It’s not just Apple fans and tech writers lionizing Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died on Wednesday of pancreatic cancer. Rival companies are praying tribute as well.
Various tech sites confirmed Friday morning that Google and Samsung had postponed an event scheduled for Oct. 11, and it was later revealed that it was out of respect for Jobs.
“We believe this is not the right time to announce a new product as the world expresses tribute to Steve Jobs’s passing,” the companies said.
Last week, the companies had invited the press to an event in San Diego where they were expected to unveil a new Samsung phone, the Nexus Prime, which will run the latest version of the Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich.
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Now some of this may just be strategy. With so much attention being paid to Jobs and his company set to release the iPhone 4S next week, this would seem an inopportune time for a big event.
That said, these are just two of many companies who have gone hagiographic since Jobs’ passing.
Also read: Apple Unveils New iPhone — and It's Not iPhone 5
Google and Amazon listed his name and dates of birth and death on their respective homepages, each linking back to Apple's homepage, which remains an image of Jobs with those same dates.
Various rivals, like Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates and AOL’s co-founder Steve Case, expressed their sadness within minutes of the news as well.
Meanwhile, none of this kept videos of the new phone from leaking, nor did it delay Apple's pre-ordering schedule for the 4S.