Telecom Lead India: The ongoing patent battle
between Apple and Samsung and the recent $1 billion infringement damages
verdict against the South Korean handset maker will be changing the dynamics of
the U.S and global smartphone markets.

 

With strong chances of ban on U.S. sales of Samsung’s
smartphones and tablet PCs, it is expected that Nokia, competitor of both
companies will reap benefits from emerging opportunities.

 

Not only Samsung, but other handset manufactures using
Android as main operating system for their devices will also be facing problems
in the U.S market, as the patent infringements include Apple iOS UI and OS
related capabilities.

 

Samsung is the market leader in the U.S. smart phone
market. There will be changes in market share of Samsung as its reputation will
take a beating. Its reputation issues will have a cascading impact in other
markets as well.

 

Due to the emergence of Apple and Samsung, the most
affected handset vendor was Nokia. Nokia can gain further market share if they
correctly use this big market opportunity. But Nokia does not have a tablet
strategy in place. Also, it needs more innovative smartphones, analysts said.

 

In terms of OS, the present smartphone market is being
dominated by Android, followed by Apple and Blackberry. However, with constant
decline in BlackBerry sales, and proposed ban on Android devices in the U.S,
Microsoft’s Windows OS for smart devices could be the biggest winner out of
this verdict.

 

Nokia, once the world’s biggest smartphone maker, could
be among the biggest gainers in the U.S smartphone market given scheduled
launch of Windows 8 Lumia. Not only Nokia, but other handset manufactures
including Motorola, HTC and Samsung itself may opt for Windows to avoid legal
actions in coming days.

 

Apple with this win could also go aggressive in suing
other handset manufactures to defend its intellectual property.

 

However, the transformation from Android to Windows, if
happened, could be a heavy task to perform for Samsung, as it has been
investing heavily on the platform.  

 

Google’s Android OS runs on more than half the
smartphones in the U.S, while Apple’s iOS runs on nearly a third of
smartphones.

 

In Q2 FY12, Windows Phone shipments crossed 4 million
units, largely supported by Nokia Lumia sales. The ban in the U.S market will
form additional room for Nokia as it is preparing to ship the new lineup of
Lumia devices with the latest Windows 8 OS over the next couple of months.

 

Along with Nokia, IT giant Microsoft will also be
benefited, if the ban imposed on Samsung devices with Android OS. Microsoft has
also been involved in patent infringement cases with several handset
manufacturers and won orders that banned U.S. imports of some Motorola devices
and limits on sales of some of the company’s products in Germany.

 

Microsoft possesses a gigantic gamut of patents that
could help it in future to get lead over other OS developers. On the other
hand, Nokia will also use its patent power and partnership with Microsoft to
bring out innovative products to get lead over market incumbents like Apple and
Samsung.

 

Danish Khan
[email protected]