When Samsung confirmed, after nearly a year of speculation, that the Galaxy Note 21 would indeed not be out in 2021, the company knew people would be disappointed. But it may have still been a bit surprised by the depth of feeling demonstrated by the petition for a change of course.

The Change.org petition, organized somewhat optimistically by Sammobile, asks Samsung to "skip the Galaxy S22 lineup next year and offer the Note instead." As of this writing, more than 17,000 people have signed the petition since it was published on July 30.

Such a change, according to the petition, would "keep the flagship lineup alive by alternating between them while satisfying all fans at the same time." Those eager to get their hands on a Samsung Galaxy S22 will probably be less than impressed to learn that their device of choice has been changed to another device.

But really, that is moot. Frankly, no matter how many people eventually sign the petition, it would be surprising if the petition announces that the goal has been achieved; the S22 has been rumored to be in development for some time, but no new notebook has been developed. Even if Samsung wanted to change course now, there is no way they could.

And that in itself is a huge "if." The company must have chilling numbers to back up its decision to pause the Note over the S line, and a relatively small number of enthusiasts signing a petition will not change that analysis in any meaningful way.

That is not to say that the petition will have no impact at all. Should Samsung decide to bring back the Note down the road, it would be encouraging for the company to know that the Note line has fans who would welcome its return. After all, Samsung is not saying that the phone will be gone forever, only that the current situation surrounding the global chip shortage means that the company will have to choose its priority handsets a bit more carefully.

While there is little the average individual can do to change Samsung's mind on this matter, it would be more effective to vote with your feet if you really want the Note back; although S Pen support is expected and a price reduction is possible, the rumored new Foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, do not sell as well as hoped, Samsung may eventually admit that there is room for the Galaxy Note in its future lineup.