Samsung counters iPhone 5S with a golden Galaxy S4

[Steve Williams]

Imitation is the best form of flattery

By Vlad Savov The Verge

Two weeks after Apple's September 10th reveal of a champagne-colored iPhone, Samsung is launching its own golden phone in the shape of a new Gold Edition Galaxy S4. There are two options, Gold Pink or Gold Brown, which Samsung is proudly showing off on its United Arab Emirates social media outlets. It's doubtful that these handsets will make it to a global distribution — they look to be targeted at the same well-off demographic that might consider buying a handset like the Nokia Oro — but the important thing is that Samsung can now claim to also have a golden flagship product.

 

[ack]

Wonder when MIT and Transparent will come up with their gold offerings of their network boxes.

 

[rblnr]

Shocked that they would copy Apple.

 

[asiufy]

Shocked that they would copy Apple.

Why? Don't you know that Samsung is the great innovator, and Apple is the one doing all the copying???



alexandre

 

[Keith_W]

Why? Don't you know that Samsung is the great innovator, and Apple is the one doing all the copying???

You finally see the light. Apple patents things like rounded rectangles, Samsung patents things like industrial processes. They ARE actually, far more innovative than Apple.

 

[asiufy]

You finally see the light. Apple patents things like rounded rectangles, Samsung patents things like industrial processes. They ARE actually, far more innovative than Apple.

In your mind, no doubt they are!
For the rest of the world, Samsung is copying Apple's iPhone colour.


alexandre

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

I would not go as far as saying that Apple isn't innovative: They (re?) defined a whole category: The smartphone, the touch screen smartphones. Every single person on the universe get to flip fingers on their screen to search with not a thought. Apple made it so. Their iPhone was a revolutionary product. They then came with another game changer: The iPad. Limited but immensely useful product. Revolutionary? Of course, before the iPad there were tablets as useful in term of computing or surfing as an electric iron. Blam! came the iPad game close. Innovation? You bet!

Samsung shouldn't be discounted however as a simple imitator. They are at the forefront when it comes to bringing to market new products and this on several fronts. Some of their products find their way into, yes, Apple devices. Samsung R&D is an incredible engine producing innovative products by the truckload. Innovation that the consumer is mostly unaware of in a direct fashion but that make other companies (including Apple) products possible.
Innovation is not simply coming with revolutionary products visible to the public , it is much more involved and on this front, taking Samsung for a simple imitator is a mistake. They may well innovate much more than Apple and this on several fronts.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Hi

I would not go as far as saying that Apple isn't innovative: They (re?) defined a whole category: The smartphone, the touch screen smartphones. Every single person on the universe get to flip fingers on their screen to search with not a thought. Apple made it so. Their iPhone was a revolutionary product. They then came with another game changer: The iPad. Limited but immensely useful product. Revolutionary? Of course, before the iPad there were tablets as useful in term of computing or surfing as an electric iron. Blam! came the iPad game close. Innovation? You bet!

Samsung shouldn't be discounted however as a simple imitator. They are at the forefront when it comes to bringing to market new products and this on several fronts. Some of their products find their way into, yes, Apple devices. Samsung R&D is an incredible engine producing innovative products by the truckload. Innovation that the consumer is mostly unaware of in a direct fashion but that make other companies (including Apple) products possible.
Innovation is not simply coming with revolutionary products visible to the public , it is much more involved and on this front, taking Samsung for a simple imitator is a mistake. They may well innovate much more than Apple and this on several fronts.

I think you've got it, Frantz. Apple's innovations have to do with the user interface, the user experience. Samsung's innovations are mostly invisible to anyone but the engineers. And they suffer at times for being an engineering-driven company. I haven't seen one lately, but the interface on their early smart TVs was hideously clumsy, and, if as has been said here, their touchscreen gestures lag, it doesn't really matter how fast their processors are, they will feel slow.

Apple's lack of innovation is wishful thinking on the part of Apple-bashers hoping that the death of Jobs will lead to the demise of Apple's market leadership. It borders on morbid.

Tim

 

[Keith_W]

For the rest of the world, Samsung is copying Apple's iPhone colour.

Apple invented gold coloured phones?

I think you are typical of an Apple fanboy. When Apple does something, it doesn't matter that dozens of examples came before it. Apple did it, so therefore they did it first, and everybody else is copying Apple.

 

[asiufy]

Apple invented gold coloured phones?

I think you are typical of an Apple fanboy. When Apple does something, it doesn't matter that dozens of examples came before it. Apple did it, so therefore they did it first, and everybody else is copying Apple.

Where did I say Apple *invented* the gold coloured phone?
I just said Samsung is following Apple, as usual. And that is a plain fact.
You're making things up, a solid mark of a fanboy.

I do agree Samsung has a value in the technology ecosystem. They produce cheap source material, for the true "product" companies to turn their technologies and advancements into true, actual, useable and desirable products.

Samsung as a "product machine" is, no matter how you look at it, subpar at best.


alexandre

 

[Keith_W]

Where did I say Apple *invented* the gold coloured phone?

Right. If you acknowledge that Apple wasn't first to market with a gold coloured phone, ergo Apple is copying someone else? So why make a fuss about Samsung "copying" Apple?

