Apple Surpassed Samsung as World's Largest Smartphone Maker in Fourth Quarter

[Savor]

Companies can react better if their backs are against the wall. I feel Samsung is already plotting a re-rally which is also tied to their SoC investments. Their S6 edge is like a rebirth for them in design. Eliminating bloat is like a revamp for TouchWiz. Using their own Exynos over Qualcomm is another battle that could gain them more profits while saving money. The question now is will Samsung regain their top position or will they continue to fall? The once top dog is now an underdog once again after their recent failures from 2014. Now is the time for Samsung to stage an epic comeback...

 

[Keirasplace]

Quoting myself, because you two seem to conveniently miss that i said the bolded part above.

That quote doesn't mean much (if you're talking to me), because support its business is really really undefined. Support its business and thrive in it is not the same.

Also, when talking about public companies, merely supporting the business is not seen as enough ;-); profits must grow don't you know.

For example McD has issues now because its profits are declining; it is still making a lot of money mind you.

Declining profits is a very major problem. A company' operations has been built to support a level of business and then, wham you get a lot less profits the next year or quarter. Are you going to fire 10K employees because you made 10B less, divest buildings, cut R&D and marketing ? What impact will those cuts make. Declining profits, even when still profitable can have a major impact.

You could say, hey they should keep the same people and just try to keep the same revenues/profits to support them... Well, this is very risky. If Samsung for example lost 10B in profits this year, they'd be deep in the red. That means that they need to retrench partially immediately just in case. This has a major future impact.

Another reason declining or stalled profits aren't good at all for a diversified company like Samsung, Sony, big pharmas, etc is opportunity cost. Wouldn't that R&D, manufacturing and marketing money not be better spent elsewhere?

That's why many pharmaceutical companies get out of still profitable older products. Even a company like say Sony, could find that making tablets would be more profitable long term than continuing selling phones even if they're not losing money on the phones. For Samsung, they could say that putting their money into Fab to keep up with TSMC and Intel would be the best investment.

 

[Elvergun]

Their S6 edge is like a rebirth for them in design.

Yeah...it's like an iPhone 6 died and then it was reborn as an S6. Hallelujah.

Samsung - Revenge of the Body Snatchers!!

 

[Keirasplace]

Companies can react better if their backs are against the wall. I feel Samsung is already plotting a re-rally which is also tied to their SoC investments. Their S6 edge is like a rebirth for them in design. Eliminating bloat is like a revamp for TouchWiz. Using their own Exynos over Qualcomm is another battle that could gain them more profits while saving money. The question now is will Samsung regain their top position or will they continue to fall? The once top dog is now an underdog once again after their recent failures from 2014. Now is the time for Samsung to stage an epic comeback...

Their main issue is non differentiation from the competition on the software side. Do people all care enough about pure spec to pay more for a Samsung Android phone rather than an HTC or Sony one. Nothing is less certain.

 

[Palladium SG]

Companies can react better if their backs are against the wall. I feel Samsung is already plotting a re-rally which is also tied to their SoC investments. Their S6 edge is like a rebirth for them in design. Eliminating bloat is like a revamp for TouchWiz. Using their own Exynos over Qualcomm is another battle that could gain them more profits while saving money. The question now is will Samsung regain their top position or will they continue to fall? The once top dog is now an underdog once again after their recent failures from 2014. Now is the time for Samsung to stage an epic comeback...

There is no stop to the pain train I'm afraid. Just like the PC OEMs before, New Android devices are increasingly becoming a hard sell because the hardware now is "good enough" for almost everyone with next to zero differentiation between the vendors, which means the only thing people are looking at is the price and Samsung is never good at that.

 

[AAPLinc]

which means the only thing people are looking at is the price and Samsung is never good at that.

Exactly.

 

[LordVic]

[/COLOR]

That quote doesn't mean much (if you're talking to me), because support its business is really really undefined. Support its business and thrive in it is not the same.

