10 Ways Samsung Is Making Apple Sweat

by Don Reisinger

Although Samsung’s Galaxy S line has been doing well over the last few years, it really wasn’t until the Galaxy S III that the company applied real pressure on Apple. That device was everything that the iPhone 4S wasn’t. And customers quickly jumped at the chance to use it. That was bad news for Apple.

Even more bad news for Apple is the Samsung Galaxy S 4. That handset is arguably the most compelling and full-featured smartphone to ever launch, and it includes everything from a 5-inch screen to a 13-megapixel camera. Add to that a touchless interface, and it’s clear that the Galaxy S 4 should worry Apple.

The lawsuits surrounding Apple and Samsung have actually done quite a bit to help the Galaxy maker put the iPhone maker on notice. After all, by Apple taking such great strides to try to take down Samsung, it’s putting the company on its same plane. And by doing that, customers can’t help but wonder if Apple is at least a little concerned by Samsung.

Samsung Apps, the company’s answer to the Apple App Store, has been growing in leaps and bounds over the last several months. In fact, consumers will find just about all of the most popular iOS applications in Samsung’s store, plus the company is offering developers incentives to bring their software to its marketplace. Samsung Apps might not be as big as Apple’s App Store, but that could change.

Samsung has done an exceedingly good job of integrating its TouchWiz interface with Android and turning its devices into their own offshoot that customers want to use. From touchless features to near-field communication, Samsung’s mobile software is top-notch. And it’s making Apple’s alternative look somewhat subpar in comparison.

Apple has for years been considered the very best hardware designer on the market. But that has started to change. Samsung’s devices are extremely good-looking and appear to be appealing to customers who want a pretty product with great features. If Apple can’t win the design game, what does it really have left?

The odd thing about the mobile marketplace is that it can be incestuous. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the iPhone, which is running a processor produced by Apple’s chief competitor—you guessed it, Samsung. According to numerous reports, Apple is more than displeased that it has to pay Samsung to run its devices, but right now, it’s the best option. And that’s a problem for Apple.

Looking at the market share figures, it’s easy to see why Samsung is now making Apple sweat. Samsung is selling more smartphones than Apple, and according to the company, it expects the Galaxy S 4 to hit 10 million unit sales in under a month since its launch. It took Samsung nearly twice as long to hit that mark with the Galaxy S III. Add that to the fact that Samsung is shipping more smartphones than any other vendor, and it’s clear why Apple is so concerned with Samsung.

When it comes to hardware, Apple is again a bit behind Samsung. The company’s iPhone display is smaller, its processor is far more sluggish, and its camera is a distant second compared with the Galaxy S 4’s 13-megapixel option. Plus, the Galaxy S 4 has a near-field communications chip that the iPhone 5 lacks. When will Apple finally catch up?

There was a time when only Apple could command the attention of just about anyone even remotely involved in the technology industry. And all of Apple’s products were capable of building hype. But now Samsung is doing the same. And the company’s hype machine is growing by the day. That’s good news for Samsung—and bad news for Apple.