 

[rblnr]

Hi

I would not go as far as saying that Apple isn't innovative: They (re?) defined a whole category: The smartphone, the touch screen smartphones. Every single person on the universe get to flip fingers on their screen to search with not a thought. Apple made it so. Their iPhone was a revolutionary product. They then came with another game changer: The iPad. Limited but immensely useful product. Revolutionary? Of course, before the iPad there were tablets as useful in term of computing or surfing as an electric iron. Blam! came the iPad game close. Innovation? You bet!

Samsung shouldn't be discounted however as a simple imitator. They are at the forefront when it comes to bringing to market new products and this on several fronts. Some of their products find their way into, yes, Apple devices. Samsung R&D is an incredible engine producing innovative products by the truckload. Innovation that the consumer is mostly unaware of in a direct fashion but that make other companies (including Apple) products possible.
Innovation is not simply coming with revolutionary products visible to the public , it is much more involved and on this front, taking Samsung for a simple imitator is a mistake. They may well innovate much more than Apple and this on several fronts.

Regarding Samsung as an innovator, it should be noted that Samsung has fabricated all of Apple's A series chips including the new A7 in the 5s. You'd have to think Apple would love to have someone else build it but apparently no one else had the ability to do so at the volume/cost Samsung is able to.

From a consumer standpoint, who cares about that though? We care about the look/feel, the utility, ease of use, experience, etc. While the Asian companies have come up with some nice looking hardware (HTC One), none have added much, if anything, to the other factors people care about. That's been mostly Apple. Software/user experience, etc. is much harder to do than hardware.

FWIW, here's an analysis of the different operating systems from a user experience standpoint:

http://www.pfeifferreport.com/v2/essays/how-ios-7-stacks-up-smartphone-os-user-experience-shootout/

 

[rblnr]

Right. If you acknowledge that Apple wasn't first to market with a gold coloured phone, ergo Apple is copying someone else? So why make a fuss about Samsung "copying" Apple?

Timing is everything Keith

 

[Keith_W]

Timing is everything Keith

21st August 2013 (i.e. 3 weeks before the iPhone 5S/5C launch) ... Samsung launched a gold phone: http://bgr.com/2013/08/21/samsung-galaxy-golden-release-date-specs/

It's actually Apple copying Samsung. But of course, in the minds of people like Alexendre, Apple doesn't copy. Notification centre? Not copied. Unified settings screen? Samsung may have had it first, but Apple DEFINITELY didn't copy!

 

[Steve Williams]

21st August 2013 (i.e. 3 weeks before the iPhone 5S/5C launch) ... Samsung launched a gold phone: http://bgr.com/2013/08/21/samsung-galaxy-golden-release-date-specs/

It's actually Apple copying Samsung. But of course, in the minds of people like Alexendre, Apple doesn't copy. Notification centre? Not copied. Unified settings screen? Samsung may have had it first, but Apple DEFINITELY didn't copy!

Keith

everyone has known for months about Apple's gold iphone so I think you got your dates wrong

 

[rblnr]

Here's a fun one:

 

[Steve Williams]

Here's another about Samsung and not being risk takers but copiers........

Samsung says it’s not developing smartphone fingerprint scanners yet

By Brad Reed | BGR News

Samsung may have been willing to release a gold Galaxy S4 but it’s apparently not willing to follow Apple into the realm of putting fingerprint scanners on its smartphones. An unnamed Samsung executive tells The Korea Herald that the company has no interest in adding fingerprint scanning technology like the iPhone 5s’s Touch ID system onto its next major Galaxy device. The company may create fingerprint scanners down the road but for now it considers the technology to be in its early stages and unnecessary for its current lineup of devices. Hyundai Securities analyst Yoon Jung-sun tells The Korea Herald that Samsung is waiting to see how well Touch ID works out for Apple before making its move since “Samsung has been a fast follower instead of being a risk taker.”

 

[asiufy]

Hahahaha awesome, yeah, Samsung never copied Apple, imagine that... (and Keith, this is a tongue in cheek comment. Apparently, for your benefit, I have to make that clear).


rbnlr,

As I said, Samsung has its value, and its worth, in the ecosystem. Apple no doubt wanted to have someone else produce their A7 chips (an Apple IP/creation), and didn't find anybody who could produce them in the same scale/price.

I can't find the link anymore, but I read earlier today that Samsung is gearing up to spend about 12 BILLIONS of dollars in marketing next year. Imagine that. It's due to cash like that that Samsung obliterated the other Android players. With cheap plastic phones and pure marketing. And yet, Samsung fanboys claim all Apple do is marketing... Oh well..


alexandre

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

The jabs between the (obvious) fanboys will never stop...and never ceases to amaze me. I think it's funny in an almost immature sort of way. IT's A PHONE people! Get a life!

 

[rblnr]

The jabs between the (obvious) fanboys will never stop...and never ceases to amaze me. I think it's funny in an almost immature sort of way. IT's A PHONE people! Get a life!

This is about as important as any other thread on this (or any) forum. If nobody takes a stance, the threads won't be that interesting. And it's possible to take a stance w/o being childish, which is one of the reasons WBF was formed I believe.