I find it odd that the article is implying that the only reason for Apple to negotiate for cheap patent licenses elsewhere is to artificially portray Qualcomm as overcharging, when surely it's in Apple's interest in general to negotiate favorable patent licensing deals.
Even if Apple's sole goal was to prove that they could license a much larger portfolio of patents for much less as a way of demonstrating that Qualcomm is overcharging, the fact that this was their goal doesn't make them wrong. "I'm going to prove you're overcharging by demonstrating that I can license other patents cheaply. Look, I licensed other patents cheaply!" is actually a pretty good argument that Qualcomm is overcharging.
Even if Apple's sole goal was to prove that they could license a much larger portfolio of patents for much less as a way of demonstrating that Qualcomm is overcharging, the fact that this was their goal doesn't make them wrong. "I'm going to prove you're overcharging by demonstrating that I can license other patents cheaply. Look, I licensed other patents cheaply!" is actually a pretty good argument that Qualcomm is overcharging.