Samsung receives 9 million pre-orders for Galaxy SIII (South Korea)
Samsung Electronics has received some 9 million pre-orders for its third-generation Galaxy S smartphone from more than 100 global carriers, according to a report by the Korea Economic Daily.
Samsung toppled Apple as the world’s biggest smartphone maker in the first quarter, helped by its line-up of Galaxy named devices running on Google’s free Android software. The latest version of its flagship phone, unveiled this month, will first go on sale on May 29 in Germany before being rolled out to other countries.
The newspaper, also said the company’s smartphone factory in South Korea was running at its full capacity of 5 million units per month.
Samsung is yet to make an official statement regarding the same.
Apple places chips contract with Elpida, Samsung loses $10 billion market value (USA, South Korea)
US giant Apple has placed huge chip orders with Japanese maker Elpida, causing Samsung shares to dip 6 percent resulting in a market value loss of $10 billion, according to a report by ET.
As per the report, Apple recently placed large mobile dynamic random access memory (DRAM) orders with Elpida’s 12-inch plant in Hiroshima, Japan, securing around half the facilities total chip production. Following this news Samsung’s shares, the world’s biggest DRAM maker, tumbled 6.2 per cent to a 9-week low of $1,100 – the stock’s biggest daily fall in nearly four years.
Analysts claim that this move came as Apple doesn’t want to see Samsung and hynix dominate the chip market. Apple wants to maintain its bargaining power by keeping Elpida running.
Samsung is yet to make an official statement regarding the same.
KT urges government to end OTT free riding (Korea)
KT Chief Executive Lee Suk-chae has urged the government and the nation’s leading technology companies LG and Samsung Electronics to pay for using its networks, according to a report by Korea Times.
As per the report, Lee in a technology forum held at the COEX Convention Center, southern Seoul, that Korea needs a new paradigm. The digital revolution has changed everything. Despite heavy data traffic amid rapid rises of data-intensive devices such as tablets and smartphones, no one is ready to pay in return for using networks.
He added that if the current situation continues, then Korea will see a big data blackout. This is an expected scenario. There’s no free lunch. It doesn’t make sense to ride free on networks.
The increasing adoption of OTT players such as Whatsapp and Facebook messenger have been cutting into operator revenues, while demand for wireless services has been on the rise.
The report highlights that growth in Internet-enabled devices is giving huge profits to set makers such as Samsung and LG, however, the trend is hurting telecom companies.
Lee said that the network traffic increased 153 times since smartphones came to Korea three years ago. Huge burdens over network investments are weighing on consumers as KT has no option but to collect money from customers to secure cash for the networks. KT saw a decline in operating profit in the first quarter of this year as its latest decision to cut monthly charges for mobile phone plans dragged it down.
KT spokeswoman Kim Yoon-jeong said TV manufacturers are free-riding on its network, while its capacity to invest and upgrade it is shrinking due to worsening profitability.
LG favours Android over Windows (USA, South Korea)
Microsoft’s chief executive, Steve Ballmer has recently announced that the company is planning to focus on smartphones running on Google’s Android mobile operating system. According to a report by KoreaHerald, the executive also said LG is taking a step back from Windows phones powered by Microsoft’s platform, adding that it will continue research and development efforts on Windows Phones.
As per the report, a spokesperson for LG revealed that the total unit of Windows Phone sold in the global market is not a meaningful figure. Further, the company currently has no plans of rolling out another LG-manufactured Windows phone soon.
The report reveals that Ballmer may holding a meeting with the chief of LG Electronics, as the U.S. software giant chief is expected to visit Seoul this month. Microsoft Korea spokesperson Lee Seung-yeon said that Ballmer, who will speak about the ‘new era of technology,’ will be staying for a day in Seoul.
Samsung net income up by 81 percent (South Korea)
South Korean company Samsung Electronics Co. has posted its highest profit in at least two years after beating Apple Inc. and Nokia Oyj in smartphone sales, according to a report by BN. The company said in a statement that net income went up 81 percent from a year earlier to $4.4 billion.
