As a public service, we present Apple's handy guide to not infringing the iPad or iPhone with your tablet PC or smartphone (Hat tip to ITworld.com):
"For the iPhone design, alternative smartphone designs include: front surfaces that are not black or clear; front surfaces that are not rectangular, not flat, and without rounded corners; display screens that are more square than rectangular or not rectangular at all; display screens that are not centered on the front surface of the phone and that have substantial lateral borders; speaker openings that are not horizontal slots with rounded ends and that are not centered above the display screen; front surfaces that contain substantial adornment; and phones without bezels at all or very different looking bezels that are not thin, uniform, and with an inwardly sloping profile.
"[A]lternate tablet computer designs include: overall shapes that are not rectangular with four flat sides or that do not have four rounded corners; front surfaces that are not completely flat or clear and that have substantial adornment; thick frames rather than a thin rim around the front surface; and profiles that are not thin relative to the D’889 or that have a cluttered appearance."
These helpful hints come from the public redacted version of a legal brief Apple filed as part of its litigation against Samsung.
So smartphone manufacturers, now you know how not to get sued by Apple!
I mean, Apple's description
I mean, Apple's description seems to cover pretty much everything, doesn't it? Basically, if you're not marketing a round, pink, asymmetrical rotary phone, then it appears you're pretty much fair game.
Nice job on the Steve Jobs article. I just finished the book. He was a difficult person who was driven by a single purposed passion. People who impact the world in the way Jobs impacted the world don't come along very often.