It’s all go in the world of tablet computers and smartphones at the moment. Google said yesterday that it is spending a whopping £7.7bn buying Motorola’s mobile phone division and now it seems things are hotting up in the world of iPads and tablets too.
Last week, European sales of Samsung’s Galaxy tablet computer, considered by most to be the closest rival to Apple’s iPad, were banned by a German court. According to Apple, Samsung’s Galaxy mobile phones and tablets ‘slavishly’ copied its iPhone and iPad models.
However, the German court decided to lift the Europe-wide ban yesterday. A report by the Daily Mail said the court was now unsure if it had the legal right to enforce its ruling in countries outside Germany.
Legal arguments between these huge multi-national corporations are nothing new, but it does show how much effort businesses are prepared to put in to disrupt the activities of their biggest competitors. It is also an indicator of how much money there is to be made in the mobile and tablet sector. We’re all spending more time online, more so than ever before and now thanks to wireless and 3G, we can buy while out and about. I know how much more I buy online these days so it’s not really that surprising that these companies are fighting so fiercely for our money.
There are a considerable number of court cases involving electronics manufacturers pending, but what’s your take on the situation? Should the courts’ time be spent sorting out these types of disagreements or is all fair in love and war?
I’d love to hear from anyone who has bought the Samsung Galaxy tablet. I love my iPad, but it would be interesting to see how the Samsung one compares…