When the White House issues a decree on the Saturday after Congress has departed for its August break and the decision involves major corporations, hefty financial consequences, and angry trading partners, you know it's a big deal. The August 3 reprieve President Obama granted Apple in its long-running patent dispute with Samsung had an immediate upshot: The US International Trade Commission can't block certain iPhone 4 and iPad 2 models from entering the country. Brisk sales of such older, cheaper devices will continue.