Skip to main content

Samsung moves to block iPhone 4S sales in Japan, Australia

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The endless patent battle between Apple and Samsung spread further today, with the South Korea-based electronics giant seeking to block sales of the Apple’s new iPhone 4S in Japan and Australia, according to the Wall Street Journal. The move follows recent setbacks for Samsung in its legal fight against Apple.

Early today, Samsung filed preliminary injunctions against Apple in the Tokyo District Court and the New South Registry, Australia. This follows similar legal maneuvers by Samsung in France and Italy to block sales of Apple’s newest smartphone in those key European markets.

Recommended Videos

In addition to today’s legal move against Apple, Samsung also tried to undercut the success of the iPhone 4S in Australia by offering its award-winning Samsung Galaxy S II phone for a mere $2 at a store in Sydney, Australia on the same day the iPhone 4S went on sale. (Of course, the deal only applied to the first 10 people to go for the bait.)

On Apple’s home turf, US district judge Lucy Koh ruled last week that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 does, in fact, violate Apple patents related to the iPad. Koh did not impose a ban on sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, saying that her opinion on the patent infringement was “tentative,” and that formal order would soon be issued on the matter.

Adding to the pain of Koh’s decision, it was also revealed during the hearing that Samsung’s lawyers could not tell the difference between an iPad and a Galaxy Tab 10.1 when the two devices were held side-by-side at a distance of 10 feet, a failure that strikes to the heart of the legal battle between Samsung and Apple.

To better understand the ongoing legal battle between Samsung and Apple, see our complete guide here.

Andrew Couts
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
Galaxy S25 Edge leak reveals a look that’s almost iPhone Air like
Galaxy S25 Edge

Two highly anticipated smartphone models are set to launch before the end of the year: Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge and Apple’s iPhone 17 Air. Newly released images of the Galaxy S25 Edge, scheduled to arrive this month, reveal a striking resemblance to rumored images of the iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to hit the market in September.

The Galaxy S25 Edge, which Samsung teased earlier this year, will arrive on May 13. When the phone launches, it’s expected to be one of the thinnest smartphones in the world.

Read more
My main computer is an M4 iPad Pro, but a 2021 iPad still surprises me
Rear shell of 2021 iPad Pro.

This might sound controversially ridiculous, but for the past few years, my primary computer has been an iPad Pro. I first got interested in pushing tablets this way when the M1 version came out, and I’ve kept using them all the way up to the newest M4-powered model. 

A few weeks ago, I went back to my M1 iPad Pro to see how well it handles next-gen apps that are pushing the boundaries of graphics and AI on a mobile device. So, the big question is whether the four-year-old slate can still serve as a reliable workhorse in 2025?

Read more
The Galaxy S25 doesn’t look like the success Samsung will have wanted
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Samsung leads Apple in smartphone shipment market share, according to data from Counterpoint Research, and while this may appear good news for the brand, a deeper examination into two very different strategies indicates Samsung may not be happy with the situation at all. For the first three months of 2025, Samsung controlled 20% of the global smartphone market by device shipments, followed by Apple with 19%. This is “sell in” data, meaning devices purchased from the manufacturer by distributors. It is a considerable change over the data from the last three months of 2024, where Apple led with 23% of the market followed by Samsung with 16%.

This is crucial to understanding why Samsung may be looking at the latest figures, which on the outside appear positive, with concern. At the end of 2024 Apple would have been riding high on the release of the iPhone 16 series, while Samsung would have been far removed from the Galaxy S24 series and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6’s release. It makes sense for Apple to command a higher market share right after the release of its flagship devices for the year. 

Read more