PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Samsung Delays Galaxy Tab 10.1 Launch in Australia

 & Sara Yin Junior software analyst

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS
Australia is now the second country, after Germany, where Apple has managed to prevent Samsung from launching its Galaxy Tab 10.1 on schedule.

In a statement on Monday, Samsung said it volunteered not to sell the tablet any earlier than September 30, even though it was scheduled to launch on September 12.

"Samsung has agreed to delay the launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 pending the court's decision in the week commencing September 26, 2011," it said in a statement. "It should be noted that the court has not issued an injunction against the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the court did not make any ruling during today's hearing."

In early August Apple Australia convinced the same judge to delay Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 launch, claiming the tablet infringed on various elements of the Apple iPad 2. At the time Samsung's Australian counsel said Apple was basing its claims on the U.S. model, and Samsung agreed to hand to Apple several models of the Australian prototype, which it did last Thursday.

On Monday Apple conceded that although the Australian model does not violate all the same patents, it said at least two were still infringed, according to ITnews. The two parties will reconvene for a hearing on 26 September to hear Apple's new, detailed motion, although "explanatory hearings" are scheduled for this Friday, according to ZNet Australia.

Patent blogger Florian Mueller thinks this could have broader implications on Apple vs. Samsung lawsuits around the world.

"In legal terms, the judge in California (where Apple is seeking a preliminary injunction against four Samsung products) will take her decision independently from whatever rulings are handed in Australia and the E.U. Still, Apple's 'copycat' story benefits from each and every bit of progress the company makes against Samsung," Mueller wrote in a blog post.

Last week, a Dutch court imposed an E.U.-wide preliminary injunction against Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Samsung, meanwhile, cited the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey in its defense against Apple here in the states.

The first patent dispute between Apple and Samsung began in April, when Apple sued Samsung for copying the look and feel of its iPhone and iPad in its flagship Galaxy S line of smartphones and tablets, among other devices. Samsung responded with a countersuit that targeted Apple for infringing on five patents relating to wireless networking technology.

For more, see PCMag's review of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi and the slideshow below.


 

About Our Expert

Sara Yin

Sara Yin

Junior software analyst

Sara Yin is a junior analyst in the Software, Internet, and Networking group at PCmag.com, pouring most of her energy into app testing and security matters at Security Watch with Neil Rubenking. She lies awake at night pondering the state of mobile security (half-true). Prior to joining PCMag.com, Sara spent five years reporting for publications in New York City (Huffington Post), Hong Kong (South China Morning Post), and Singapore (Campaign Asia, Men's Health). Follow her on Twitter at @SecurityWatch and @sarapyin, or contact her the old school way: email. That's sara_yin AT pcmag.com.

Read full bio