Samsung vs. Apple: round 2

Samsung vs. Apple: round 2

With Player, electronics giant will go toe to toe with Jobs By Kim Yoo-chul With the Galaxy smartphones and Tab tablet computers, Samsung Electronics has been engaged in close combat with Apple. Now the Korean technology giant is also planning a personal media player, the Galaxy Player. The Player will be Samsung’s answer to Apple’s iPod Touch. Samsung hopes to better compete with Apple as it has just realized the full lineup of its Galaxy products. ``The release of the Galaxy Player clearly shows that Samsung is building up pressure on Apple. The competition with Apple has entered the second round,’’ said an electronics industry source. ``There are some differences in terms of product specifications and sizes. But the message is clear: Samsung is ready to take on Apple,’’ he said. The player, scheduled to make its global debut next month, is powered by a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. It supports the Android 2.2 operating system with access to Android Market and Samsung Apps. Other noticeable features include both front and rear facing cameras. ``The chief of Samsung’s handset business Shin Jong-kyun will update the division’s plans including the introduction of a new phone, the details of its Galaxy software upgrading plan and renewed sales targets for its tablets and smartphones this month,’’ said another top-ranking industry executive. A Samsung spokesman confirmed that the company is in the process of expanding the lineup of its smart products to actively meet consumers’ shift towards premium products. Needs better software, eco-friendliness In hardware-related essentials, Samsung is quite comparable to Apple, according to market analysts. But it is the consensus that Apple is ahead of Samsung in the overall mobile operating system (OS) and user-interface factors. ``Apple’s iTunes have enormous archives, which explains why Apple enjoys an edge, at the same time requiring Samsung to be more arduous in terms of the development of mobile applications and related support,’’ said Ko Kun, a professor of computer engineering at Seoul National University (SNU). But the one hopeful sign is the app gap between Apple and the Android community has been narrowing after the number of registered Android-enabled apps exceeded 100,000 as of October last year, market research firms said. The number is still meager compared with i-apps. This puts Samsung under pressure to invest more into its own mobile system, Bada. ``Samsung had been planning to increase the number of its high-end devices using the Bada platform, but the move looks to be losing its earlier momentum as Samsung is showing more interest in Google’s Android platform,’’ said an industry source. He said he believes that Samsung will boost the competitiveness of its own platforms for a balanced and idealized business portfolio and to effectively take on Apple. Samsung is expected to sell 10 million Bada phones by the end of the first half of next year, still far behind the stronger Galaxy S sales. Its plan to launch the ``Wave II’’ Bada phone for local consumers in 2010 has been scrapped. ``Some technical issues still remain. Samsung hasn’t fixed the exact launch date of the Wave for Korean consumers,’’ said the Samsung spokesman. Although the electronics giant sometimes grapples with copycat-related claims by critics, it is planning to continue its manufacturing-oriented and alliance-driven strategies to seek greater profitability and a bigger market share. “Samsung’s business is based on manufacturing and hardware-driven technology. We are on track to build on our strengths, though the process is time-consuming,’’ said the industry source. Samsung’s control of the components market may give it a competitive advantage over rivals Nokia and Apple, according to some observers. Samsung manufactures displays, computer memory chips, mobile processors, and other components, which can help its phone and tablet division and gain price competitiveness against rivals. Samsung has boosted its position in smartphones in the shortest time, unlike Nokia and LG Electronics by heavily focusing on Android models and launching aggressive promotional campaigns. ``The Galaxy Player is based on such confidence,'' added the executive. Samsung is the world’s fourth-biggest smartphone maker with a market share of 9.3 percent as of the end of the third quarter from 5 percent in the second quarter, according to data from Strategy Analytics (SA). Nam Tae-hyun, an analyst at the nation’s IBK Securities, expects Samsung will sell 62 million smartphones and 10 million tablet PCs, throughout 2011 and claimed Samsung’s share in the global smartphone market will rise to 14 percent next year. 삼성-애플 `2라운드 돌입’ 갤럭시S와 갤럭시탭으로 애플의 아이폰, 아이패드에 맞불을 놓았던 삼성전자가 가칭 `갤럭시 플레이어’를 곧 출시, 멀티미디어 기기 시장 패권을 위한 양사간의 경쟁이 2라운드로 접어드는 모습이다. 삼성전자는 금주 내 미국 라스베이거스에서 열릴 세계 최대 규모의 가전전시회인 `소비가전전시회(CES)’ 에서 미디어 플레이어인 갤럭시 플레이어를 공개할 예정인 것으로 알려졌다. 갤럭시 플레이어는 삼성전자의 스마트 디바이스 기술력을 활용한 신개념의 제품으로 기존에 출시한 갤럭시S 및 갤럭시탭과 함께 `갤럭시 패밀리’의 한 축을 이루게 됐다. 갤럭시 플레이어는 아이팟과 기능적인 측면에서 유사한 부분이 많지만 아이팟에는 없는 통화기능이 추가됐다는 점이 특징적이다. 삼성전자는 이 3가지 제품을 모두 출시해 스마트폰, 태블릿 PC 및 미디어 플레이어 분야에서 애플과 직접적으로 경쟁할 수 있는 제품군을 보유할 수 있게 됐다. 또 갤럭시S의 후속 모델이 곧 공개될 것으로 알려지면서 스마트폰 경쟁에서 애플과의 경쟁 구도를 본격화한다는 계획이다. 익명을 요구한 한 삼성전자 고위 관계자는 ``갤럭시 플레이어의 출시로 애플과 차세대 멀티미디어 시장에서 효율적으로 경쟁할 수 있는 토대를 마련했다’’며 ``제품의 사양과 크기등 세부적인 부분에서 차이는 있지만 중요한 것은 제품군’’이라고 말했다. 삼성전자측은 이에 대해 ``소비자들의 다양한 요구를 만족시킬 수 있는 다양한 사양의 제품군을 꾸준히 출시하고 있다’’면서도 애플과의 직접적인 경쟁과 관련한 부분에 대해서는 논평을 거부했다. 삼성전자에게 있어 애플은 `양날의 칼’과도 같은 존재다. 애플과 태블릿 PC및 스마트폰 시장에서 치열한 경쟁을 하고 있지만, 삼성은 낸드플래쉬와 모바일 디램 및 액정표시장치(LCD)등을 애플에 공급하는 핵심 업체이기 때문이다. 그러나 일각에서는 애플과의 효율적 경쟁을 위해서는 삼성전자의 소프트웨어 역량이 더욱 강화되어야 한다며 무선생태계 조성에도 더 많은 투자가 이뤄져야 할 것이라고 말하고 있다. 고건 서울대학교 교수는 ``삼성전자가 예를 들어 애플의 아이튠즈와 대적하기 위해서 모바일 어플리케이션 부분 역량을 조금 더 키워야 할 것’’이라고 말했다.

yckim@koreatimes.co.kr