Jees, lets bash Apple again for being a business!!!
Look, Samsung, Sony, Nokia and HTC all attempt to patent as much as they possibly can. Only Apple seems to come out in a bad light when a patent gets granted.
The patent that has been granted is quite specific to being 'Slide to Unlock'. This has been one of the iconic features of the iphone since day one and is right to be protected by Apple. If this had launched on a Samsung phone prior to the iphone, and was an iconic feature of one of their phones, then Samsung would be right to claim the patent (and sure as hell they would have done if they could have).
The question to prior art is a difficult one and only seems to be challenged by those companies who didn't get the patent and are pissed of that another got it and not them. If we're looking at prior art to debunk patent application, then every sci fi series and film is going to be trawled through for some hope that something similar was implied on film 20 years prior.
The fact is that Microsoft, for some reason, did not try and patent the 'Slide to Unlock' that is reported to have been used in 2003 (I can't view the video at present as youtube is blocked at work). This leaves the door open to whoever is first to file that patent and get it granted. If this patent had been granted shortly after the application in 2005, then nobody would be battering an eyelid about it. But becasue the patent office took six years to grant something that has been in use for 4 years already it makes Apple look bad that they are trying to steal features from other manufacturers.
The patent office needs to be much quicker at granting these patents and products should not be allowed to be released until all patent applications surrounding it have been granted (I don;t havea clue how this would work as I can see that other companies would just contest and block the release of every other product going. None of us would have a new phone no matter what format). The whole system is daft and retrospectively allowing patents to be granted when they were not in place for four years means othe companies have to remove features and that is not fair (again, this is not Apple's fault they applied BEFORE the iphone was released and BEFORE any other smartphones used the same feature).