Delayed Launch of Trump's Gold-colored Smartphone

Trump Mobile has postponed its plan to release a gold-colored smartphone by year-end. The launch, initially scheduled for June, involves a $499 device named T1. Due to a U.S. government shutdown, shipments are disrupted. The smartphone market remains highly competitive, dominated by Apple and Samsung.

Trump Mobile has announced a delay in the launch of its highly anticipated gold-colored smartphone, originally set for release by the end of the year, according to the Financial Times.

The firm, associated with Donald Trump's family business, had licensed its name to introduce a U.S.-based mobile service and a $499 smartphone, christened the T1, back in June. This endeavor marks the latest effort by the former president's offspring to capitalize on the Trump brand. In a statement to the Financial Times, the company's customer service team indicated that the recent U.S. government shutdown had caused shipment disruptions and warned of a significant possibility that the device might not be dispatched this month.

Efforts to obtain further comments from the company through Reuters were unsuccessful. While the company touted a luxurious gold-colored handset, it remains a mystery who will manufacture it, given the minimal domestic smartphone production within the U.S. Trump Mobile had launched a $47.45 monthly network plan, and its website had advertised a $100 pre-booking fee for the handset, with delivery anticipated this year. The American smartphone market is one of the world's most saturated, mainly controlled by Apple and Samsung. Most smartphones sold in the country are produced overseas, primarily in China, South Korea, and increasingly in India and Vietnam.

(With inputs from agencies.)