South Korean electronics giant likely to reduce Google dependency in wake of U.S. court defeat. | |
After failing to gain significant market share with tablets running on Google Inc.'s Android operating system, Samsung Electronics Co. is now betting on new devices running on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows as it continues to battle it out for dominance with Apple Inc. in mobile devices. Following a major defeat in the U.S. last week where a jury awarded damages of more than $1 billion to Apple ruling that Samsung copied the U.S. company's designs and software patents, Samsung showcased its product pipeline for the second half of this year at a tradeshow in Berlin, Germany, Thursday. The company unveiled its ATIV line of products including a 10.1-inch tablet device running on Windows RT and a 4.8-inch smartphone running on the Windows Phone 8 system. The new products will be launched later this year and Samsung didn't disclose the launch dates or the price.  Samsung has in the past relied heavily on Android-based devices to gain market share against Apple globally, but Friday's U.S. verdict has put a spotlight on Android manufacturers, such as Samsung, and their heavy dependence on Google for mobile operating software.Samsung said in a statement it is "committed to offering more choices based on the Windows 8 platform for consumers." "It's highly likely that Samsung will seek to reduce its dependence on Google, while it continues to strengthen its Window-based product line up," said Lee Sun-tae, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities. Mr. Lee said the Windows-based devices shows that Samsung is accelerating its shift from Android to Microsoft's operating system. Despite Samsung's move, analysts are skeptical as to whether Samsung will be able to gain more share with Microsoft's software. Sales for Windows phones have already disappointed Nokia Corp., which receives regular payments from Microsoft to develop phones using its software. Sales of Nokia's Lumia line of smartphones haven't really taken off as Nokia also struggles from competition with Apple. Samsung's partnership with Microsoft following the release of these devices is expected to strengthen, said Seo Won-seok, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities. But he said the new products won't help much in the near term because there hasn't been |
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