Old iPhones, banned in the US? Could happen, as Samsung strikes back
A significant chapter has closed in the ongoing smartphone patent war between Apple and Samsung. A case that Samsung opened at the International Trade Commission in 2011 concluded on Tuesday, with the ITC determining that a variety of older Apple products infringe the claims of a Samsung patent, US Patent No 7,706,348. If the decision stands, a "limited exclusion order" would go into effect that would ban the AT&T models of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3, iPad 3G, and iPad 2 3G.
These are mostly older models that aren't a big profit driver for Apple at this point. Having said that, they do still sell. You can presently buy an unlocked iPhone 4 for $450 from Apple, or get one for free if you sign an AT&T service contract at the same time. There's also a vigorous resale market for old Apple equipment and it isn't clear how an import ban might affect that.
