Samsung MWC plans drop special event too

Samsung has hinted that any products shown at Mobile World Congress may be low-profile after it stated Wednesday that it had no plans for a special event at the Barcelona show. The company didn't rule out any "exciting new products" in a response to PCMag inquiries, but it hinted that it not only would miss the Galaxy S III but that any other major unveilings would wait until later as well. No clues exist as to when special events might take place later.

Rumors had put a possible Galaxy Tab 11.6 at MWC, which could still happen but would make the announcement uncharacteristically muted for a company that has more recently dominated the show. Earlier tips had the larger tablet shipping later into the spring and may see it subject to the same timing issues as the Galaxy S III.

While HTC, Huawei, LG, Nokia, and Sony are still expected to have announcements at MWC, Samsung's downplayed expectations could dampen anticipation that it would have a quick foil to Apple's iPhone 4S and a possible third-generation iPad update. The decision may be partly fueled by an attempt to avoid being burned by Apple as it was in 2011. Samsung unveiled the thick, original Galaxy Tab 10.1 design at MWC last February, only to undertake a major redesign after failing to anticipate Apple's improvements in the iPad 2.

The decision not only delayed the tablet to mid-year, but may have created legal trouble by providing support for views that Samsung was consciously chasing Apple design. Waiting until later both lets the company wait until it has a full response and helps reduce the months-long waits that have defined Samsung's past schedules.

By Electronista Staff