Tag: Samsung

Samsung Pulls Its Windows RT Tablet Out Of Europe Due To Weak Demand [Report]

By all accounts, the Windows 8 Pro Surface is selling like hotcakes. The Windows RT Surface, and other Windows RT tablets, not so much. That’s why Samsung decided against selling its Windows RT tablet in the U.S., and now the company may be pulling out of Europe.

According to reports out of MobileGeeks, Samsung will stop selling the Windows RT ATIV Tab in Germany. The device is reportedly not selling well at all, and retailers have told Samsung that there’s no demand for it. Even worse, Samsung may be pulling out of other European countries as well.

You could say that the weak demand for Samsung’s ATIV Tab could be blamed on Samsung’s hardware, but the reality is that consumers don’t care about Windows RT. Back at CES, Samsung said that Microsoft needs to do a better job of communicating the merits of Windows RT to consumers. Microsoft hasn’t exactly made a case for why Windows RT is more preferable to Windows 8 Pro and the hardware is suffering as a result.

Obviously, Microsoft will not be pulling its Surface RT out of Europe anytime soon. The company is invested in making its new hardware a success, but it really does need to work harder on conveying the merits of not only Windows RT, but Windows 8 in general. Dance parties aren’t going to do that.

If Microsoft can get its act together, you can expect to see Samsung and other OEMs flooding back to the market with new Windows RT devices. Until that happens, however, expect to see more instances of Windows RT failing to meet expectations.

[h/t: Engadget]

March 6, 2013
Samsung Teases Galaxy S IV In New Video

Samsung confirmed last week that the Galaxy S IV would be unveiled on March 14 at an event in Times Square. Now the company has a few weeks to build up the hype, and it’s doing so in a rather unique ad campaign.

The latest teaser for the Galaxy S IV is setting up a story of a young boy who is given the box containing what we can assume is the Galaxy S IV. It’s either that, or whatever the hell was in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.

It’s unclear what this new video series will actually reveal about the Galaxy S IV. It might finally confirm some of the rumored specs that have been floating around, like the 4.99-inch 1080p display and the Exynos 5 Octa CPU.

Still, it’s a refreshingly unique ad campaign that’s a far cry from the usual Galaxy S ads that only serve to make fun of Apple fans.

[h/t: CNET]

March 4, 2013
Samsung Galaxy S4 to be Shown Off in Times Square

Earlier this week, Samsung revealed that the unveiling of its next flagship Android smartphone will take place in New York City on March 14. The Korean company invited people to “come and meet the next galaxy,” implying that the event will be the unveiling of the Galaxy S IV, which has been rumored for some time.

Today, Samsung has followed up on its announcement with another invitation. This time, the company is inviting people to come to Times Square on March 14. A new invitation, seen below, was posted to the Samsung Facebook page. The message “be ready 4 the next galaxy” isn’t too subtle in indicating that the Galaxy S IV is coming.

People are invited to come to Times Square at 7 pm on March 14 to “experience Samsung’s new flagship smartphone at Times Square.” It’s unclear whether the actual devices will be shown off at the location (and, if so, whether people will be able to actually hold one or turn it on), or whether the Samsung announcement will simply be streamed live at the location.

Everyone who isn’t a New Yorker, or who doesn’t want to stand out in the cold for a look at a smartphone that won’t be available for weeks, the Samsung presentation will be streamed live on the SamsungMobile YouTube channel.

February 28, 2013
Samsung Won’t Be Backing Firefox OS

At this week’s Mobile World Congress, Mozilla announced that it had secured four hardware partners for its first run of Firefox OS handsets. Those four partners – Alcatel, LG, ZTE and Huawei – represent a pretty diverse chunk of OEMs. The platform won’t be supported, however, by one of the largest OEMs in the world.

CNET reports that Samsung won’t be making any Firefox OS smartphones for the time being. It’s not entirely surprising, but it’s still disappointing that Firefox OS won’t be seeing powerful hardware from Samsung in the future.

