Galaxy

CES 2014: Samsung preempts rumored iPad Pro with new 12-inch Galaxy tablets

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 1, 2018

It's day two of Consumer Electronics Show and we're expecting a flurry of new Apple-related product announcements throughout the day. Our continually updated CES 2014 coverage does not include yesterday's Samsung press event, but it's not too late to rectify the omission and tell you about some new tablets Apple's fierce competitor announced at the show: one new Galaxy NotePro and three new Galaxy TabPro devices (it pays to keep tabs on competition).

Available in up to 12.2-inch variants (here's why), all four tablets sport a new Windows 8-style home screen called Magazine UI and some nice multitasking improvements such as the ability to run up to four apps concurrently and resize their "windows".

And as an amusing ide-note, I'm also going to tell you about film director Michael Bay's disaster at Samsung's press event (bonus: video).

All that goodness is right after the jump...

Samsung now selling 1 out of each 3 smartphones

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 29, 2013

Although Apple sold 33.8 million iPhones during the third quarter, up from 26.9 million a year ago, South Korean Samsung continues to dominate smartphones on a global scale. The company sold more than 88 million smartphones during the same period, comprising 33.2 percent of the worldwide smartphone market, according to one market research firm.

Despite its uptick in unit sales, Apple's share of the smartphone market for the quarter slipped to 13.4 percent, down from 15.6 percent - something that should be corrected in the fourth quarter, as sales of new iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s smartphones come into full view...

Apple’s iPad grabs 84 percent of tablet web traffic

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

It is pretty well understood that Apple's iPad is a major player in tablet traffic online. However, new numbers only emphasize the iPad's dominance as the device has accelerated further and now accounts for 84 percent of web traffic. Specifically, more than eight out of ten online ads were served to tablet devices carrying the Apple logo, a web analytics firm announced yesterday.

Competing tablets are left fighting over the remaining crumbs, with the No. 2 tablet - Amazon's Kindle Fire - accounting for just 5.7 percent of traffic detected between June 15 and June 21...

Apple and Google are no longer America’s hottest brands

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 11, 2013

Quick, name the two hottest brands in the United States. If you picked Apple and Google you'd be wrong.

Although the iPhone maker and Android creator dominate the smartphone industry, the companies have dropped from the list of hot brand names.

By contrast, Amazon and YouTube made the current list of the top 10 hottest US brands for mid-year 2013. In another surprise, basement-dwelling BlackBerry was named the most-improved technology brand - thanks to the new Z10...

Is the party over for high-end smartphones?

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 28, 2017

Every company loves maximum profits. For years, Apple and Samsung have sold high-priced smartphones loaded with features that were eagerly snapped up by consumers in mature economies in North America and Europe. Now the two largest smartphone makers face a changing consumer profile where basic is best and inexpensive is in vogue.

Just days ago, research giant Gartner noted low-cost devices comprise the bulk of both firm's device sales, making questions of whether to sell 'cheap' handsets only a distant - and irrelevant - memory. Now comes fear from Wall Street that the salad days of smartphones are over for Apple and Samsung...

Samsung: injunction for Apple makes no sense, infringed products are outdated

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 3, 2013

Although a jury in August 2012 awarded the California firm $1 billion in damages after finding Samsung guilty of violating utility Apple patents related to the iPhone and iPad, Judge Lucy Koh is still unimpressed. Having determined in January that the Galaxy maker did not "willfully" infringe on Apple’s patents, two months later she announced a decrease of the $1.05 billion verdict by $450 million.

Friday came word that Samsung argued in court documents that any permanent injunction in the United States against the infringing products "would not stop any ongoing infringement." And why's that? Because the Galaxy maker has either "discontinued the accused products or designed around any infringing features in the ones it still sells"...

Samsung celebrity tweets Galaxy S4 love… from his iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ April 30, 2013

So this would be kind of embarrassing. All-star Spanish tennis player and Samsung spokesman David Ferrer served up a fault this afternoon during his attempt to send out what looks like a sponsored tweet expressing his love for his new Galaxy S4.

The problem? Shortly after Ferrer sent out the tweet, several of his 350,000+ Twitter followers noticed something peculiar about his Samsung shout out—it featured the infamous 'Twitter for iPhone' notation, effectively killing all of its credibility...

Are Samsung drones trolling Apple?

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated December 6, 2022

We don't usually go in for conspiracy theories, but one is drawing quiet a bit of attention - and factual basis. Has corporate giant Samsung, stung by its more than $1 billion patent lawsuit loss to Apple in 2012, waging war on the iPhone maker? A number of signs point to the affirmative, including an apparent tactic to swamp any critics with pro-Samsung comments.

Along with blatant examples of the business press spinning news against Apple and for Samsung, there has been reports of fake Samsung product reviews. Additionally, we've seen up-close attempts by pro-Samsung 'trolls' to dominate comments...

Apple vs Samsung price war in India

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

In another era, Apple and Samsung would be competing gasoline retailers, locked in a war to entice more automobiles to the pump. Update the picture to the 21st century, replace gas with smartphones and you have the modern-day equivalent of a price war playing out in India, according to a Wednesday report.

Android-based Samsung smartphones initially had the majority of the India market to itself. However, now Apple is shaking things up by offering discounts on its iPhone 4 - a move fueling the company's challenge of rival Samsung.

The South Korean company has responded with discounts on its Galaxy family of products - on top of the current payment plan. Both companies are jockeying to control a market full of potential smartphone buyers...

How Samsung changed the game on Apple by focusing on advertising and distribution

Ed Sutherland ∙ April 11, 2013

Diagnosing Apple's Wall Street woes has become a bit of a cottage industry, prompting some to crown the consumer tech giant a has-been, while other observers point to a resurgent future. Earlier this month, a Forbes business contributor took a shot, claiming South Korea's Samsung has overtaken Apple using the iPhone maker's own weapon: promotion.

After knocking out music giant Sony with the iPod, using the iPhone to drive BlackBerry to the fringes and destroying the PC market with the iPad, Apple is "milking" its hard-won gains. Meanwhile, Samsung has plowed revenue back into promotion, outspending Apple by more than four-to-one. Ad attack coupled with Samsung's much wider footprint helped the Galaxy maker to change the game on Apple...

Samsung worried second damages trial could see Apple extract north of $1 billion

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 30, 2013

As you know, United States District Judge Lucy Koh shaved $450 million off the $1.05 billion verdict the jury handed to Apple in the high-stake Apple v. Samsung patent trial last August, citing “an impermissible legal theory.” She ordered a new trial for the remaining fourteen Samsung products and Nokia - of all companies - filed a brief with the appeals court on behalf of Apple, claiming Judge Koh got it all wrong. And in the latest twist to the ongoing legal saga, the South Korean conglomerate in court documents expresses worries that the second damages trial could see Apple win even more than before...

Apple exploring iPhones with wrap-around display

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 28, 2013

Cue the 'Jetsons' theme song as we talk about Apple's latest patent: a wraparound display for your iPhone. The smartphone maker has filed a patent for an all-glass design taking the iPhone's already sleek contours to the ultimate degree. Although outlining breath-taking technology, such as heads-up displays and the ability to connect devices like some technologically whacked-out tinker toy, the futuristic patent would likely come with some very current limitations...