The heat has been building for quite some time now between Apple and Samsung, regarding lawsuits and claims of patent infringement that have earned the two giants widespread media attention, dominating the technology pages of newspapers gracing many a reclining sofathe world over. Apple initially filed official injunctions against Samsung in an attempt to block four of their mobile devices from hitting the US market, which included the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, the Infuse 4G, thr Droid Charge and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Tablet PC. The devices concerned in the case of Apple include the iPhone and iPad range.
Away from the courtroom however, a further clash is brewing as the launch date of the Samsung Galaxy S2 for the US market draws ever nearer.
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S2 have been the key devices in the most recent patent filing cases. Apple have directly accused Samsung of blatantly and extensively copying their designs for the iPad and iPhone ranges in a variety of ways. During the cases, both parties have demanded to see the upcoming models the other company is working on, but so far such requests have fallen on deaf ears. Apple were the first to make such demands to Samsung, followed by Samsung responding by insisting to see the Apple iPhone 5 and iPad 3.
Adding fuel to the already furiously burning fire, Apple have gone on to cut off a number of deals with Samsung who are currently key component providers for Apple, by way of the A4 and A5 processors for the current iPad 2 and the upcoming iPhone 5. As such, the Korean tech giant will no longer be the supplier of future A6 processors for devices yet to be produced.
However, Samsung are looking to be ready to strike back in impressive style with a further upgraded version of the hugely popular Galaxy S2. Rumors have begun to circulate regarding an update version to follow hot on the heels of the origin, destined to be named the S2 Plus and almost certain to give the iPhone 5 a good run for its money. Some of the major selling points of the S2 include the biggest draw of all, by way of the Super AMOLED touch-screen with a resolution of 400 x 800. Early indications had suggested that a screen using similar technology was destined for the iPad 3, but given the latest hiccups in the relationships of the manufacturers, the chances now appear slim at best.
The current Galaxy S2 also boasts a dual core chipset and the inclusion of NFC technology, along with an 8MP camera to accompany 1080 HD video recording at 30 frames per second.
Overseas sales have been enormous and recently surpassed the 3 million mark in just 55 days following release, fueling expectations of a huge welcome on US soil. However, talk has now turned to the S2 Plus, which may be released alongside the iPhone 5, or perhaps used to replace the standard US version of the S2 altogether.
Apple on the other hand have their own tasks ahead of them, looking to regain their title as leader of the Smartphone market after Google somewhat pulled the rug out from under them by way of endless superb Android devices being made available to all carriers. As such, rumor has is that two new iPhones are just around the corner, by way of the iPhone 4S and the ever-elusive iPhone 5. The 4S is set to offer something of an entry level iPhone option in order to further appeal to developing markets, whereas the iPhone 5 will be its fully beefed-up all-guns-blazing natural successor.
At present the expected timelines for release seem to correlate almost too much to be a matter of coincidence.
Rumored specs of the iPhone 5 include dual processors, a new teardrop shapes case, 4 inch curved glass touch-screen, 8-megapixel camera, NFC technology and the already highly celebrated iOS 5 operating system.
Both certainly carry impressive hardware, therefore it may once again lie in the operating system itself to tip the balance – both of which have impressed users across the board at conferences during 2011.
The question now rests with whether or not the current legal tussle will in any way impact the releases of either manufacturer’s products, but if it is true to say that no publicity is bad publicity, both seem set to reap the windfall for the foreseeable future at least as the war intensifies.
Susan writes on behalf of reclining sofas specialist sofasandsectionals.com. In her spare time, she enjoys breaking gadgets in order to figure out how they work. While she always succeeds on the former, the latter is rarely accomplished.