There are a number of reasons that we may not be seeing a Samsung, or any other major OEM, supporting Firefox OS in the near future. For one, Firefox OS is targeted at emerging markets. Samsung does make entry level phones, but its primary focus is on the consumer market in developed countries with devices like the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note.

Besides, Samsung already has it hands full with the upcoming launch of Tizen, it’s own open source mobile OS. Supporting Firefox OS on top of Android, Windows Phone and Tizen would be too much for any OEM.

For now, Firefox OS will have to do with its current stable of hardware partners. LG has proven it can build a great phone with its Nexus 4 for Google so a Firefox OS-powered LG phone could be rather attractive. Of course, we won’t know for certain until top level Firefox OS hardware hits after the initial launch of entry level devices.

February 27, 2013
Now Samsung Has Its Own Wallet App

Samsung has unveiled a new digital wallet app in beta.

Everyone is calling the App “Apple’s Passbook on Android”. Google, of course, already has some Passbook-like features in Google Now, not to mention Google Wallet.

Samsung says, “Samsung Wallet is a convenient mobile app which allows users to store and manage event tickets, boarding passes, membership cards and coupons all in one place.”

Yeah, it sounds pretty much like Passbook.

“By using Samsung Wallet API, partners can integrate their Associate Apps and Samsung Wallet in the way that they can add their tickets and coupons to Samsung Wallet,” the company says. “The easy to use, time and location based push notification feature of Samsung Wallet will alert partner’s relevant coupons and tickets to users, providing increased access to partner’s Associate Apps, not to mention real-time updates on membership card points and changes to boarding passes. Samsung Wallet also adopts a co-marketing coupons that provides optimal marketing effect to partners. As more and more users enjoy Samsung Wallet, the same will happen to Associate Apps, enabling a win-win commerce ecosystem.”

The Verge points to this video from the demo at Samsung Developer Day:

Earlier this week, MasterCard announced its new MasterPass digital wallet, in addition to a new partnership with FourSquare on offers.

On March 14th, Samsung will announce the Galaxy S IV. The company announced the Galaxy Note 8 mini-tablet the other day.

February 27, 2013
Apple Is Losing to Samsung’s Ad Blitz, Says the Man Who Put the ‘i’ in ‘iMac’

Ken Segall, the marketing man responsible for Apple’s “Think Different” campaign as well as for putting the “i” in “iMac,” has a message for Apple:

Samsung is crushing you right now.

At least in terms of advertising. In a new post on his blog Observatory, Segall argues that Apple is losing its vice grip on the being the “master of buzz creation.”

Here’s what he has to say about Apple’s current ad-battles with Samsung.

…Samsung’s message has proven to be tremendously potent. The company continues to bash away at Apple, delivering ads that are well produced, well written and seem to be striking a nerve.

In contrast to Apple, which has been sticking to its product-based ads, Samsung has been scoring points with its people-based ads — most of which play off some growing negative perceptions about Apple.

Apple has been the master of buzz creation going all the way back to the first iMac. It just isn’t buzzing quite like it used to. Momentum has been lost. Not all of that is Apple’s fault, but some of it certainly is.

Samsung invested in a two-minute Super Bowl ad; Apple chose to remain silent. Samsung created a new story for the Oscars, tapping the eccentric Tim Burton; Apple ran only a variation of its more traditional product-centric campaign.

Segall goes to to say that Apple needs to “recalibrate.”

“I imagine Apple is feeling a bit like Obama after his first debate with Romney. It deeply believes in its ideas; it just needs to express them more forcefully”

Last week, another big name in Apple’s history, Steve Wozniak made public his own criticisms of the company’s current state. In an interview, Wozniak lamented that Apple may be losing its cool factor.

[Observatory via Fortune]

February 26, 2013
Samsung Galaxy S4 2013: Announcement Coming March 14

Earlier this month is was rumored that Samsung would be unveiling its new flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S IV, on March 14 in New York City. It turns out this particular rumor was solid, as Samsung has now announced an event that will take place in New York on March 14.

