You keep comparing Louis Vuitton hand bags with smartphones, which I find it odd , invalid and unfair. You can compare bags of Kate Spade vs. Coach vs. Louis Vuitton or even their knock offs, but let’s keep the line of products separate. Each of these bags has different versatility, size, price, durability, functionality, etc.
Invalid and unfair? I'm comparing illegally copied intellectual property, to illegally copied intellectual property. Versatility, size, price, durability, functionality, are
irrelevant. Being a
ripoff of someone else's design ideas is the key component.
Likewise, Kia cars and Ferrari cars both serve different needs. I wouldn’t necessarily say one is better than the other or one is junk, and the other is not. Many folks find Kia cars more practical in their use than Ferrari cars. Likewise, many folks find Ferrari cars to be fast and more aerodynamic. Different cars serve different needs. Diversity is good, makes the world goes round.
I would say one brand pursues a quality of build that the other does not. Ferrari builds with materials and precision that no Kia can touch. I'm sure many people do find Kia's more practical than Ferrari's. Many of whom, can't afford a Ferrari.
If you want an automobile example that is a little more relevant to our conversation: look in to Shuanghuan cars from China. They make an SUV, that is a blatant copy of the BMW X5. A cheap, poorly made copy. Junk.
The difference between that: BMW vs Shuanhuan, and Apple vs Samsung, is BMW sued Shuanghuan in Chinese courts and
lost. Apple has won their court case.
Getting back to your real vs. fake Louis Vuitton handbags comparison with the “copied” 15 Samsung phones vs. Apple phones, can you please show us the confusion in terms of their look and feel? They are totally night and day. I have seen plenty of real vs. knockoff handbags, and many of them do look and feel like the real ones, down to the design, color, and even little details. I would think durability may be an issue though in the long run. The 15 Samsung phones in question all have Samsung labels with different shapes, sizes, keyboards, back buttons, etc. For Apple to have claimed consumers are confused by the two different brands is downright silly and insulting to Apple consumers. Are Apple consumers that gullible?
Your personal feelings regarding the 15 phones in question are irrelevant. As are mine. They were found to be using designs, patented by Apple, in a court of law. Period. Arguing personal interpretations instead of the facts becomes a mud slinging fanboy war of biased opinions.
But Samsung knows that coming into the smartphone market, that’s why I believe they are smart enough to capture other segments of smartphone consumers by making different phones that suit a wider audience, a wider audience that Apple has neglected. You can’t cry foul against your competitor when you purposely neglected to serve others from the beginning. At the end of the day when it comes down to it, Samsung has sold more smartphones than Apple.
Samsung can sell all the cheap low-profit margin junk phones they please. Apple doesn't care about that segment, or Samsung's dominance of it. What Apple cares about, is Samsung profiting off of the designs of these cheap phones, designs which were popularized by the iPhone, and patented by Apple. Again, the same as knockoff luxury products. Coach doesn't care that companies sell handbags to poor people. What they care about, is companies profiting off bags being sold to poor people using designs that ripoff Coach's intellectual property.
So Apple has copied from other too? Could you please provide examples? Regarding the junk comment, many Android consumers think their phones are of good quality that fit their lifestyle. I guess it’s all a matter of personal preferences.
No. I'm not Google. Do your own research.
As for personal preference of junk versus quality. I'm sure Korbel drinkers think their champagne is of good quality that fits their lifestyle. Doesn't make it any closer to being Dom Perignon.
Well, I don’t see how this verdict really hurts Samsung’s public image, bottom line, and future design/copy possibilities. Just take a look at their SG3, SG4, Note 2, and Note 3 phones, all made after the initial lawsuit. They’ll continue to crank out more phones. If anything, this lawsuit has given Samsung a bigger name and publicity.
It hurts their public image, because they have been found guilty in a court of law of ripping off another company.
It hurts their bottom line, because they have to pay Apple for this crime, and will probably not be allowed to sell these devices any longer.
It hurts their future design possibilities, because they will have to come up with new, unique designs all on their own for future cheap devices. (Or ripoff a different company.)
They say "All press is good press" and in that, you're right. This lawsuit has given Samsung more press, and a more prominent place in the market. But is it a reputation you'd want? To be a convicted producer of ripoffs?
It certainly does. Think about it, if Apple is not threatened by Samsung, do you think they would have moved forward with the lawsuit? The competition is getting tighter, and Apple knows it. While I agree with the verdict, I just don’t’ care for the hypocrisies in Apple. Apple is smart enough to have patented many things.
Yes. I do. Why? Because it sets a legal precedent that Apple will not roll over. It makes an example out of Samsung, for any other company who would infringe on Apple's patents. It shows everyone they are willing to go all the way.
What? You think Apple should just suck it up and let someone rip them off?
I think you are missing my point. Apple’s consumer retention rate has been affected by Samsung, without a doubt. It’s na?ve to think that sales is status quo when there has been a big threat. Had Samsung not entered the smartphone market, Apple’s consumer retention rate may not be greatly affected. If you want raw numbers, ask Apple or the carriers.
No, your point was Apple has lost
large amounts of loyal customers, whom you think Apple needs to "win back". I'm sure Apples consumer retention rate
has been affected by Samsung. and LG, Motorola, Nokia, HTC, and Blackberry... and vice versa. I'm
positive Apple has had an impact in the consumer retention rates off all the smartphone manufacturers on Earth.
Had Samsung not
entered the smartphone market? Samsung has been in the mobile phone market, and smartphone sector, longer than Apple. Apple came in and disrupted the mobile phone market. Samsung, as well as every other mobile manufacturer, are doing what they can to fight back. Up to and including patent infringement and expanding in to the cheapest markets on the planet. It's working for them for the most part. But don't think that they came in out of the blue and rocked Apple's world. The scenario is quite reversed.
Apple and the carriers release their numbers. As I said, there is no statistical evidence to support your position. If you feel there is. Please present it. One example, Verizon's recent numbers for the quarter indicate the iPhone outsells all their other smartphones
combined.
When doing business, your intention is to grow each year and make more money. Retaining current customers is not enough, you need to acquire new ones along the way. Apple's retention rate has been affected ever since Samsung came into the market, and it has a bigger issue in acquiring new customers, not at a rate fast as Samsung, regardless of their increase of yearly market share.
Yeah, and in this regard, Apple is doing great business. Apple does both of these things fine. Retain current customers and bring in new. They sold 9 million iPhones over a 3-day weekend. The best selling Android handset, the Samsung Galaxy S4, took a month to reach those numbers. Apple's "bigger issue in acquiring new customers" at a rate slower than Samsung, sure doesn't impact Apple's bottom line very much, seeing as Apple is still the most valuable brand in the world, the second highest valued company in history, and making the second best selling consumer product of all time. Why? Because while Samsung is concerned with growing global market share for the sake of growing global market share, by selling a large selection of devices and appealing to a larger segment of the population, Apple is concerned with growing their own higher value market share, since it is comprised of one high margin product line. So while Apple's global smartphone market share is smaller than Samsung's, it is more profitable. By your guidelines to business to "grow each year and make more money" Apple is doing fine. They grow their consumer base each year, a base which makes them more money.
and again... Apple's sales have been impacted by
Samsung entering the market? That is again the chicken coming before the egg. Samsung has been a mobile phone manufacturer, and in the smartphone space, before the iPhone existed. Apple is the one who entered the mobile device arena and disrupted the status quo. Not the other way around.