Interesting, but following it back to the source article at Wired (via Ars Technica) reveals this headline: "Apple Granted Patent for Original iPad Design".
Much more accurate. The Verge and Ars Technica were not. The article says:
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Design patents cover only external appearance. The design must be “ornamental” (purely aesthetic) and not serve a practical function.
Apple originally filed the patent, U.S. Patent no. D670,286, in December of 2010. The first iPad was unveiled several months earlier, in January of 2010.
“This design patent gives Apple no new advantage, because no one is out there trying to market an iPad lookalike,” said Lea Shaver, Associate Professor with Indiana University’s McKinney School of Law.
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“Most importantly, the Galaxy tablet is very differently proportioned from an iPad in its height and width.”
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