I think they are quite infamous in this regard, like going after rounded corners, "slide to unlock" and similar trivial ideas that not only have prior art, but shouldn't be even patentable to being with. So I don't have any trust in them not abusing any new patents.
Small innovators are often simply too worried to enter some markets due to this. Because they don't have the arsenal of big competitors to fend off patent threats.
Do you remember the early samsung galaxy phones? They were blatant ripoffs of all the original design apple was doing in the phone space. From the basic form factor down to small interactions. You can argue that slide-to-unlock should not be patentable (I agree) but if it is, using it to deter your largest competitor from cloning your product is actually what patents are supposed to be for... i.e. come up with your own solution don’t copy mine.
Whether they were a rip off or not, I won't argue (I use neither Samsung, nor Apple and I don't see such style aspects to be a required matter of exclusivity). But Apple didn't hesitate to attack using trivial (which means invalid) patents like that. The end doesn't justify the means. Just because they thought they were ripped off, doesn't excuse their abuse of the broken patent system.
Next thing they can imagine they are being ripped off by some competitor, because they don't like the color of some device or what not. So why should anyone trust them not to do abuse the patent system, just because they can.
I.e. I see any such abusive company arming themselves with even more patents like a very negative development.
I guess what I’m saying is your problem seems to be a problem with the issuing of trivial patents. Calling a company abusive because they use their patents to protect their position is like calling a scorpion abusive because it stings.
No, they don't have an excuse of using that weapon, just because the system is broken enough to arm them with it. Surely, the system needs fixing. But foul actors are sill foul regardless. That's pretty self explanatory.
Small innovators are often simply too worried to enter some markets due to this. Because they don't have the arsenal of big competitors to fend off patent threats.