The event is called “Samsung Unpacked” and is labeled as “Episode 1” for 2013, implying that other “Episodes” could be scheduled for later this year. The event will begin at 7 pm EST and will be streaming live on the SamsungMobile YouTube channel.

Samsung isn’t playing this cagey the way Sony did with its recent PlayStation 4 announcement, however. The invitation photo posted to Samsung’s Facebook page plainly invites people to “come and meet the next galaxy.” Also, the story first broke when Samsung’s J.K. Shin, head of mobile communications, reportedly stated that the Galaxy S IV would be the subject of a March 14 announcement.

The Galaxy S IV is expected to be a big seller for Samsung, which last year began to dominate the high-end Android smartphone market. The device is rumored to have a 4.99-inch AMOLED display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a eight-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 13 MP rear camera.

February 25, 2013
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Mini-Tablet Announced

Samsung this week officially announced its newest tablet device, the Galaxy Note 8.

The 8-inch mini-tablet is the Korean manufacturer’s answer to the popularity of Apple’s iPad mini. The Note 8 features a similar size and hardware to Apple’s latest offering.

The Note’s screen features a 1280 x 800 resolution with 189 pixels per inch – slightly more than seen in the iPad mini.

On the inside, the Note 8 has a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. Different amounts of internal storage will be available, up to 32GB, and the device also has a microSD card slot. The front camera is 1.3 MP, while the back is 5 MP. The battery is 4,600mAh. There will be a Wi-Fi-only version of the Note 8 available, and a more expensive version with wireless data capabilities.

Since the hardware is so similar to the iPad Mini, Samsung is trying to differentiate the Note 8 by highlighting the difference in software. The Note 8 will, of course, come running a Google’s Android 4.1.2 mobile OS and come packed with all of Samsung’s proprietary software, such as the ChatOn app and Dual View, which allows users to use multiple apps simultaneously.

The Galaxy Note 8 will also ship with Samsung’s “S Pen” stylus. The tablet will feature heavy integration with the stylus using software that can detect the S Pen and offer contextual menus. The stylus can also be used to hover over different screen options to activate mouse-over-like capabilities.

February 25, 2013
iPhone 5 Took Over The World In Q4 2012

A recent analysis of the smartphone market in 2012 found that Android dominated with over two-thirds of total smartphone shipments. The wide variety of Android devices ensures that the mobile OS ends up in the hands of more people. Another analysis, however, has found that Apple is still king when you take individual smartphone model shipments into account.

According to numbers released by Strategy Analytics this morning, the firm estimates that the iPhone 5 was king of individual smartphone shipments and marketshare in the fourth quarter. The firm estimates that the iPhone 5 sold 27.4 million units in the fourth quarter for 12.6 percent of the market. The iPhone 4S came in second with 17.4 million units for 8 percent of the market.

It wasn’t just purely an Apple game as Samsung’s Galaxy S3 came in third place with 15.4 million units shipped in the fourth quarter for 7.1 percent of the market. What’s interesting is that the Galaxy S3 was beating out both the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5 in the third quarter, but lost out to both in the fourth quarter. In fact, both the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S saw growth while the Galaxy S3 saw a decline.

So, why is the Galaxy S3 starting to see decreased demand? Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, says that the S3’s global demand has peaked:

“Apple’s iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S together accounted for 1 in 5 of all smartphones shipped worldwide in Q4 2012. This was an impressive performance, given the iPhone portfolio’s premium pricing. We estimate Samsung’s Galaxy S3 was the world’s third best-selling smartphone model and it shipped 15.4 million units globally, capturing 7 percent share in the fourth quarter of 2012. Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has long proven wildly popular with consumers and operators across North America, Europe and Asia. However, global demand for the Galaxy S3 appears to have peaked and Samsung will surely be keen to introduce its rumored Galaxy S4 upgrade in the coming weeks to fight back against Apple’s popular iPhone range.”

The iPhone 5 and 4S certainly benefitted from the holiday shopping season in quarter four, but Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, thinks Apple’s success can be attributed to a few other factors as well. For one, he cites “generous operator subsidies” as one reason for the devices’ combined success, but also the fact that the iPhone is available in more places around the world compared to Samsung’s flagship product.

