Samsung Cancels Galaxy Fold Pre-Orders in the U.S., Offers $250 Credit as Compensation

[Justanotherfanboy]

What you are trying to imply?
Apple will only launch an improved version of last year's Xs and Xs Max, not something that will create a new product category.

Ok, since my “implier” is clearly broken... I’ll spell it out:
I don’t think this move is “really cool”... I think it’s simple damage control.
Further, I don’t get your point. Apple created a tablet market w/ the iPad. Had they taken people’s money & held up a portion of it for 5 months, & literally charged & received the money from another number of customers as well, that wouldn’t be refunded for 5 months.... an unexpected and unrequested refund, mind you- along with a note reading “so, you were clearly excited to be the 1st to get this, as evidenced by your original order & payment, and 5 months of patiently waiting, with no cancellation of your order.... sorry, get back in the queue- lol!”, I would not think Apple was “really cool” for doing that either... even if an iTunes gift card came with it.

You know Samsung isn’t some small group of college buddies on a Kickstarter page, yeah??
Like, if you give them an exorbitant sum of money (or allow them to put the same on hold), & they clearly spell out the expectations for you... I’d think you’d be able to comfortably assume that’s a done deal.

 

[Glockworkorange]

I could've sworn I just saw a The Verge article about how Samsung "fixed" this dumpster fire. Weird.

 

[Justanotherfanboy]

Apple announces AirPower
2 years later apple says LOL NVM
Everyone praises Apple

Samsung announces foldable phone
Later Samsung says LOL NVM SRY take $250
Everyone gathers their pitchfork

Smh

Dang! I missed all the widespread praise of Apple for cancelling AirPower.
It must not have been covered here... or anywhere in mainstream media. All I heard/saw were scathing comments/articles about them being unable to deliver it.
Further, if gift cards = giving money, to you.... can I please rent a house from you? I’ll pay my rent 5 months late, & include gift cards, redeemable for free hugs or high-fives!

 

[Dephtones]

I'm all for innovation but they had to have known their product was going to go through this stuff and instead of delaying the launch they tried to push it hoping nobody would notice. biggest blunder in recent memory

 

[4jasontv]

A lot of assumptions on you part. The reality is that Samsung confirmed customers weren't charged for the Galaxy Fold if they pre-ordered with a credit or debit card. However, if they used PayPal, they will be refunded. Plus, all customers who had their pre-orders canceled will receive a $250 credit that can be used on Samsung's site.
Most likely not that many people used PayPal but $250 sounds like a reasonable compensation for this inconvenience.

It is more than reasonable. I am curious when the credit expires, and if it is treated like a gift card or Kohl's cash. I didn't preorder this, so it's only curiosity, but the only issues I have ever had with Samsung are with their promos.

 

[0134168]

Epic failure.

But not about the decice per se. But not to surrender when game is over.

 

[Jsameds]

Apple announces AirPower
2 years later apple says LOL NVM
Everyone praises Apple

Samsung announces foldable phone
Later Samsung says LOL NVM SRY take $250
Everyone gathers their pitchfork

Smh

Apple doesn't take Airpower preorders, cancel them and also recalls review units.
Samsung takes Fold preorders, cancels them and also and recalls review units.


"Everyone praises Apple"

Where?

 

[Ramchi]

AirPower couldn’t be preordered and never really launched. The only mistake was showing it.

It was also an accessory, not a flagship phone.

That's the point....if Apple the giant fumbles on a simple charger accessory, Samsung can fumble on flagship product with pathbreaking tech(foldable display).

 

[iLLUMI]

Glad to see manufacturers exploring this space. There's certainly a market for a device that combines a larger display with smaller in-pocket footprint.

It'll take some iterations to get the kinks out of the technology though.

I don't know if there truly is.
As per edhudley's comment the question is, is it about need or cool factor?
Is a foldable device even considered to be cool?
Do we really need/want foldable devices?
And considering the price, that factor keeps such a device out of the hands of the greater population.

Just looking back through history there have been many tech gadgets that have been created and sold to the public which never really catch on and disappear eventually.
On the other hand maybe it will catch on big time and it will become a must have device.... as long as the price comes down.
I'm wondering how 5G is going to change things. Or even AR glasses. At some point we may not even need large display devices anymore.
Will be interesting to see what lies ahead.

 

[Baymowe335]

That's the point....if Apple the giant fumbles on a simple charger accessory, Samsung can fumble on flagship product with pathbreaking tech(foldable display).

That is silly. It's far worse to fail on a product that is a flagship phone AND was offered for sale than mentioning a fringe accessory.

Samsung rushed this to market because their flagship phones sales have plummeted, far worse than Apple.

Foldable screens aren't really breakthrough tech from what we've seen so far. Samsung hasn't really even solved a problem and created many new ones.

I'm interested to see what Apple does with it if they are interested in it at all.

