Why is Apple scared of Samsung Infuse 4G, Droid Charge, Galaxy S 4G and Galaxy Tab 10.1?

Apple has moved for the kill as it filed a motion on Friday seeking a preliminary injunction to block Samsung from importing four devices into the U.S.

FOSS Patents reported that Apple filed the motion with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, aiming at stopping the arrival of four Samsung devices - Samsung Infuse 4G, Droid Charge, Galaxy S 4G and Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Apple and Samsung have been involved in a patent lawsuit since Apple dragged its Korean supplier to court in April, charging Samsung of slavishly copying its designs and over the use of gestures on the touch-screen. Samsung counter-sued Apple and on Friday filed a complaint seeking an import ban on Apple devices of iPad and iPhone.

Apple had earlier demanded that Samsung should allow Apple to see the prototypes of its upcoming devices. Samsung responded by asking Apple to give it a preview of its upcoming devices iPad 3 and iPhone 5.

If Apple's motion seeking injunction is accepted, then Samsung will have to take the four devices off the shelf within a few months.

Samsung is Apple's key supplier of components like A4 processors, liquid crystal displays and NAND flash memory. However, it was recently reported that Apple will be sourcing its next generation processor, the A6, from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in 2012 rather than Samsung. The move to TSMC could be a fallout of the Apple-Samsung patent skirmish.

Recently Samsung's highly anticipated answer to Apple's iPad 2, the ultra-thin tablet Galaxy Tab 10.1, went on sale in U.S. last week. However, just when users were lining up to lay their hands on the Samsung tablet, reports filtered in that Apple had amended its patent lawsuit against Samsung. The amended lawsuit used strong language like replacing the word misappropriated with copied. Apple also called Samsung the boldest of all competitors in terms of copying its technology.

The motion reveals Apple's fear of the four devices from Samsung which can erode its market share. Here are the specifications of the four devices which are causing Apple to take such extreme measures:

Samsung Infuse 4G:

Samsung showcased its AT&T 4G phone at CES 2011 in January. The Android 2.2 or Froyo-based phone was then touted as the thinnest phone measuring 0.35-inch thick. However, the thinnest crown is now held by Samsung Galaxy S 2 which is 0.33-inch thick. Infuse 4G sports a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with 800x480 screen resolution. It is powered by a 1.2GHz and offers 512MB RAM and 16GB internal memory. The phone has an 8MP rear-facing and 1.3 MP front-facing camera. It supports 720p video capture and weighs 4.6 oz.

Samsung Galaxy S 4G:

The Galaxy S 4G runs on T-Mobile network. The phone features a 4-inch Super AMOLED display with 800x480 screen resolution. It is powered by a 1GHz chipset and offer 512 MB RAM. The phone weighs 4.16 oz and is 0.39-inch thick. It offers 16GB internal memory with support for up to 32 GB. The phone also packs in a 5MP rear-facing and VGA front-facing cameras. The phone runs on Android 2.2 or Froyo juice.

Samsung Droid Charge:

Samsung's device for Verizon's 4G LTE network is Droid Charge. The phone has a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display with 800x480 screen resolution. The phone is powered by a 1GHz Hummingbird processor and runs on Android 2.2. The phone weighs 5.04 oz and is 0.46-inch thick. Droid Charge offers 2B internal storage with support for up to 32GB memory and has 512MB RAM. It also sports 8MP rear-facing and 1.3 MP front-facing cameras.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

The ultra-thin tablet from Samsung beat Apple's iPad 2 thinness and probably provoked Apple to file a patent lawsuit. When Apple released iPad 2, the vice president of Samsung Lee Don-joo said: Apple made it very thin. The observation resulted in a new slimmer avatar of Galaxy Tab 10.1. The tablet is 0.33-inch thick and weighs 1.32 pounds. Apple iPad 2 is 0.34-inch thick and weighs 1.3 pounds. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has 10.1-inch display with 1280x800 screen resolution. It is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor and brings the goodness of Android Honeycomb. It comes with 1GB RAM and in 16/32/64 GB internal memory configuration. It sports a 3MP rear and 2MP front facing cameras. It offers 720p video capture and 1080p video playback support.

It was recently reported that Apple will launch iPad 3 and iPhone 5 in September 2011. It is rumored that iPhone 5 will feature a tear-drop design with 3.7-inch curved glass display, edge-to-edge screen, 8MP camera with dual-LED flash, A5 processor and worldphone SIM-less design. The iPad 3 is rumored to be thinner and Apple is expected to use fiber-in-matrix type material like carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) in the upcoming iPad 3, instead of aluminum which will make it lighter and will possibly flaunt a 2048x1536 pixel retina display.