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Samsung profits plummet

i think tech journos are the only ones surprised by this result... probably something to do with not understanding anything beyond a simple market share figure.

on the plus side, Google sort of achieved it's goal... the ASPs of Android devices are now so low that the Chinese OEMs believe they have a competitive advantage.
 
Huntn said:
... Samsung has not even paid Apple the 1 billion for stealing it's patents.
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For infringing, not stealing. It's about who managed to patent a method first, not about actually stealing any code. For example, Apple is constantly being sued for patent infringement. Doesn't mean they stole anything.

As for payments, I don't think Apple has paid Motorola or Samsung any patent royalties yet, even after using their essential IP for the past seven years, IP without which the iPhone could not have existed. That could easily be a couple of billion dollars.

Every big company infringes. Every big company owes someone money.
 
kdarling said:
For infringing, not stealing. It's about who managed to patent a method first, not about actually stealing any code. For example, Apple is constantly being sued for patent infringement. Doesn't mean they stole anything.

As for payments, I don't think Apple has paid Motorola or Samsung any patent royalties yet, even after using their essential IP for the past seven years, IP without which the iPhone could not have existed. That could easily be a couple of billion dollars.

Every big company infringes. Every big company owes someone money.
Click to expand...

Good points. How much ability does a software company have of dissecting another companies OS? I thought it was quite indepth, thus features like 2 finger zooming could fall under the reverse engineering/stealing label.
 
kdarling said:
Every big company infringes. Every big company owes someone money.
Click to expand...

But as the linked article above points out, before the iPhone every other smartphone looked and behaved very differently. After the iPhone's success, Samsung purposely redesigned their handset to look and behave just like the iPhone. That's what put Apple's legal wheels in motion.
 
jayducharme said:
But as the linked article above points out, before the iPhone every other smartphone looked and behaved very differently. After the iPhone's success, Samsung purposely redesigned their handset to look and behave just like the iPhone. That's what put Apple's legal wheels in motion.
Click to expand...

No doubt that Samsung forced their way into the market with iPhone copies. They probably knew that the legal actions would follow but deemed this an acceptable risk/loss to get into the high end phone market. Lots of companies do this.

Nevertheless, once samsung, google and others started to really differentiate both OS and hardware from apple's products the whole market started to move forward really rapidly. As it turns out, good for the consumer but not good for samsung in the long run.
 
Samsung's flavor of android device and skin is the only android interation I bother when when not using an iPhone.

To me, I think it's good Samsung is getting kicked in the sack. This will motivate them to stop doing stupid things.

Does the market demand 20 different samsung phones a year? Clearly no. Is the market supporting 15 different tablets a year? Hell no.

Focus your attention, R&D, quality and resources on a couple of amazing devices. Commit more people to improving the software experience and reliability.

It it isn't going to move 10 million units, DONT SELL IT. Don't race to the bottom, because you'll never beat the Chinese at this game, so don't play that game.
 
It will be interesting to see where Samsung goes from here. HTC ruled Android before, then Samsung, and maybe Xiaomi will be next. I don't think Samsung will be able to regain the position they had a couple of years ago.

For all the complaining some people do about Apple making iOS closed off and restricted, it's that strategy that in the long term has allowed Apple to retain their position in the market and differentiate themselves from competitors. To the consumer a Samsung phone is no different than any other Android phone except it probably costs more. Apple's big screens and Xiaomi's low prices are squeezing Samsung hard.

Now we just sit back and wait and see how far Samsung falls. Wonder if they become another fish in the Android sea or do they fall as hard as Nokia?
 
I kinda want to see Samsung go cuz I dislike them strongly (Cuz...). But at the same time I don't want to see then go becuase Apple will have no real competition.
 
Huntn said:
Good points. How much ability does a software company have of dissecting another companies OS? I thought it was quite indepth, thus features like 2 finger zooming could fall under the reverse engineering/stealing label.
Click to expand...

None of the Apple-Samsung utility patent lawsuits have ever claimed reverse engineering was involved. There was no need for it.

Like most, these software patent cases are simply about one side or the other getting a patent on an (often vaguely described) method of doing something... and the other company coming up with the same (or similar) solution on their own.

Such coincidental software development happens every day, all around the world. That's partly why many countries do not allow software patents. The US unfortunately does; a situation backed by big corporations who can afford to file and refile applications. This is now escalating to ridiculous heights, with US companies filing preemptive defensive patents by the thousands.

--

As for two finger pinch zoom in particular, Apple did not invent that. Not even close, not by a couple of decades. However, they managed to get a patent on some flows like watching for one finger to do one thing, and then doing something else if the code saw two fingers. Which, of course, is what any multi-touch code does. D'oh. It simply points out how inexperienced the examiners were at the time.

That's why such patents have not only been declared invalid by multiple overseas courts, but are now also facing invalidation by the same US Patent Office which granted them in the first place.
 
I would not be surprised that Samsung seriously reorganizes their mobile phone operations and do the following:

1. Reduce the number of Samsung-models to the following:

a. Galaxy S in regular (5" screen) and mini (4.2-4.3") versions.
b. New low-end model running a pure-Google Android One configuration for emerging markets and for low-end perpaid users in the Western world.
c. Galaxy Note (5.7-6.0" screen size).

2. Phase out the Tizen project and switch to a "clean" version of Android akin to a Google Nexus phone. The Galaxy Note will only add software to run the S-pen stylus.
 
roadbloc said:
Only one thing for it... even bigger screens!
Click to expand...

Hopefully foldable ones!

2013_samsung_flex2.png
 
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