iPhone 5 Release Date: Samsung to Block iPhone 4S Sales in France, Italy

By Emma Koonse, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, October 06, 2011

Samsung Electronics has looked into blocking the sale of the iPhone 4S in various countries such as Italy and France in retaliation to Apple.

The carrier, whose Galaxy Tab and Galaxy phones have been blocked by Apple, is attempting to stop sales to protect three Samsung patents. Apple has prevented the sale of some Galaxy phones as well as the Tab in the Netherlands, Australia, and Germany by alleging patent infringement.

Samsung alleges Apple is infringing on its 3G technology, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A Samsung representative told the WSJ that France and Italy were “key markets” in Europe.

Apple’s new iPhone 4S will be made available in the U.S. on October 14, and scheduled to enter European markets by the end of the month.

Samsung plans to sue its main smartphone competitor this year in an attempt to gain the upper hand in the market.

Apple’s unveiling of the latest iPhone technology created media frenzy, and introduced many improvements to the device. The iPhone 4S boasts a voice-activated intelligent assistant service, faster downloads, and longer battery life, among many other new features.

The iPhone 4S was a grave disappoint for Apple fans though, as most anticipated the iPhone 5. Following the disappointing launch of the new handset, the company’s shares fell by more than 4 percent.

“We acknowledge that if the iPhone 5 fails to reveal new features that impress Apple followers as one WSJ article today highlights, this could weigh on the stock as fears of product fatigue take root,” said a stock analyst before the unveiling Tuesday.

The iPhone 5 was speculated to have a different shape from the iPhone 4, as well as improved and additional features.

“There were high expectations for today’s launch of the latest iPhone, with the new look iPhone 5 being the nomenclature of choice,” said analyst David McQueen of Informa Telecoms & Media. “However, there was a little disappointment in the air as, in actuality, Apple revealed a warmed up version of last year’s iPhone following 15 months without any hardware upgrade.”