Australian Samsung Galaxy In September, Android Omnia Inevitable?
Mark Novosel, telecommunications analyst at IDC, would not reveal exact sales numbers for the Dream but said “it would be fair to say that it performed below expectations”.
The HTC Dream went Down Under in February, followed by the HTC Magic this month but if neither of those Androids were your cup of tea you won’t have TOO wait to long… the Samsung Galaxy will launch in Australia this September.
The Galaxy joins 3 other handsets in a range of phones Samsung is calling “Icon” – the others are non-Android phones called the “HD”, “Preston” and “Omnia”. Wasn’t Android Omnia supposed to launch? Judging by the tone of the Samsung rep, I wouldn’t rule it out:
Tyler McGee, Samsung Australia’s VP of mobiles, said he believed Android would be “one of the key platforms that we’ll continue to develop”.
“People are becoming far more aware of Android and more importantly the Android Market,” he said.
I told you this Android thing would catch on! But what about how poorly the HTC Dream performed in Australia? The analysts who made this claim also accounted for the less than Android’s less than amazing Australian results to date:
Novosel said he believed the Android platform would gain more of a foothold with Samsung’s entry into the market as he believed consumers were waiting for more Google phone options.
“People are still waiting for the bugs to be ironed out on the platform … because it’s not just a new device, it’s a whole new platform we’re talking about,” he said.
He also said that Optus made the price of the HTC Dream prohibitively expensive. Any Australians want to weigh in on the Dream/Magic pricing down there?
So what about this Android Omnia? In addition to the rumor claiming exactly that from the MSMobiles it just simply makes sense. Especially considering Samsung has recently announced the Omnia Pro, Omnia LITE and Omnia 2… why WOULDN’T they look towards an Omnia Droid?
[Via Sydney Morning Herald – Thanks Jono!]