WHOOOSH!
That was the sound of Apple's point whizzing so far over your head, you'd have needed the Hubble Space Telescope to see it.
Apple take a *holistic* approach to product design. It's not *just* about the sodding tin and plastic, but about the bits and bytes too. Laypeople have never been able to tell what is "hardware" and what is "software". Nor, frankly, should they have to. I have no real clue exactly how the gearbox in my car works, but I'm more than capable of using one. Car mechanics look down upon me for *my* ignorance about cars, much as most of you would look down upon them for *their* ignorance about matters relating to IT.
The problem Apple have with Samsung's Tab is a perfect illustration: it's not just about the physical hardware, but about the *combination* of that hardware with such a blatant rip-off of iOS. Not even *Samsung's own lawyer* could spot the difference between an iPad and his client's product.
So, no, Motorola didn't *have* to make their device with weird-shaped corners. Their lawyers may have suggested it, but most major consumer electronics manufacturers know all about developing a company-wide design "language" that makes their products stand out.
Here's a clue to Samsung, Motorola, and their ilk: you can use colour and texture to differentiate your tablet devices. Tablets do NOT have to be black and silver.
THAT is Apple's point. Nobody's even TRYING to innovate; they're just being fucking lazy. Until these corporations start raising their game and actually *competing*, instead of copying, they deserve everything they get.
To be honest, I'm beginning to suspect that Apple's next major competitor will be a completely left-field entity. After all, nobody expect Apple to sucker-punch Nokia when the latter were at the top of their game in 2007. (Microsoft might be in with a chance too, if they can pull off their Windows 8 + Windows Phone 7 plans.)