Also, when talking about public companies, merely supporting the business is not seen as enough ;-); profits must grow don't you know.

For example McD has issues now because its profits are declining; it is still making a lot of money mind you.

Declining profits is a very major problem. A company' operations has been built to support a level of business and then, wham you get a lot less profits the next year or quarter. Are you going to fire 10K employees because you made 10B less, divest buildings, cut R&D and marketing ? What impact will those cuts make. Declining profits, even when still profitable can have a major impact.

You could say, hey they should keep the same people and just try to keep the same revenues/profits to support them... Well, this is very risky. If Samsung for example lost 10B in profits this year, they'd be deep in the red. That means that they need to retrench partially immediately just in case. This has a major future impact.

Another reason declining or stalled profits aren't good at all for a diversified company like Samsung, Sony, big pharmas, etc is opportunity cost. Wouldn't that R&D, manufacturing and marketing money not be better spent elsewhere?

That's why many pharmaceutical companies get out of still profitable older products. Even a company like say Sony, could find that making tablets would be more profitable long term than continuing selling phones even if they're not losing money on the phones. For Samsung, they could say that putting their money into Fab to keep up with TSMC and Intel would be the best investment.

Well, you are just stating the obvious, aren't you? And then you proceed to state that no further discussion is necessary.

It's like saying, "two plus two is four, and since this cannot be disputed, I win".

I thought I was stating the obvious by not going into details, As Elvergun said.

But you both proved that Apparently, if I dont go into details, you read outside the lines. If I go into details, i'm talking down and stating the obvious

there's no legit conversation to be had with you two as you clearly have come to the conclusion that there's some battle that can only be be won here by being the most profitable company in the world.

thats not a understanding problem. Thats a personal problem, and I"m not going to continue with the train of conversation if you're just going to take bits and pieces of context and apply your own bias.

And also: Continued record profit growth is an unsustainable business mentality that is predominantly found within the United states and is believe it or not, A universally accepted fact.

 

[twoodcc]

well you can't say that Samsung isn't trying to reverse the current downward trend for them, especially in the Galaxy S series. i do think the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge will do well, but i still think they could have done something a little more original than what they did

 

[Keirasplace]

[/COLOR]


I thought I was stating the obvious by not going into details, As Elvergun said.

But you both proved that Apparently, if I dont go into details, you read outside the lines. If I go into details, i'm talking down and stating the obvious

there's no legit conversation to be had with you two as you clearly have come to the conclusion that there's some battle that can only be be won here by being the most profitable company in the world.

thats not a understanding problem. Thats a personal problem, and I"m not going to continue with the train of conversation if you're just going to take bits and pieces of context and apply your own bias.

And also: Continued record profit growth is an unsustainable business mentality that is predominantly found within the United states and is believe it or not, A universally accepted fact.

Wow being both non sequitur (that's not even what I was talking about in either of my posts, did you actually read any of them?) and being insulting and condescending at the same time. A feat...

 

[Elvergun]

I thought I was stating the obvious by not going into details, As Elvergun said.

But you both proved that Apparently, if I dont go into details, you read outside the lines. If I go into details, i'm talking down and stating the obvious

there's no legit conversation to be had with you two as you clearly have come to the conclusion that there's some battle that can only be be won here by being the most profitable company in the world.

thats not a understanding problem. Thats a personal problem, and I"m not going to continue with the train of conversation if you're just going to take bits and pieces of context and apply your own bias.

And also: Continued record profit growth is an unsustainable business mentality that is predominantly found within the United states and is believe it or not, A universally accepted fact.

LOL. You sound like a wise man...like some sort of monk reciting ancient knowledge. It's like you are doing your best to give us an imitation of Obi-Wan by waving your hand as you mutter some words. But in truth you have not said anything we didn't already know.

There is not battle here. Every day Android fans flood this site, claiming that Samsung (or LG or Google or Motorola) is better than Apple because of the market share. All we are saying is that Apple must be doing something right since they are making the most money.

