Google has postponed the launch of two mobile phones in China, adding to the potential commercial fallout of its dispute with Beijing over internet censorship and email hacking.
An unnamed source told Dow Jones that Google felt it would be “irresponsible” to unveil the phones now, in light of the company’s current situation in China. No details were given regarding when or if the launch would be rescheduled.
Both phones had been planned for release on Wednesday through China Unicom, according to reports. The Google spokeswoman confirmed that the Wednesday release of the two phones was postponed, but declined to say why.
The two handsets run on Google’s Android operating system and had been due to include Google-branded features and apps such as mobile search and Google maps. It is these, rather than the Android platform, which the company has pulled.
The outcome of those discussions appear likely to determine whether the Samsung and Motorola phones will be sold in China.
The company did not say how long the launch would be postponed or give any other details. But a source said that Google felt it would be “irresponsible” to release the phones at this time.