So everyone is up in arms about Samsung's terribly awkward Galaxy S4 launch event. Everyone is equally in arms about Samsung's apparent rise to the throne against Apple.
But did you really read the fine print? Do you really understand what Samsung is doing?
"The Next Big Thing is Already Here"
Do you think a line like that and a commercial mocking iPhone buyers waiting in line, REALLY makes iPhone users abandon their comfortable phone for a Galaxy S3 and at this stage a Galaxy S4?
Let me ask you something- What do a lot of Anti-Apple fanatics and Android sympathizers have in common? Their disdain for Apple's popularity despite what their device "does better". They love to point fingers at Apple's iPhone and call it a marginal upgrade over the last year despite long waiting lines and hype.
Sound familiar? It's the exact message Samsung put out last year.
What Samsung was doing was NOT trying to throw a punch at Apple. They were theatrically throwing taunts at Apple when their REAL agenda was to throw life threatening shots at HTC, Sony Mobile, Motorola, LG and Blackberry. They wanted to grab those users that emphatically believed the iPhone was a joke, and UNITE those users. Samsung knows that trying to pry an iPhone out of an iPhone fan's hands is an endeavor where the rewards do NOT match the effort it takes.
And succeed they did. Over 100 million devices sold but how many were iPhone converted? Was it as many as those that abandoned their HTC's, Motorola Droid's, MyTouch's and Experia's? Not likely. The biggest flaw Apple pointed at when criticizing Android was fragmentation. No two devices are the same and it creates boundaries between users. Instead of wearing that fault with pride and calling it a 'unique' identity, Samsung said, "touche, we'll release one device on all carriers and unite the people who can't stand you".
What does this have to do with the S4 launch?
Quite simply, the S4 launch didn't need to win anyone over. They have over 100 million people that are just itching to Ebay and Craig's List dump their S3's, S2's and Note's to jump on the S4 wagon. A boring tech demo wouldn't make enough headlines to let the world know what was coming.
Oh, they didn't highlight enough of the phone's hardware? Don't worry, Endgadget, UberGizmo, Gizmodo and various other tech review sites will let you know how much tail the phone kicks. That will satisfy the nerds. But being an article in the Times because of how over the top your release was? Doesn't matter if the presentation sucked, Galaxy S4 is ringing in everyone's heads and no one even CARES that HTC's new One dropped.
What the Galaxy S4 release did manage to do was show everyone that you do NOT have to be a tech nerd to enjoy a flagship device. You can be a stereotypical wife, father, husband, daughter or traveler and enjoy the phone all the same.
Samsung is single handedly destroying anyone who attempts to release a successful Android device and doing so with the farce that they're going against Apple.
What do you do when you can't successfully win a market from your #1 rival? You stop trying and win the market they never had.
But did you really read the fine print? Do you really understand what Samsung is doing?
"The Next Big Thing is Already Here"
Do you think a line like that and a commercial mocking iPhone buyers waiting in line, REALLY makes iPhone users abandon their comfortable phone for a Galaxy S3 and at this stage a Galaxy S4?
Let me ask you something- What do a lot of Anti-Apple fanatics and Android sympathizers have in common? Their disdain for Apple's popularity despite what their device "does better". They love to point fingers at Apple's iPhone and call it a marginal upgrade over the last year despite long waiting lines and hype.
Sound familiar? It's the exact message Samsung put out last year.
What Samsung was doing was NOT trying to throw a punch at Apple. They were theatrically throwing taunts at Apple when their REAL agenda was to throw life threatening shots at HTC, Sony Mobile, Motorola, LG and Blackberry. They wanted to grab those users that emphatically believed the iPhone was a joke, and UNITE those users. Samsung knows that trying to pry an iPhone out of an iPhone fan's hands is an endeavor where the rewards do NOT match the effort it takes.
And succeed they did. Over 100 million devices sold but how many were iPhone converted? Was it as many as those that abandoned their HTC's, Motorola Droid's, MyTouch's and Experia's? Not likely. The biggest flaw Apple pointed at when criticizing Android was fragmentation. No two devices are the same and it creates boundaries between users. Instead of wearing that fault with pride and calling it a 'unique' identity, Samsung said, "touche, we'll release one device on all carriers and unite the people who can't stand you".
What does this have to do with the S4 launch?
Quite simply, the S4 launch didn't need to win anyone over. They have over 100 million people that are just itching to Ebay and Craig's List dump their S3's, S2's and Note's to jump on the S4 wagon. A boring tech demo wouldn't make enough headlines to let the world know what was coming.
Oh, they didn't highlight enough of the phone's hardware? Don't worry, Endgadget, UberGizmo, Gizmodo and various other tech review sites will let you know how much tail the phone kicks. That will satisfy the nerds. But being an article in the Times because of how over the top your release was? Doesn't matter if the presentation sucked, Galaxy S4 is ringing in everyone's heads and no one even CARES that HTC's new One dropped.
What the Galaxy S4 release did manage to do was show everyone that you do NOT have to be a tech nerd to enjoy a flagship device. You can be a stereotypical wife, father, husband, daughter or traveler and enjoy the phone all the same.
Samsung is single handedly destroying anyone who attempts to release a successful Android device and doing so with the farce that they're going against Apple.
What do you do when you can't successfully win a market from your #1 rival? You stop trying and win the market they never had.