It’s worth nothing that Apple’s dominance is a phase and Samsung is poised to take back the lead when it introduces the Galaxy S4 in a few months. Some reports peg it for a March reveal and an April launch. Apple will then undoubtedly release the iPhone 5S later this year. The device will push Apple to the top yet again. It’s all part of the cyclical nature of popular consumer technology.

[h/t: Engadget]

February 20, 2013
Samsung Galaxy SIV To Be Unveiled On March 14 [Rumor]

Much like the annual release of the iPhone, we can now count on an annual release for Samsung’s Galaxy S line. The latest model – presumably called the Galaxy S IV – will be unveiled sometime in March. The previous rumor said the date would be March 15, but a new rumor pegs it as one day before.

SamMobile reports that the Galaxy S IV will be revealed to the world on March 14 in New York City. The news comes from Eldar Murtazin, founder of a large Russian telecom Web sites. His tips are reportedly solid so many are assuming that this is the date Samsung has planned for the big reveal.

The Galaxy S IV, much like the iPhone 5S, has been the subject of many rumors and reports lately as people want all the information they can get on Samsung’s new flagship mobile device. The latest rumors say the device will feature a 4.99-inch Super AMOLED HD display with a 1920×1080 resolution, an Exynos 5 Octa CPU, a Mali-T678 GPU, 2GB of RAM, a 13 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front camera.

So, when will you be able to get your hands on the newest Galaxy S? The latest rumors put the launch date at some point in April. There’s no word on how much it will cost, but I would assume it would be about the same as the Galaxy S III.

Speaking of which, it’s probably safe to assume that the Galaxy S III will get a price drop around the time of the Galaxy S IV launch. That means Samsung’s current flagship device will become even more popular, which is kind of hard to believe after its already stellar success.

February 18, 2013
Mobile Phone Sales Declined Slightly in 2012, Shows Report

Business analyst Gartner today released its 2012 mobile phone sales estimates, reporting a 1.7% decline in overall mobile phone sales from 2011.

Even with the decline, though, customers bought 1.75 billion phones last year and smartphone sales in particular were up over 38%. Gartner analysts predict that nearly 1 billion smartphones will be sold in 2013. Feature phones, on the other hand, are quickly falling out of vogue. Sales of low-cost feature phones were down 19.3% in 2012.

“The last time the worldwide mobile phone market declined was in 2009,” said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner. “Tough economic conditions, shifting consumer preferences, and intense market competition weakened the worldwide mobile phone market this year.”

Predictably, Apple and Samsung led the smartphone market, and now control over half of smartphone market share. Samsung, with its variety of Android handsets ranging from low-cost to the premium Galaxy line-up, now leads the market.

Chinese manufacturers are gaining ground, though. Similar to a report last week from analyst Canalys, Gartner shows that Huawei is now the the third largest seller of smartphones, and ZTE is now fourth in worldwide mobile phone sales. Huawei’s sales were up 73.8% from 2011.

“There is no manufacturer that can firmly lay claim to the No. 3 spot in global smartphone sales,” said Gupta. “The success of Apple and Samsung is based on the strength of their brands as much as their actual products. Their direct competitors, including those with comparable products, struggle to achieve the same brand appreciation among consumers, who, in a tough economic environment, go for cheaper products over brand.”

February 13, 2013
Android Dominated Smartphone Shipments in 2012

Industry analyst Canalys this week revealed its fourth quarter 2012 estimates for mobile phone shipments. Unsurprisingly, it estimates that the worldwide smartphone market grew 37% from the fourth quarter of 2011. Smartphones, according to Canalys made up almost half of the mobile phone shipments in the fourth quarter 2012.

Android handsets accounted for over one-third (34%) of mobile phone shipments during the quarter, while Apple‘s iPhones made up only 11% of the shipments. When looking at only smartphones, over two-thirds (69%) of the quarter’s shipments were Android handsets.

