Samsung and Google have decided to postpone an event at which they were expected to announce a jointly-produced phone product, stating “We believe this is not the right time to announce a new product as the world expresses tribute to Steve Jobs’s passing.” They were originally scheduled to announce the first phone powered by Ice Cream Sandwich (the new hotness in Android OS updates) this coming Tuesday, but today said that it would happen at a future time.
All Things D covered the story and adds a bit of context to the postponement:
The decision to postpone things was made late last night at the top levels of both companies, sources said, with Jobs’ death being the reason. There are no delays with the product itself, sources insisted.
It seems like an awfully strange decision, especially given that Apple has been on the receiving end of Samsung’s public ire as well as their legal assaults… and Google is no fan, either. In fact, both companies have harshly criticized the iPhone and Apple’s business model for it (both of which were the brainchild of Jobs), so it does raise some interesting questions. I can’t personally think of anyone who wouldn’t attend a business event a week after the death of someone they’ve probably never met, but maybe that’s just me.
On another note, shame on AllThingsD for this:
Apple isn’t stopping its launch of the iPhone 4S, but Samsung and Google have decided to postpone an event announcing their next jointly-developed device because of the death of Steve Jobs
Apple isn’t stopping its launch of the iPhone 4S… and Samsung/Google aren’t stopping the launch of their phones, either. Painting Apple to look like the company that cares less than its rivals about the death of Steve Jobs is just simple, garden-variety bad writing.
Source: AllThingsD
