Samsung sacks mobile design chief after tepid reception for Galaxy S5
With critics and consumers alike voicing displeasure with the industrial design choices made in its latest flagship smartphone, Samsung on Thursday replaced mobile design leader Chang Dong-hoon with deputy Lee Min-hyouk.
Chang will give up his mobile design responsibilities to focus on a broader design language for each of the units under Samsung's corporate umbrella, according to Reuters. A massive conglomerate, Samsung's reach extends from shipyards to heavy industry and semiconductor manufacturing.
"The realignment will enable Chang to focus more on his role as head of the Design Strategy Team, the company's corporate design center which is responsible for long-term design strategy across all of Samsung's businesses, including Mobile Communications," Samsung told Reuters in a statement.
Thursday's move comes after a number of publications criticized the S5's construction. The Wall Street Journal said the Galaxy S5's textured back was reminiscent of a Band-Aid, while the International Business Times led with the headline "Samsung Galaxy S5: Looks Cheap, Feels Cheap."
Lee -- formerly an automotive designer -- is widely credited with the Galaxy line's initial design, which was well received upon the handsets' debut. It was those same designs, however, that eventually led Apple to sue Samsung.
"As a designer, there's an issue of dignity. (The Galaxy) is original from the beginning, and I'm the one who made it," Lee said in 2012 when Samsung and Apple were beginning to square off in court. "It's a totally different product with a different design language and different technology infused."
Courts by and large have not agreed with Lee's take, and Apple's legal challenges have been wildly successful. The iPhone maker has secured sales bans of Samsung products in a number of jurisdictions and been awarded more than $900 million in U.S.-based lawsuits.
Chang will give up his mobile design responsibilities to focus on a broader design language for each of the units under Samsung's corporate umbrella, according to Reuters. A massive conglomerate, Samsung's reach extends from shipyards to heavy industry and semiconductor manufacturing.
"The realignment will enable Chang to focus more on his role as head of the Design Strategy Team, the company's corporate design center which is responsible for long-term design strategy across all of Samsung's businesses, including Mobile Communications," Samsung told Reuters in a statement.
Thursday's move comes after a number of publications criticized the S5's construction. The Wall Street Journal said the Galaxy S5's textured back was reminiscent of a Band-Aid, while the International Business Times led with the headline "Samsung Galaxy S5: Looks Cheap, Feels Cheap."
Lee -- formerly an automotive designer -- is widely credited with the Galaxy line's initial design, which was well received upon the handsets' debut. It was those same designs, however, that eventually led Apple to sue Samsung.
"As a designer, there's an issue of dignity. (The Galaxy) is original from the beginning, and I'm the one who made it," Lee said in 2012 when Samsung and Apple were beginning to square off in court. "It's a totally different product with a different design language and different technology infused."
Courts by and large have not agreed with Lee's take, and Apple's legal challenges have been wildly successful. The iPhone maker has secured sales bans of Samsung products in a number of jurisdictions and been awarded more than $900 million in U.S.-based lawsuits.
Comments
I don't believe he had the nerves to make that statement. How much of dignity has this guy got left ?
Notice how Samsungs been trying lately through ads / reports lately to show they were indeed "Original" ?
Part of there mind share damage control I suppose. People that realise Samsung copied off Apple have dignity issues buying there products. They are trying to fix that by making false claims.
He was in charge of design and all the office copiers. Sometimes you just get confused when have duel responsibilities.
"Office" copier! I thought I was the Apple copier.
Seems more like a promotion than a sack - why not fix the headline?
How is having one of your titles and most visible responsibilities striped a promotion. He already had the other title but was replace as the designer of the product that they clearly thinking is most important with the crazy money they spent on trying to stupefy the American public. Its a sack. They just need him to keep up the lies in the courtrooms. A pissed off ex employee just wouldn't work out for them.
The 5S is the iPhone. Is it really that hard to type SGS 5?
'Design' chief? Seriously?
I found his pic: http://www.governmentauctions.org/uploaded_images/copier-776439.JPG
LOL
Sacked?? According to the source article they didn't fire him.
"Chang Dong-hoon offered to resign last week and will be replaced by Lee Min-hyouk, vice president for mobile design, a Samsung spokeswoman said on Thursday...
Chang, a former professor who studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, will continue to lead Samsung's design center which overseas its overall design strategy."
Because Samsung couldn't sack Apple's design chief...
"As a designer, there's an issue of dignity. (The Galaxy) is original from the beginning, and I'm the one who made it," Lee said in 2012 when Samsung and Apple were beginning to square off in court.
This is one of those Palin-like quotes that sound like they came from The Onion but were actually uttered in full earnestness by some fool somewhere. Real life, when it gets strange, gets really strange.
Makes for a great post on Reddit - TIL Samsung Mobile had a design chief
One must wonder just how much latitude this guy was allowed. Was he in a position to say for example 'no plastic back' or was he hamstrung by Scamsung's management? Just because he was sacked doesn't mean he was responsible, perhaps the fall guy.