Samsung led shipments by growing 78% year-over-year, but Chinese companies such as Huawei, ZTE, and Lenovo saw triple-digit growth, while Sony fell out of the top five. In China, smartphone shipments comprised a full 73% of mobile phone shipments during the quarter.

“BlackBerry, Microsoft and Nokia, as well as other Android vendors, have strategies and devices in place to attack, but the task is daunting to say the least,” said Pete Cunningham, principal analyst at Canalys. “When we look at the whole of 2012, Nokia remained the number three smart phone vendor, shipping 35 million units, but Apple in second place shipped 101 million more handsets. First-placed Samsung shipped 74 million more than Apple – the gaps are colossal. But there is still a big opportunity as smart phone penetration increases around the world. Vendors left in the wake of the top vendors must at the very least improve their portfolios, time-to-market and marketing, as well as communicate their differentiators. Microsoft, BlackBerry and other new OS entrants, such as Mozilla, must make the OS switch as simple as possible and drive and localize their respective app and content ecosystems.”

February 8, 2013
U.S. Smartphone Market Slowly Turning Into The Apple/Samsung Show

Samsung has effectively taken control of the Android smartphone market by becoming the most successful Android OEM in the world. That’s particularly true in the U.S. where its marketshare continues to grow. In fact, the latest comScore numbers show that the U.S. is no longer an iOS vs. Android market, but rather a Samsung vs. Apple market.

December’s smartphone market statistics came out of comScore Wednesday, and the results show the U.S. market warping into a battle between the giants of mobile where there’s increasingly no room for the little guys. In fact, besides an anomaly from LG, every major smartphone manufacturer’s market share declined except for Apple and Samsung.

It should come as no surprise that Apple was the top smartphone maker in December. The company commanded a 36.3 percent share of the 125.9 million smartphones in use in the U.S. Its great adversary, Samsung, is catching up, however, as its share increased to 21 percent from 18.7 percent in September. HTC and Motorola both saw declines, while LG saw a small increase to 7.1 percent. LG’s growth is probably due to the relative success of the Nexus 4.

As for smartphone platforms, Android reigns with a 53.4 percent majority of the smartphone market. It may have a majority, but it also little growth as its control only grew by 0.9 percent. In comparison, iOS grew 2 percent from September to December to have 36.3 percent of the market. BlackBerry and Microsoft both saw declines while Symbian stayed flat.

The U.S. smartphone market is slowly becoming the battleground for Apple and Samsung as other smartphone manufacturers continue to lose more marketshare to these behemoths. I wouldn’t be surprised if consumers started associated Samsung with Android as one in the same instead of two separate entities.

February 7, 2013
Samsung Galaxy S IV Announcement Coming March 15 [RUMOR]

Though Samsung‘s flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S III, has been a huge success for the Korean manufacturer, the company isn’t about to let its dominance of the Android mobile market slip away.

Rumors last year put the announcement of Samsung’s next Galaxy S phone as early as February or May. Today, the latest rumor puts a more specific date on the announcement.

SamMobile is reporting that the announcement of the Galaxy S IV will come on March 15. The report cites an unnamed “trusted insider” as stating the new smartphone will go on sale sometime at the beginning of April. Europe and Asia are predicted to get the device first, with the U.S. having to wait for a May or June launch.

Though the invitations for the announcement event are expected to go out this month after the Mobile World Congress conference, the location of the announcement is still secret, even from the anonymous source. Last year’s announcement of the Galaxy S III took place on May 3 in London.

SamMobile is the same website that provided the supposedly leaked image of the Galaxy S IV back at the beginning of January. The device is rumored to have close to a five-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution.

(via BGR)

February 6, 2013
Watch Paul Rudd & Seth Rogen Talk Samsung’s ‘El Plato Supreme’ Ad

We know that Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen will star in Samsung’s Super Bowl ad, directed by Jon Favreau. It’s slated to run for a whole two minutes and is called “The Big Pitch.”

Apparently, that ad will “show Rogen and Rudd on a quest to become the Next Big Thing.” The fact that Samsung is continuing with that whole “Next Big Thing” thing shouldn’t surprise anyone – as that’s the language they’ve been using to pitch their smartphones to Apple fans (and others) for over a year.