As per the report, Samsung shares witnessed a record high, with handsets such as the Galaxy Note causing the mobile phone business to almost triple in the quarter.
Further, the report reveals that Samsung plans to double sales of smartphones and tablet computers this year, helped by new products, the company said in February. Including basic phones, Samsung expects to sell about 380 million handsets this year after shipping a record 300 million units last year.
Samsung confirms use of 1.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor in Galaxy S III (South Korea)
In a recent press release, handset giant Samsung, has confirmed that it will be using the quad-core Exynos processor chip in its upcoming smartphone, the Galaxy S III. According to reports, the company said that the processor chip is scheduled to be adopted first into Samsung’s next Galaxy smartphone that will be officially announced on May 3, in London. The new chip is expected to offer significantly higher processing capability while using 20 percent lesser power consumption.
Samsung is yet to confirm other factors such as the screen size which is rumoured t be between 4.5 to 4.8 inches. Further, the phone is expected to be compatible with 4G/LTE. As per reports, Samsung has claimed that mobile operators Vodafone and O2 will sell the Galaxy SIII, while it is rumoured that Verizon may be approached to sell the phone in US.
Samsung sues Apple yet again after court issues settlement talks (USA, South Korea)
Samsung Electronics Co. sued Apple Inc. again in the U.S. over patent infringements, one day after the companies were ordered by a federal court to discuss settling a year-long intellectual property dispute, according to a report by BN.
The South Korean smartphone maker filed the additional suit on April 18 in the District Court for the Northern District of California, claiming Apple violated eight of its patents, Samsung. The company says that the claim is in response to a February complaint by Apple.
As per the report, the world’s two largest smartphone sellers have been suing each other on four continents since April last year when Cupertino, California-based Apple accused Samsung of copying its mobile devices. Their chief executive officers were ordered by the California court on April 17 to attend a settlement conference.
The report claims that both companies told the court they are willing to participate in the settlement conference, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose wrote in the April 17 order.
Samsung to launch the Galaxy S3 on May 3 (South Korea)
South Korean manufacturer has confirmed that it will be releasing the Samsung Galaxy S3 on May 3. The smartphone was announced by the company at the Mobile World Congress 2012 held in Barcelona and is expected to be promoted as the official smartphone of the 2012 Olympic Games, as per reports.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 will be launched simultaneously in New York, Seoul and Dubai. As per rumours doing the rounds regarding the successor of the Galaxy S2, the S3 is expected to be powered by Google Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) and a quad-core 1.5 GHz Exynos processor.
Further the phone is said to have a 4.65” AMOLED SuperPlus HD display, with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The S3 would boast of a 1 GB RAM with 32 GB storage capacity. There are two cameras in the phone, a 2 megapixels camera in front and a 8 megapixel rear camera offering HD recording. Reports reveal that the phone will be compatible with the LTE network as well.
The launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S3 will be held at Earl’s Court in London, on May 3.
Samsung overtakes Nokia for the first time in 14 years
South Korean manufacturer Samsung Electronics has taken over Nokia’s leadership position in the global phone market in the first quarter of the year, for the first time, according to a report by Reuters.
According to the report, analysts expect Samsung to have sold 88 million mobile phones in January through March, surpassing the 83 million which Nokia sold in the quarter. Samsung’s smartphone such as the Galaxy Nexus have proved to be a big success for Samsung, enabling the operator to maintain a command over the market.
The exact number for Samsung’s quarterly sales is still awaited, while Nokia released the same last week. As per the report, while Nokia has been losing out to rivals Apple and Samsung in the smartphone market, it has been able to maintain its dominant position by selling lower end mobile phones to the masses.
Analysts believe that while this would have little impact on their turnover, the number change would be a big blow for Nokia. On the other hand, the same would be a cause for celebration at Samsung.
