Needless to say, a lot of people have been craving for Ice Cream Sandwich since its announcement – just imagine the smartphone and tablet PC comparison debates to come! Well, for those who have been waiting (us included) for Android’s newest dessert flavoured mobile operating system, the wait may drag on for a little longer. After Google and Samsung jointly delayed the release of the first smartphone to roll out with ICS, the Galaxy Nexus, not a peep has been said as to the new release date. This may have some people gnawing at their nails, especially since the first tablet to roll out with Ice Cream Sandwich, the Asus Transformer Prime is set for release on November 9.

What’s the buzz about?

For those who may have been living under a rock, the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is the newest iteration of Google’s mobile operating system. It was developed to merge the features of Honeycomb for tablets and Gingerbread for smartphones and present an operating system that would work on both platforms. Among its announced and speculated features include virtual buttons, offline email search, facial recognition unlock, and unified social networking contacts, among others. Much of the anticipation is caused by the new devices that would roll out with the ICS, as well as the old devices that would be able to upgrade to 4.0. With that much speculation in the air, it isn’t so surprising that people are dismayed by the delay – it’s the announcement that may take today’s tablet PC comparison for Android tablets to an entirely different level.

Delay and the overworked rumour mill

Last October 8, Google and Samsung released joint statements saying that: a. they have decided to postpone the new product announcement; b. a new date and venue will be announced soon; and c. they delayed their big product announcement out of respect for Steve Jobs’ recent passing. As one would expect, the rumour mill started working overtime as soon as the news broke out. Some pointed out that software may have been the likelier culprit in the delay. With the ICS looking to break out and snag a chunk of the mobile market, Google may want to work all the kinks and dinks out first.

Another rumour floating about indicates that Google may be more than just ironing out bugs, but smoothing out features that may raise patent issues with its competitors. Others venture that Samsung may be having problems on their end. Either way, the Galaxy Nexus and ICS’ new release date remains up in the air.

At any rate, we’ll keep you posted on more Android updates and tablet PC comparison news so keep checking back.