Samsung has just released a teaser of sort, which features Rudd and Rogen talking about trademarked phrases with their lawyer, Saul Goodman. Or maybe it’s just Bob Odenkirk.

Nah, it’s totally Saul Goodman.

[h/t 9to5Google]

January 31, 2013
Samsung Buys NeuroLogica, a Medical Imaging Equipment Manufacturer

Samsung Electronics America this week announced that it has agreed to acquire NeuroLogica, a medical imaging equipment company. The company is most well-known for developing portable CT scanners.

The price Samsung is paying for the company is unknown, as no details of the sale were disclosed. Samsung did state, however, that the acquisition is a part of the company’s expansion of its medical imaging business. The company has dedicated itself to the nebulous goal of exploring “new avenues of growth in the healthcare business by enhancing medical imaging diagnosis” by the year 2020. From the Samsung statement:

The acquisition of NeuroLogica is another important step in the expansion of Samsung’s medical imaging business. Samsung will continue to strengthen its capabilities and product portfolio to establish itself as a trusted leader in the health and medical equipment industry. The company plans to leverage its global brand awareness and world-leading technology in consumer electronics, IT and communications with NeuroLogica in order to expand medical imaging business.

NeuroLogica was founded in 2004 and is based in the Boston, Massachusetts metro area. It designs and manufacturers medical imaging equipment for hospitals and private health practices. Its products include the CereTom and BodyTom portable computed tomography (CT) scanners.

(Image courtesy NeuroLogica)

January 29, 2013
Samsung Reports Record Fourth-Quarter Profits

Samsung Electronics today announced its fourth quarter earnings. As expected, the company pulled in record fourth-quarter profits, taking in 7.04 trillion won ($6.5 billion) in net profit. That’s a 7% increase over their third-quarter earnings, and an over 75% increase from its profits in the fourth quarter of 2011.

“Despite uncertainties in Europe and concerns over the U.S. fiscal cliff creating a difficult business environment, we did our best this quarter to achieve strong earnings based on a strategic focus on differentiated and high value-added products as well as our technological competitiveness,” said Robert Yi, Head of Investor Relations at Samsung. “Heading into this year, we are expecting a slow recovery in the component business due to reduced capital expenditures, while competition in the set business will intensify further as demand slows and the mid- to low-end market expands.”

Samsung’s fourth-quarter revenues of 56.1 trillion won ($52 billion) rose on the strength of its mobile device and mobile component sales. Sales of the company’s flagship Android phones, the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note, have reached tens of millions of units worldwide. Samsung did mention, however, that sales of DRAM for PCs are down – a sign of the declining PC market itself.

Samsung expects its growth to remain stable throughout 2013, though it cites a “tepid global economy” and increased competition in the mobile device market as possible challenges. The company believes its growth will be driven by its LED TV sets, and expects the market for TVs over 60 inches to grow in 2013.

January 25, 2013
Samsung Bought More Semiconductors Than Apple in 2012

It’s no secret that Samsung is quickly catching up to Apple in the mobile market. While Apple painstakingly designs each of their devices and sells millions of each, Samsung has taken a more experimental approach, releasing a myriad of mobile devices of every size and type.

Samsung’s strategy is strikingly reflected in the number of semiconductors bought by the Korean manufacturer. According to research firm Gartner, Samsung surpassed Apple last year to become the largest customer of semiconductors in the world. While Apple and Samsung were nearly tied for semiconductor purchases in 2011, Samsung last year bought a full 8% of the world’s semiconductors – $23.9 billion worth. Apple last year bought $21.4 billion worth for a 7.2% share of the world’s purchases.

“Although Samsung and Apple continue to go from strength to strength, other leading electronic equipment makers fared less well, and six of the top 10 reduced their demand in 2012,” said Masatsune Yamaji, principal research analyst at Gartner. “In addition to a weak macroeconomic situation, a dramatic change in consumer demand contributed to a reduction in semiconductor demand in 2012. The PC market still represented the largest sector for chip demand, but desktop and mobile PCs did not sell well, as consumers’ interest shifted to new mobile computing devices like smartphones and media tablets. This shift caused a substantial decrease in semiconductor demand in 2012, as the semiconductor content of a smartphone or a media tablet is far less than that of a PC.”