I'm glad Apple is doing fine since I tend to buy their products. I'm also glad that they reported record profits instead of a $4 billion decrease in earnings -- this means that there is a better chance that we will see an iPhone 8 than a Galaxy S8.

May the force be with you.

 

[Palladium SG]

LOL. You sound like a wise man...like some sort of monk reciting ancient knowledge. It's like you are doing your best to give us an imitation of Obi-Wan by waving your hand as you mutter some words. But in truth you have not said anything we didn't already know.

There is not battle here. Every day Android fans flood this site, claiming that Samsung (or LG or Google or Motorola) is better than Apple because of the market share. All we are saying is that Apple must be doing something right since they are making the most money.

I'm glad Apple is doing fine since I tend to buy their products. I'm also glad that they reported records profits instead of a $4 billion decrease in earnings -- this means that there is a better chance that we will see an iPhone 8 than a Galaxy S8.

May the force be with you.

This is what happens when Apple sell themselves as a lifestyle brand than the rest who are drinking the unsustainable Android + spec wars Kool-Aid. The funny part of the latter is that was already an ENTIRE history of Wintel PCs that followed the same path. "But it's different this time! They said."

 

[samcraig]

-- this means that there is a better chance that we will see an iPhone 8 than a Galaxy S8.

May the force be with you.

Why care if there is a Galaxy S8?

 

[Elvergun]

Why care if there is a Galaxy S8?

Exactly. It's probably just going to be a copy of the iPhone 8.

But why ask that question in an Apple forum? This question should be asked in an Android and\or Samsung forum: Why didn't people care about the Galaxy S5?

 

[samcraig]

Exactly. It's probably just going to be a copy of the iPhone 8.

But why ask that question in an Apple forum? This question should be asked in an Android and\or Samsung forum: Why didn't people care about the Galaxy S5?

You missed my point. You prefaced that comment with "I'm also glad that they reported record profits instead of a $4 billion decrease in earnings "

My question is - what difference does it make to your life whether Samsung is around long enough to create an S8 or not. Incidentally, I think Samsung (mobile) will be around for many years to come. So I wouldn't get your hopes up....

 

[Elvergun]

You missed my point. You prefaced that comment with "I'm also glad that they reported record profits instead of a $4 billion decrease in earnings "

My question is - what difference does it make to your life whether Samsung is around long enough to create an S8 or not. Incidentally, I think Samsung (mobile) will be around for many years to come. So I wouldn't get your hopes up....

No real difference since I would never buy a Samsung phone. If I had to go Android I would probably buy an HTC or a Motorola. But why is the statement you quoted so hard to understand? I mentioned that I was glad because there is certainty that an iPhone 8 will be released.

I also think that Samsung (mobile) will be around for years to come...I'm not so sure about the Galaxy line of phones though. I wouldn't get your hopes up if the S6 is not a hit. If they lose another couple of billions this year, do you really think they will be willing to risk even more billions next year?

 

[samcraig]

No real difference since I would never buy a Samsung phone. If I had to go Android I would probably buy an HTC or a Motorola. But why is the statement you quoted so hard to understand? I mentioned that I was glad because there is certainty that an iPhone 8 will be released.

I also think that Samsung (mobile) will be around for years to come...I'm not so sure about the Galaxy line of phones though. I wouldn't get your hopes up if the S6 is not a hit. If they lose another couple of billions this year, do you really think they will be willing to risk even more billions next year?

I actually do.

And personally, I would stay away from HTC. I know a lot of people love their phones - but I have two close friends that have had nothing but problems with theirs. Perhaps isolated - but enough that it would steer me away. The LG G3 is a pretty nice phone (my wife has one). I own both the S5 and an iPhone. Contract isn't up for awhile, but it will be a tough call to upgrade to either a 6/6+ or LG g(4?) at that point.