Samsung has proven almost effortlessly that the 5-inch smartphone has its place in the hands of the masses as it is on track to selling 10 million handsets in its first month, The Korea Times reports.
The company has plenty of room for sales to exponentially grow upward, possibly past their own already high expectations, as the smartphone that has taken the Android world by storm has yet to actually launch on Verizon in the States.
Samsung’s co-CEO Shin John-Kyun says the company expects the Galaxy S4 to be the fastest selling smartphone in the company’s history.
“We are confident that we will pass more than 10 million sales of the S4 next week. It is selling much faster than the previous model S3,” Samsung Electronics co-CEO Shin Jong-Kyun told reporters at an industry forum in Seoul, Thursday.
The Korea Timesreports that Samsung “is seeking a complete ban” on the iPhone 5 sales in Korea – even before the handset is even released, let alone officially announced. Local carriers KT and SK Telecom have so far sold about 3.1 million iPhones in the country. The paper quotes an unnamed Samsung senior executive:
Just after the arrival of the iPhone 5 here, Samsung plans to take Apple to court here for its violation of Samsung’s wireless technology related patents. For as long as Apple does not drop mobile telecommunications functions, it would be impossible for it to sell its i-branded products without using our patents. We will stick to a strong stance against Apple during the lingering legal fights.
Another Samsung executive is “quite confident” about “a big breakthrough” provided Samsung wins in Germany, adding that “so will other envisioned efforts against such products as the iPhone 5”. The report goes on to mention that iPhone sports an LG Display-made screen, LG Innotek’s eight-megapixel camera, Samsung-made NAND flash and A5 chip and an NFC chip for wireless payment.
The twist in this case, of course, is the fact that Apple is Samsung’s biggest customer, buying displays, NAND flash memory and custom-built A4 and A5 chips for its products. It has been reported that Samsung may soon lose its contract as Apple turns to rival TSMC.
The manufacturing relationship means Samsung gets information about the innards of Apple’s non-released devices months before the actual manufacturing ramp up. This early access to Apple’s designs could have led Samsung to move with the iPhone 5 ban in Korea ahead of Apple’s official launch. On the other hand, Apple did not accuse Samsung yet of abusing its manufacturing contract to rip off Apple’s upcoming devices with its own products.
There’s no denying Samsung’s best days are yet to come. Their mobile devices arm is hot and has risen to become the conglomerate’s consumer face charged with dreaming up exciting gadgets, such as the Galaxy family of smartphones and tablets. Just last week, they branched out into new form factors with the introduction of the 7.7-inch Galaxy Tab and a brand new 5.3-inch device with a stylus, dubbed the Galaxy Note. Granted, they have no plans to launch the new devices in the U.S. because Apple would likely ask for injunction (unless Obama intervened).
Samsung has also added a WiFi-only 3.6-inch personal media player to their lineup. This is happening despite an escalating patent dispute with Apple which has resulted in tablet launch delays in Australia, the Galaxy smartphones sales blockage in the European Union and a possible video testimony in court. In all, patents expert Florian Mueller counted nineteen lawsuits Samsung and Apple are currently embroiled in, spawning twelve courts in nine countries on four continents.
But the future is bright, CEO Choi Gee-sung told reporters in Korea today. The company zoomed past Nokia and Sony, according toThe Korea Times report, and wants to become the world’s top-tier software firm by the end of 2013. Ongoing litigation with Apple?
Samsung regards court battles with Apple as destiny. We are clashing with Apple in certain areas. Current situations will make us stronger.
Another company executive said “Samsung has no reason to send a ‘goodwill gesture’ to Apple first and therefore it is highly unlikely that Samsung will come to a licensing deal with Apple”. The CEO also flatly denied the rumors calling for his company to license Hewlett-Packard’s webOS software or buy the computer maker’s ailing PC business. He likened acquiring an operating system to “becoming a fashion”:
One thing clear is that Samsung will never buy HP’s webOS patent portfolios and I think that’s not important. We have over 20,000 software experts and Samsung prepares beyond normal imaginations. We are open to strike small M&A deals, though.
In fact, it would appear that Samsung has realized (on time, too) that software is the single most important building element that makes the gadget lovers’ hearts sing. That’s why the chairman is said to have demanded that the executive team double down on software. As a result…
With the Galaxy Note, pictured above, Samsung’s mobile devices division has branched out into a wider array of form factors.