Overall there was a 3% drop in sales for semiconductors in 2012. Companies such as HP, Dell, and Toshiba saw their orders for semiconductors drop by billions of dollars. Sony managed to increase its orders by 1.9% and Lenovo increased its orders slightly.

January 23, 2013
Samsung Galaxy S III Sales Top 40 Million

It’s official – the Galaxy S III is a real competitor to the iPhone. Samsung revealed this weekend that it has sold more than 40 million Galaxy S III smartphones. That’s as many units of the Galaxy S II that have sold in the nearly two years it has been available. The original Galaxy S only managed 24 million units sold. In total, the three Galaxy S smartphones Samsung has released have sold more than 100 million units.

This news comes just as Apple is reportedly cutting orders for iPhone 5 components. Although the iPhone 5 was another a fast-selling record-breaker for the company, it appears that the anticipated demand for the device hasn’t materialized. The announcement has led to another drop in Apple’s stock price, which has been falling since the release of the latest iPhone.

Samsung’s stock, on the other hand, has been steadily increasing since the release of the Galaxy S III. The Korean company’s latest announcement included the fact that average daily sales of their flagship Android smartphone are currently 190,000. Samsung has effectively taken over the high-end Android smartphone market, causing companies such as HTC to falter.

Rumors are currently putting the release of the iPhone 5S (or whatever it will be called) and the Galaxy S IV will be released at the beginning of this summer. With the competition finally heating up, 2013 looks to be another transformative year for smartphone markets.

(via BGR)

January 14, 2013
Samsung Won’t Bring Its Windows RT Tablet To The U.S.

Windows RT is strange. It’s Windows 8, but not really. It lacks many of the features that consumers have come to expect from Windows over the years, and that translates to confusion among consumers. That confusion just killed one Windows RT product chances in the U.S.

Samsung’s SVP, Mike Abary, told CNET that the comapny won’t be bringing its Windows RT-powered ATIV Tab to the U.S. despite showing off said tablet at Qualcomm’s keynote during the show. The reason for this decision is two-fold. For one, Samsung’s retail partners say there’s no demand for Windows RT devices. The second, and more important, reason is that Samsung thinks it would cost too much “to educate the consumer on what Windows RT was.”

That latter reason is the real problem facing Windows RT in the U.S. and elsewhere. Microsoft envisioned Windows RT as being the Windows 8 that runs on cheaper devices. The problem is that Windows RT is a gimped version of Windows 8, and people don’t necessarily understand the reason for that. Samsung could say Windows RT devices are cheaper due to their ARM processors, but people would still question why Windows 8 proper can’t run on ARM processors. Why should they pay $600 for an inferior version of Windows when they can pay $200 more for the real deal and better hardware to boot.

It’s this very same reason that the Surface RT has not been performing so well in the U.S. Everybody seems to be waiting for the Surface Pro as it features the full Windows 8 experience. Windows RT can’t provide the kind of experience that consumers expect from Windows.

That being said, Samsung hasn’t given up on Windows RT. The company is taking a wait and see approach to find out if Windows RT can gain traction in the U.S. market. While it waits, the company will try its luck with its new Windows 8 ATIV Smart PC Pro tablets.

January 11, 2013
CES 2013: Pretend You’re At CES By Watching Samsung’s Keynote

What’s the best part about CES? Is it the new cool technology? Or the inane celebrity endorsements? How about both rolled into one?

That’s what you get if you watch Samsung’s CES 2013 keynote. Watch an hour of announcements coming at you from all sides as Samsung assaults your brain with the latest marvels of technology. Obviously, the big deal is Samsung’s new Octo-core Exynos 5 chip that will power the next generation of mobile handsets – including the rumored, but totally real, Galaxy S IV.

Check out Samsung’s CES keynote in all its glory below:

January 10, 2013