The next phase of the continual trials between Samsung and Apple are expected to kick off in the US on July 30th, but as has been the case previously, no-nonsense Judge Lucy Koh ordered both parties to try and resolve their differences by means of a mediation meeting. According to an article previously accessible over at The Korea Times, Apple head honcho Tim Cook met with Samsung execs Choi Gee-sung and Shin Jong-Kyun on July 16th, but no agreement could be reached.
Earlier today, we informed you of a UK Judge's decision to force Apple into issuing written clarification on both its website and a British newspaper, stating rival Samsung did not copy design features of its iPad in making the Samsung Galaxy Tab. In a rather predictable next move, the Cupertino company has almost immediately appealed against the ruling, and Apple's case will be heard by the court of appeal.
Apple and Samsung have been through the courts numerous times, and although proceedings do often descend into farce with playground-like slander aimed in both directions, a UK judge has really sent Apple back to school. With the Cupertino company having dragged Samsung's name through the mud with claims the Korean company copied the iPad design for its tablets, the British Judge has ruled Apple must publicly state that Samsung did not plagiarize the design.
The smartphone sales war is definitely heating up. While Apple set the tone of the modern smartphone market when they released the iPhone - which was essentially the first "modern" smartphone - back in 2007, Google were quick to release Android, which would eventually overtake the iPhone in market share. Speaking of overtaking, should a Reuters poll prove to be accurate, it would appear that premier Android OEM Samsung may have overtaken Apple in smartphone sales in Q2 of this year.
Apple has been without relent in its pursuit of Google and Samsung, claiming patent infringements on a grand scale. Judge Lucy Koh last week dished out a ban on Galaxy Nexus sales to the Big G, and the web company duly obliged, removing the device from its Play Store. Earlier this week, the device returned, packing in Android Jelly Bean 4.1, a move which is said to amend any issues with regards to the claims Apple made in court, but having followed this Apple vs. Anybody debacle for quite a great deal of time, it should be of no surprise that the Cupertino company has not quite finished yet.
Although many of the large consumer electronics companies outsource their work to China, the number of legitimate products produced within the world's most populous country is eclipsed by the number of fakes lurking about. Apple is the usual target of the fakery, and although none of us would consider purchasing the grossly inferior rip-offs, it's certainly entertaining to look at them - particularly when placed alongside the real deal.
The Apple versus Samsung dispute is not an isolated incident, and the continual court dates are occurring across the world as we speak. The Galaxy Tab, not really making too much of an imprint on the tablet market, has been banned from selling in numerous nations following court hearings with Apple, but in the United Kingdom, the law has decided the Galaxy Tab 7.7, Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 are not in breach of any Apple patents, and can continue retailing alongside the iPad.
Fans of the Samsung S III are receiving an update to the handset they love so much, with the smartphone maker pushing a new version of software out. Only available for the international version of the hugely popular device, the update weighs in at around 73MB and does not offer any additions that will blow your socks off. According to the literature though, users will be in for an increase in stability, which is always welcome.
Remember the outlandishly awkward Galaxy Note that's too big to be a phone, but too small to be a tablet? It appears that Samsung is cooking up a successor to the device which it will unveil at the end of August during the IFA 2012 consumer electronics show in Berlin. On top of this, it is rumored that the Galaxy Note II will come with a 5.5" display, which is slightly larger than the existing Galaxy Note's 5.3" display. It will of course run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which is now the latest version of the operating system.
You don't need to be an expert to know that relations between both Samsung and Apple are at an all-time low. With the blocking of Galaxy Nexus sales in the United States and a collection of other legal battles between the two, it is clear that the two companies both believe that the other has copied ideas in order to make their own smartphones better. Whether you believe that or not is almost as complicated as asking you about religion or politics. Needless to say, we'll leave it there.
