Samsung may delay new mobile devices release over design changes

PanARMENIAN.Net - Samsung Electronics may need to delay introducing new mobile devices so it can make design changes after a U.S. jury ruled that the world’s top maker of smartphones infringed Apple Inc. patents, Bloomberg reported.

Apple on Aug 24 won a $1 billion judgment that may also halt U.S. sales of Samsung’s mobile products. The companies return to court next month for a hearing on Apple’s request for a permanent ban on devices including Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Samsung vaulted to the top of a global smartphone market valued at $219 billion by Bloomberg Industries by introducing a variety of Galaxy models using Google’s Android software and gaining share over Apple’s more-limited product range. The Suwon, South Korea-based company may have to rush to change products under development, leading to delays as it seeks to widen its lead.

“Samsung will have to change some products in its pipeline,” Chang In Whan, president of Seoul-based KTB Asset Management Co., which oversees the equivalent of $5.8 billion, said by phone today. “There could be delays in developing and releasing new models at a time when products are coming out every six months.”

Samsung’s schedules for debuting new products won’t be affected by the verdict, James Chung, a Seoul-based spokesman for the company, said by phone.