen as a response to the threat that Rockstar Bidco poses.
Software patents are bad all around: given their infantile lifespan they sure have caused a lot of trouble already and their offensive usage will really hamper anyone not protected by a big company.