Apple can't even add touch features to macOS and you expect them to know how to built a robot?
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Samsung Buying Automobile Accessory Company Harman for $8 Billion
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No, but certainly like they did with their phones and numerous other products.
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Can't? I think you mean won't, or doesn't want to.Apple can't even add touch features to macOS and you expect them to know how to built a robot?
It's correct they provide infotainment systems. It's incorrect that they make the decision of whether or not Car Play is supported. That decision is entirely up to the car manufacturers. Manufacturers say do ABC and XYZ, Harmon does it. Harman played no part in deciding who would support CP/AA. I guess you're asking if it would be possible for Harmon to say "We will no longer support CarPlay in systems you buy from us." In the strictest, most technical sense they could say that. It would never happen. I don't say that lightly. It would never happen. The idea is absurd on premise alone. If thought about for more than 1 second it's even more absured. 1. Infotainment suppliers don't dictate terms. They bid to be the vendor of choice. 2. Samsung is an Apple supplier that actively courts their business. Why would they suddenly spend $8 billion on a company and then cut out part of what's going to help give ROI? <--- #2 should be the only reason you need. 3. This purchase was about diversifying the portfolio, not attacking Apple. Again Apple provides a ton of revenue for Samsung.
Ask yourself this: What would Samsung gain by not supporting CarPlay? Absolutely nothing. Besides, Harmon is one of many companies providing infotainment systems. Refusing to provide what car manufacturers require would simply result in getting dropped for the next company in line. Not even the most fanboyish fanboy in the fanboyest fanworld could make the logic work to support worrying about Harman no longer supporting CarPlay. No, I'm not calling you a fanboy. But the concern over CP support is something that resides in the fanboy world. Not the real world where spending $8 billion dollars means trying to grow the business instead of sabotaging it.
Here's a list of companies who would step up and over Harman if something like that were to happen. To be clear, nothing like that will ever happen.
Look at the list of products in your tag line. How many do you think DON'T have Samsung in them? You're speaker is safe. This thread is irrationally paranoid about one of Apple's largest suppliers and competitors. Apple can balance the relationship. You should be able to do so as well.
Pretty sad that you use that logic. I'm an Apple fan too, but I'll purchase products based on their ability to meet my needs or wants. JBL, HK, and Infiniti have made some great sounding and high quality products over the years. I have a set of Infiniti speakers from the late 1980s, and they sound terrific. I'm not sure what Harmon/Kardon, JBL, infiniti have been up to the past few years, but to boycott a company because the were purchased by your favorite company's competitor is a weak argument.
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If it's like how Apple is with beats, Samsung will let them be themselves.
This. Harman just supplies the "box" that has the system on it but has no influence on the output or what is displayed. If Harman had control of that, all infotainment systems supplied by Harman would look the same and have the same features and functionality. The auto manufacturer tells Harman what they want and they do it.
There's a lot of misconception on here (I guess it's more joking than any) but just because one company buys out another doesn't mean they completely change the operation. There going to be absolutely no change in what Harman does, Samsung is just the parent company. Harman could say "we're too lazy/it's too complicated" to implement x,y,z but that would be foolish especially in the auto industry. They're not going to say "no" to someone like BMW who is their biggest/largest client.
If they can't guarantee safety on their phones and washing machines, I'm not sure I'd want Samsung-anything on automotives.
Samsung said this:
"Upon closing, HARMAN will operate as a standalone Samsung subsidiary, and continue to be led by Dinesh Paliwal and HARMAN’s current management team.
"Samsung is pursuing a long-term growth strategy in automotive electronics, and plans to retain HARMAN’s work force, headquarters and facilities, as well as all of its consumer and professional audio brands.
"Samsung believes the combination will increase career development and advancement opportunities for the employees of both companies."
and
"Samsung’s Automotive Electronics Business Team, which was established in December of 2015 to identify opportunities for Samsung in the automotive sector, will work closely with the HARMAN management team to realize the full growth potential of the combination."
This all feels like the work of the founder's son who is coming in with fresh ideas. He's been selling off divisions that don't make much money, or that he's not interested in, and buying where he wants to go in the future.
"Upon closing, HARMAN will operate as a standalone Samsung subsidiary, and continue to be led by Dinesh Paliwal and HARMAN’s current management team.
"Samsung is pursuing a long-term growth strategy in automotive electronics, and plans to retain HARMAN’s work force, headquarters and facilities, as well as all of its consumer and professional audio brands.
"Samsung believes the combination will increase career development and advancement opportunities for the employees of both companies."
and
"Samsung’s Automotive Electronics Business Team, which was established in December of 2015 to identify opportunities for Samsung in the automotive sector, will work closely with the HARMAN management team to realize the full growth potential of the combination."
This all feels like the work of the founder's son who is coming in with fresh ideas. He's been selling off divisions that don't make much money, or that he's not interested in, and buying where he wants to go in the future.
It's pretty presumptuous of you to assume that I am motivated by Apple fanboy-ism. I don't like Samsung's business practices so I will not buy their products. It's as simple as that. They rip of other companies designs and ideas. I've heard horror stories about their appliance division's customer support.
I just heard a $90,000 high end JBL home theater system at ListenUp in Denver. It's as good as it gets. They make great products. I have also owned Infinity speakers in the past. However, there are plenty of other options out there so I won't be rewarding Samsung for doing business in a way I find to be reprehensible.
Insiders at Apple have long lusted after the idea of an Apple purchase of Harman/JBL. The idea was continually attacked by Tomlinson Holman, who was hired by Steve Jobs just shortly before he died. Holman isn't even an engineer but mostly a marketing shyster who's engineering ideas at Lucasfilm and THX have long been mostly disproven.
Much of the science done that has debunked the Holman theories has been done by a Harman/JBL scientist, Dr. Floyd Toole. Dr. Toole is about the most respected and knowledgeable acoustical scientist in the world and his book "Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms" is the definitive reference on these subjects. In it, Dr. Toole exposes the scientific fraud that has underpinned things like THX and the standards used by the SMPTE for movie theater sound.
Holman has had a vendetta against Dr. Toole and Harman/JBL for years because of this. Holman is virtually worthless among the REAL audio engineers at Apple, and the butt of many jokes inside the company.
Like many I believe that this would have been a great acquisition for Apple - making more seamless the use of computing and audio reproduction for the consumer. Giving this company to Samsung is putting lipstick on a pig.
Unfortunately, Apple is not a technology company with deep R&D like Samsung.
Even if Apple sent them a bid, Harman would've refused because, like Denish said (CEO of Harman), the deep R&D know-how, display products, network connectivity back end systems (5G), market scale (both consumer and enterprise) and vertically integrated structure of Samsung was the "dream come true" scenario for them. Almost all of their products DONT overlap, which is a good thing as there are no products cannibalizing each other.