 

[ani4ani]

I'm all for innovation but they had to have known their product was going to go through this stuff and instead of delaying the launch they tried to push it hoping nobody would notice. biggest blunder in recent memory

How hard is to comprehend...they didn’t launch!

 

[Solomani]

FoldGate.

 

[deeddawg]

I don't know if there truly is.
As per edhudley's comment the question is, is it about need or cool factor?
Is a foldable device even considered to be cool?
Do we really need/want foldable devices?

Respectfully, I think you're focusing more on this solution rather than the general market opportunity.

If you remember back 15-20 years, it was all about phones being smaller and more easily carried.

Then as people started really using the devices for content vs. communication, the demand was for larger and larger screens.

My point was merely that the two conflicting desires (small size / large display) are inherent in the market -- when forced to chose one or the other, many people err towards the large display choice. Yet if *both* desires can be fulfilled (while not imposing other undesirable faults as exist with the samsung), there will be a market for that.

Maybe "folding" isn't the way to achieve it. Perhaps some other flexible screen setup would be best. Maybe it's not going to be technologically feasible at realistic prices for another decade or two. Who knows.

Still nice to see a company giving it a try. A new market segment tends to get a number of different attempts before someone really comes up with a solution. Remember Psion? Newton? Palm Pilot? Compaq iPaq? Early precursors to where we are today.

 

[Nütztjanix]

Refund what? No one was charged. The $250 is a gift for disappointing people and wasting their time.

Those pre-ordering via PayPal were indeed charged.

 

[Abazigal]

That's the point....if Apple the giant fumbles on a simple charger accessory, Samsung can fumble on flagship product with pathbreaking tech(foldable display).

You miss the point.

AirPower was determined to not work during the testing stage. It was cancelled long before it was slated to hit the market.

For all intents and purposes, Samsung genuinely believed they had a fully functional product in the galaxy fold. Their only saving grace this time round is their practice of seeding youtubers with review samples, and that the problem was so egregious that it took just a day to surface.

You have to wonder just how problematic their internal product review process has to be for this issue to not surface during testing, and for management to greenlight this for release. Not to mention that Samsung was clearly intending to use the galaxy fold to boost demand for folding screens so they could sell said tech to other companies.

One is a typical part of product design. The latter suggests something fundamentally very dysfunctional with the operations of a company.

I don’t see how AirPower is in any way analogous to the entire galaxy fold saga. It goes beyond Samsung not releasing said product, but the systematic lapses that led to this even happening in the first place.

 

[iMEric984]

Bit like AirPower..... at least they have offered compensation.

That’s a lame comparison. Or lack there of.

Apple didn’t take orders (or even $$) for AirPower. They announced it, tried it, didn’t work, so they scrapped it.
Samsung OTOH, in their typical form had to rush this to market to be “first” and totally failed. They took preorders, and had to cancel them. They said it would be ready in a couple months, and well. Still waiting. Maybe next time.

 

[dantroline]

Proving that being "first" doesn't always mean anything. If the phone was ready for prime time they wouldn't have to do this.

Lean thinking, innovation and manufacturing means things are often released too early and the risk is of a non-starter, but it also means the company is able to change course early before it ends up producing a product no one wants. They were smart to get initial buy in and smart to change course before it was too late. Good company, worth investing if this is their approach.

Apple, on the other hand, has been releasing dud products in its top tier and its management approach is blame, denial and evasion until it concedes after a public outcry. They make up for this deficiency by outrageous profit margins.

 

[Baymowe335]

Apple announces AirPower
2 years later apple says LOL NVM
Everyone praises Apple

Samsung announces foldable phone
Later Samsung says LOL NVM SRY take $250
Everyone gathers their pitchfork

Smh

Again, entirely different situations with entirely different levels of gaff. One was a fringe accessory that was merely announced. The other is a flagship phone that was launched, sold to customers in the form of pre-orders, and review units actually shipped. Samsung TOTALLY messed it up and actually shipped it before it was ready.

Apple isn’t going to give you credit if no orders were taken.

 

[unknownart]

A super thick Android phone, and a tiny Android tablet, in one! For only a couple thousand bucks. Better get on that reservation list ASAP

This makes my $99.00 android LTE/WiFI tablet cry.

 

[Abazigal]

Lean thinking, innovation and manufacturing means things are often released too early and the risk is of a non-starter, but it also means the company is able to change course early before it ends up producing a product no one wants. They were smart to get initial buy in and smart to change course before it was too late. Good company, worth investing if this is their approach.

Apple, on the other hand, has been releasing dud products in its top tier and its management approach is blame, denial and evasion until it concedes after a public outcry. They make up for this deficiency by outrageous profit margins.

Well, if people are buying Apple products despite their “outrageous” profit margins, then I will say that they are clearly doing something right.

I will repeat the same refrain at the risk of sounding cliche. One bets against Apple to their own detriment.

 

[dantroline]

Well, if people are buying Apple products despite their “outrageous” profit margins, then I will say that they are clearly doing something right.

I will repeat the same refrain at the risk of sounding cliche. One bets against Apple to their own detriment.

