The ongoing legal dispute between Apple and Samsung caught my eye, not least as this particular war is being waged between allies: those who have a lot more to gain by their ongoing collaboration, rather than divorcing. A fact that's well known in technical circles but is much less publicized to a general audience is that Apple gets a lot of the key components for its game-changing iPhone from, you guessed it, Samsung. The retina display on the iPhone and iPad are regarded as the best on the market, and in fact Samsung beat out giants like Sharp and LG in making them. The Apple-Samsung marriage was/is a B2B relationship that has been enormously profitable for all concerned, but that's only fine until the guys supplying you with the cool parts decide to start using those parts, or the skills and tech know-how that made them, to develop their own cool toys. From ally to direct competitor, while still being an ally. I am sort of amazed that Apple were either shocked by this, or are so greedy that they will not tolerate other companies eating off their crumbs. It's reminiscent of another legal dispute ongoing over Apple's purported attempts to fix the price of e-books, and force everyone in publishing, and even Amazon in self-publishing, to fall into line, or else. Is money all this company cares about? It might not be, but they sure come across as greedy and money-grabbing in recent times.
Of course, I think the point is slightly subtler than that. There were plenty of other companies who jumped on the "let's go as far as we can in copying the iPhone without facing legal issues" bandwagon, before Samsung might have. Notwithstanding what might be in the contracts between the two companies regarding Samsung marketing its own devices using identical or similar components, I feel that there is a bigger issue at stake than that. The fundamental problem is that under Steve Jobs, Apple was as much (or more) a design company, as an engineering one, and the brand's iconic image and chic, cool-looking devices was unquestionably a major factor in their explosive success. Samsung on the other hand, were more of a technical-manufacturing giant, and were not known for red hot design, at least not in terms of their smartphones or tablets. All this changed in recent times, especially with the release of the Samsung Galaxy SII and SIII, and their new tablets. These are items which in my opinion raise the bar to the level of an Apple, in terms of sheer design, but jump over Apple in terms of quality and performance. So Apple feels threatened in terms of Samsung going all fashionable and 2012 design style, with devices that are at least as good, and many tech gurus say are better, than their own. Apple protects its intellectual property and brand intensely, and they clearly feel that their brand territory, which is as much design as tech wizardry, is being incorrectly threatened or used. They have even gone as far to try to get the Samsung 10.1 tablet banned from the US marketplace, pending legal outcomes. Irrespective of what could or should be negotiated here, this just seems like an incredible state of affairs. Does Apple want Samsung to refuse to provide them with iPhone parts, in return, and make components jsut for themselves? Does Samsung want to lose the hefty manufacturing contracts that come their way via Apple? Are they both not making enough money to solve this out of court, and quietly?
The problem is that Apple and Samsung are projected to "own" around 50% of the total worldwide smartphone market by as soon as 2013. So they are the two big guns. But people are never happy at hearing such news; they are happy hearing that they own 43% of that 50%, not 13% of that 50%. I have heard that Tim Cook, the new Apple CEO, wants this fight to fade away, and he has even sat down with Samsung CEO Choi-Gee sung at the negotiating table, as the two parties hammer it out. To date, I have not heard any positive news. While Apple is in dispute with other Android device manufacturers, the one with Samsung seems more personal, as Apple has accused them of outright copying of their designs.
It seems that Samsung suddenly developed some degree of device-design envy, and wanted the type of adoration and obsession over it's smartphones that was exclusively reserved for Apple before. To that end, they recently celebrated line-ups on the street outside stores for the Galaxy SIII release, in scenes reminiscent of iPhone fever, in Europe. I say good luck to them. Why? Well, I will let you into a little secret: I was an iPhone lover, true blue, until my 3 year contract was up, I was not overly excited about iPhone4S, and I got offered an amazing deal on the Samsung Galaxy SII. I can honestly say that after one hour, I did not want to go back to my iPhone and it even felt sort of small and old-fashioned. My SII turned heads in public, and turned many Apples green, with envious stares and questions about it from their owners, and its performance and user experience surpassed all of my expectations. The people who like to think they are the cool ones, but who bought their iPhones at iPhone 4 or beyond? You were late, and not that cool. Now stuck on a contract for the next two years, while all the cool, hip people own Galaxy SII or SIII or a Samsung tablet.
Yes, Samsung, you have made a convert, among the many others in the fifty million Galaxy SII owners out there! It is a great device, and as an individual, I do not have to worry about legal issues between two giants; I am a free person, so I get to buy the product that I think is best, from both the design and performance standpoints. Today, Samsung Galaxy SII and SIII rule, no question. Well, at least until the new iPhone5 surfaces in October, right?!! ;) - Kevin Mc
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