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Apple is far and away the most dominant company in the mobile market. From the iPhone to the iPad, the company has products that people are clamoring to bring home. All other competitors are mostly left hoping to pick up the scraps. It’s an enviable position, and one that has helped Apple become the world’s largest company by market capitalization.
But over the last several months, Apple has been facing off with a quiet threat: Samsung. The company, which offers smartphones and tablets,recently unveiled a new slate featuring a 7.7-display, as well as a 5.3-inch device called the Galaxy Note. What’s more, the company is planning to bring its wildly popular Galaxy S II smartphone to the United States this month, which could only bolster its position in the mobile space.
Simply put,Samsung is emerging as strong competitor. Now, the onus is on Apple to respond. Read on to find out why Samsung is bidding fair to give Apple a run for its money in the mobile market.
1. The designs are impeccable
If Apple is the leader in the industry when it comes to product design, Samsung might just be next. The company offers smartphones and tablets with some of the finest designs in the marketplace. The Galaxy Tab 10.1, for example, comes with a slick footprint and prominent 10.1-inch display.The Galaxy S II has a similarly prominent screen and a neat design that rivals even the iPhone 4. Consumers appreciate that. That’s why they’re increasingly turning to Samsung products.
2. A strong brand
One of Apple’s keys to victory over the years has been its brand. Consumers around the globe trust that the company will offer outstanding products with each passing year. Samsung also enjoys a strong brand reputation. From refrigerators to televisions to smartphones, people are buying a host of Samsung products for all their needs. They trust those devices. That trust is helping Samsung sell more smartphones and tablets.
3. Better features
When one compares Samsung’s mobile devices to Apple’s, it’s tough to find many features that the iPhone maker wins out on. The Galaxy S II, for example, comes with a big, 4.3-inch screen and 4G connectivity. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a 10.1-inch screen; built-in social features, thanks to Social Hub; and perhaps most importantly, HSPA+ connectivity. On nearly all fronts, Samsung’s devices are more capable than Apple’s. Now the onus is on the Cupertino, Calif.-based company to respond.
4. A bigger tablet display is important
As noted,the Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes with a 10.1-inch screen. The iPad 2, on the other hand, comes with a 9.7-inch screen. The difference might not be great, but when it comes to watching movies, surfing the Web and playing games, having that extra real estate is important. There is some speculation that Apple will offer up a bigger display in the iPad 3. That sounds like a great idea-because right now for the same price customers are getting a more-capable tablet with a bigger screen from Samsung.
Samsung Offers More Mobile Options
5. Android gaining converts
Apple’s iOS platform is definitely a better mobile operating system than Android, the OS most of Samsung’s products use. But the degree to which iOS is better than Android is debatable. What’s more, Android is the world’s most widely deployed operating system and will continue to be so as more and more customers buy devices running that platform. Android is very much a threat to Apple, and Samsung is capitalizing on that.
6. No other challenger exists
Looking around the mobile space, it’s hard to find any other competitor that is doing much-if anything at all-to scare Apple. By virtue of that, it’s not hard for Samsung to be the biggest threat to Apple. Right now, it appears that Samsung is the only major company, aside from Apple, that really puts enough thought and research into what today’s customers want in a mobile device. And the company is benefiting because of that.
7. It’s focused on consumers
There are several vendors in today’s mobile space that are trying to do too much. They want to appeal to both the enterprise and consumers and, in the process, aren’t able to get their products to catch on with either group. Apple, on the other hand, appeals mainly to consumers, allowing corporate customers to get in on the fun only if they play by the company’s rules. The same is true for Samsung. Its products are designed for consumers, and if the enterprise also jumps in, so much the better. If not, it isn’t a big deal. That’s an important element in Samsung’s success and its ability to challenge Apple.
8. More options are important
Apple’s decision to offer just the iPad and iPhone in the tablet and smartphone markets, respectively, has been panned by critics who say that the company should expand its product line to compete with the deluge of Android-based devices on store shelves. There is some sense in that. The more products a company is up against, the better it is for the firm to have extra devices, as well. Samsung ostensibly understands that, since it offers several smartphones and tablets for customers of all types to choose from. Should Apple release a 7-inch iPad version? Samsung has. Perhaps it’s time for Apple to follow suit.
9. Awareness is on the rise
When Samsung first started competing against Apple in the mobile space, there was relatively little awareness of its products. All the rage in the marketplace surrounded Apple’s devices, and all others were left out in the cold. But Samsung’s products are quickly gaining notoriety, thanks to their popularity both in the U.S. and overseas. That’s not a good thing for Apple. The company has long capitalized on the fact that it had kept all its competitors far behind it in market appeal. But with Samsung, Apple might not be able to leverage that advantage much longer.
10. Let the lawsuits be the guide
If Apple weren’t concerned about Samsung, it wouldn’t befighting the company all over the world with patent-infringement lawsuits. In Australia, Apple was able to strike a deal with Samsung to look at three Galaxy Tab 10.1 concepts before it approves one for sale. In Europe, Apple has won preliminary injunctions against Samsung products. By the look of things, the bitter legal and market battle between the companies won’t be ending anytime soon. If that doesn’t prove that Apple views Samsung as a real threat, what does?
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