Samsung wants to get the jump on the iPhone 5 by releasing a new version of its phone-tablet hybrid, the Samsung Galaxy Note, on August 29, according to a Reuters report. This will be two days before the consumer electronics show IFA in Berlin, where Samsung has a large presence.
Samsung, the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer, has been in a brutal war with arch-rival Apple. Both companies have been suing and countersuing across the world, but the latest battle will be happening outside the courtroom.
Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected to be announced at an event in September, following the pattern of earlier iPhone launches – and is expected to be generational shift for the iPhone product, so much so that iPhone sales have slowed in anticipation. The iPad 3 has been a huge boost for the company, selling 17m units in the quarter – making Apple the largest PC manufacturer across that period with 68% marketshare.
Samsung’s market share in the tablet space remains limited at 9.6%, hence the focus on the Note devices.
Samsung’s direct iPhone competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S3, has received rave reviews and been selling very well since its launch in May, but the Galaxy Note sits in a different product category – somewhere between smartphones and tablets.
While the specifics of Samsung’s device are unknown, it will almost certainly get a larger screen, run Google’s latest version of Android, Jellybean and retain the stylus input the original was famous for.
