While the jury ruling against Samsung’s Android products seemed like a huge negative to Google, as reflected in investors dropping stock on the company, most long term prospects are not completely poor for the mobile OS. “It remains to be seen how quickly Google can develop some work-around” products, says Mark Sue, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets.
“The mobile industry is still nascent, fast-moving and innovative,” says Si Young Lee, an analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. “This ruling will likely cause more of a short-term hiccup to Android than a real long-term barrier to growth.”
One of the bigger beneficiaries might be RIM, whose Blackberry smartphones have suffered greatly in direct competition with Samsung. “A slowdown in Android activity due to patent uncertainty and possible injunctions could open a window of opportunity for the coming Windows 8 and BlackBerry 10 platforms,” wrote Baird Equity analyst William Power. “Any negative repercussions for Android could be construed as directionally positive for Nokia and RIM, though both still face an uphill battle in our judgment.”
Source: blogs.WSJ.com
