admina setback to a smartphone that garnered lukewarm reviews.
T-Mobile, which has been angling to be the first carrier to offer the device in the US, now says it won’t start selling the Samsung phone until next Monday. Sprint Nextel Corp., which had been aiming for an April 27 release, also pushed back its introduction.
The Galaxy S4 is getting a staggered rollout in the country, with AT&T Inc and Verizon Wireless planning their own debuts in coming weeks.
T-Mobile, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG, blamed the postponement on “an unexpected delay with inventory deliveries”. Sprint cited “unexpected inventory challenges from Samsung” in its statement, saying the rollout will be “slightly delayed”.
Jessica Redman, a US spokeswoman for Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung, didn’t have an immediate comment.
The delay signals that the new device will get off to a slower start in the US, where Samsung aims to supplant Apple Inc as the top-selling smartphone maker. The phone is getting a tepid reception from reviewers, including AllThingsDigital’s Walt Mossberg, who said its software is “especially weak”. — Bloomberg.
Online Reporter