... which is why, for example, Samsung's market share in smartphones is growing faster than Apple's? Or why Dell and Lenovo are growing their market share faster than Apple? I know that innovations like the iPhone and the iPod were groundbreaking but it's no guarantee of future success now that the competition has caught up.

Apple used to be lightyears ahead in its operating system ecosystem and its hardware design used to be really top class, but now it's arguable. I don't think people betting against Apple are as clueless as you might think.

 

[Abazigal]

... which is why, for example, Samsung's market share in smartphones is growing faster than Apple's? Or why Dell and Lenovo are growing their market share faster than Apple? I know that innovations like the iPhone and the iPod were groundbreaking but it's no guarantee of future success now that the competition has caught up.

Are more people buying these products because they are better, or simply because they are cheaper?

Apple products aren't cheap. This means that the number of people buying them will always be less compared to the competition. However, Apple's smaller market share belies the fact that there is still a ton of apple products out there in the market in an absolute sense. Enough to sustain its own thriving ecosystem and support whatever new initiative Apple pushes forward.

Apple used to be lightyears ahead in its operating system ecosystem and its hardware design used to be really top class, but now it's arguable. I don't think people betting against Apple are as clueless as you might think.

I maintain that because Apple controls both the hardware and the software, they will always be in a position to differentiate their product offerings. One such example is by allowing their products to integrate with one another in a way that no other company can.

Their rumoured bluetooth tracker product is one such example. A company like Tile can at best shove bluetooth tech into a plastic container, write an app to go with it, and hope that adoption one day reaches a critical point that makes it worthwhile. I have nothing against the company, but having used their product, I have seen where the shortcomings lie. Conversely, with iOS 13, every apple product becomes a tile tracker, plus Apple can integrate the tile technology into their "find my" app on a system level, solving every issue I had with the tile in one fell swoop (inability for app to run backgrounded, heavy battery drain, lack of adoption in some areas).

The key variable will be whether Apple can sufficiently differentiate their products enough that users are willing to pay a premium for what they offer. I strongly continue to believe that this is, and will continue to be, the case.

And if and when Apple does reveal their long-rumoured AR glasses, I am willing to bet that it will ultimately be the smart glasses that offer the best experience in the market, once again due to Apple's tight control over their own hardware and software.

Apple always wins.

 

[I7guy]

That's the point....if Apple the giant fumbles on a simple charger accessory, Samsung can fumble on flagship product with pathbreaking tech(foldable display).

On the other hand if Samsung can fumble on a simple screen which is their forte, Apple can fumble on a complex project that ultimately depended on managing complex physics.
[doublepost=1567857885][/doublepost]

...Apple, on the other hand, has been releasing dud products in its top tier and its management approach is blame, denial and evasion until it concedes after a public outcry. They make up for this deficiency by outrageous profit margins.

Or they haven’t been doing that and the above is hyperbole...that is why apples valuation went up since 2011.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...s-for-first-place-in-global-h1-sales.2196653/

 

[Ramchi]

You miss the point.

AirPower was determined to not work during the testing stage. It was cancelled long before it was slated to hit the market.

For all intents and purposes, Samsung genuinely believed they had a fully functional product in the galaxy fold. Their only saving grace this time round is their practice of seeding youtubers with review samples, and that the problem was so egregious that it took just a day to surface.

You have to wonder just how problematic their internal product review process has to be for this issue to not surface during testing, and for management to greenlight this for release. Not to mention that Samsung was clearly intending to use the galaxy fold to boost demand for folding screens so they could sell said tech to other companies.

One is a typical part of product design. The latter suggests something fundamentally very dysfunctional with the operations of a company.

I don’t see how AirPower is in any way analogous to the entire galaxy fold saga. It goes beyond Samsung not releasing said product, but the systematic lapses that led to this even happening in the first place.

Samsung fumbled and their internal review to be strengthened on new consumer tech to be viewed as failure, no doubt....but charger accessory is not that big a deal when compared to foldable screens which is sort of Samsung trying to pull near impossibility... Samsung never cheated their customers by hiding it as suppliers issue, contractors issue, few batches only, only products with serial number starting with XYZ.... finally airports banning their MBP in the airplanes...only Apple apologists try defending them but I am not saying you are doing it, far from it.

 

[I7guy]

Samsung fumbled and their internal review to be strengthened on new consumer tech to be viewed as failure, no doubt....but charger accessory is not that big a deal when compared to foldable screens which is sort of Samsung trying to pull near impossibility...

Seems like making a simple foldable screen should be child’s play to managing complex physics.

Samsung never cheated their customers by hiding it as suppliers issue, contractors issue, few batches only, only products with serial number starting with XYZ.... finally airports banning their MBP in the airplanes...

And neither did Apple.

only Apple apologists try defending them but I am not saying you are doing it, far from it.

On that note on the other hand we it seems the critics latch onto anything, since there are two general categories of people in the universe. Right?