Offhand I'd say the new normal will be more attempts to leakproof new products, and that those efforts will include tracking down leaks of more faked assigments to produce prototypes, more faked specs on dimensions, location of ports, buttons, etc.
This is because judges are starting to get impatient about the whole patent war stuff. The response of companies to having their patent barfights thrown out in the road will naturally enough be to double down on locking up their designers, engineers, suppliers, marketers.
Who leaks phony info will get fired. Who leaks the real stuff gets told when to leak it. Not knowing if what you have is real or not? Dangerous to career path when combined with big mouth.
One disadvantage of locking down the leaks of real specs is that we may all start feeling that there are not enough different types of accessories available on launch for rollouts of new stuff. Cases, chargers and so forth may be coming to market either not at all, or with delays, or with shoddier specs developed in haste after the new hardware's specs are obtained (or, approximated).
Do such drawbacks to secrecy (from a consumer's point of view) matter to the smartphone or tablet makers? Of course not. These guys not going to care that some casemaker gets reviled for not having an accessory ready to roll on launch day.
The smartphone and tablet makers will still have an assortment of their own or sworn-secret third-party cases, chargers and other accessories (including apps in some cases) all ready for sale on launch day. Selling those things is a minor footnote to their revenue plans, but having them ready is how they deflect criticism by accessory makers (and consumers) that they're suppressing free market activity by refusing to give out specs ahead of time.
Me, I like being surprised when Apple rolls out a new thing. Saves time not reading a gig and a half of words (and fake pix) about what it MIGHT be. That said, I would no doubt feel differently if I were a manufacturer of cases or stands for tablets
