Samsung's chief strategy officer admits to using Apple's iPhone, iPad & Mac at home

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
One of the top executives at Apple's chief rival, Samsung, has admitted that he uses an iPhone, iPad and Mac at home, largely due to Apple's "sticky" ecosystem.

Young Sohn admitted his personal preference for Apple's tightly connected ecosystem in an interview with MIT Technology Review, published on Thursday. Sohn began working as president and chief strategy officer at Samsung in August out of Silicon Valley in California.

Sohn acknowledged that Apple is a "very innovative company," and noted that Apple is a customer of Samsung's as well as a fierce competitor. He said he's always used a Mac, along with an iPhone and an iPad, because Apple's ecosystem is "sticky," making it convenient to buy in to the company's product lineup.

The Samsung executive said he believes customers are even more drawn to Apple's ecosystem, with services like iCloud, than they are to the products themselves. He said the Galaxy Nexus is a "better phone" than the iPhone, but added that the "connected ecosystem is really critical."

"At work I'm using Samsung devices; Apple at home, mainly because all of my systems and files are done that way," Sohn admitted. "That's sticky, you know? However, I did figure out how to sync all of my contacts and all of my schedules between the two different systems. You can do it. It's a bit of work, but it's possible."

Samsung


Going forward, Sohn said he would like to see Samsung offer a more complete experience than it currently does. He said Samsung provides more devices that consumers interact with than anyone in the world, but Samsung's current philosophy is 'device-centric."

"It's experienced by itself. It's not experienced in a connected way," he said. "So we think we can provide a lot more things than what we are doing today with an open ecosystem with our partners."

Samsung is one of the main component suppliers for Apple, but Apple is believed to be making an effort to move away from reliance on Samsung as the two companies have grown in competition with one another.

Officials at Apple are particularly upset by what they see as blatant copying of devices like the iPhone and iPad in Samsung's product lineup. A jury in California agreed with Apple in August and ruled that Samsung had infringed on Apple's patented designs, hitting Samsung with $1.05 billion in damages.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 61


    image wow

  • Reply 2 of 61


    Smooth.

     

  • Reply 3 of 61
    If Bill's kids were allowed to speak we could hear the same thing - if they had access to Apple gear.
    One of the top executives at Apple's chief rival, Samsung, has admitted that he uses an iPhone, iPad and Mac at home, largely due to Apple's "sticky" ecosystem.

    Another reason could be that Apple's gear works - he did say 'use' after all.
  • Reply 4 of 61


    A pepsi delivery man can get fired for drinking a bottle of coke.  Surely this guy has enough sense to realize he should be using his company's products whenever possible.  

  • Reply 5 of 61
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    This merely proves one thing. Samsung hires smart people.
  • Reply 6 of 61
    conrail wrote: »
    A pepsi delivery man can get fired for drinking a bottle of coke.  Surely this guy has enough sense to realize he should be using his company's products whenever possible.  

    I know a webmaster @ Samsung. He requested a company provided iPhone because most people looked at their mobile site from an iPhone. He got it, even upgraded to a 5 because of the new screen AR.
  • Reply 7 of 61

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Conrail View Post


    A pepsi delivery man can get fired for drinking a bottle of coke.  Surely this guy has enough sense to realize he should be using his company's products whenever possible.  



     




    Why? It's a free country image.




    Anyways:



    "If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles."


    Sun Tzu

  • Reply 8 of 61
    You can't fault the man for using the finer things in life.
  • Reply 9 of 61
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Conrail View Post


    A pepsi delivery man can get fired for drinking a bottle of coke.  Surely this guy has enough sense to realize he should be using his company's products whenever possible.  



    If the delivery man is not on the job and not publicly doing it, I highly doubt he could/would get fired for it.


     


    Maybe Samsung exec didn't consider it "possible."

  • Reply 10 of 61


    Of course he does. 


     


    They're used as Samsung prototypes. 

  • Reply 11 of 61


    Based on the latest Samsung ads, Apple should use this in the advertising.  But they won't, they are better than that.

  • Reply 12 of 61
    Ha! Score one for honesty. Apple should use this in an ad.
  • Reply 13 of 61


    Originally Posted by Conrail View Post

    Surely this guy has enough sense to realize he should be using his company's products whenever possible.  


     


    No, he has enough sense NOT to use his company's products whenever he can.


     


    As jragosta said, apparently Samsung does hire intelligent people.


     



    Originally Posted by Nathillien View Post

    Why? It's a free country image.


     


    Glad you put a wink.

  • Reply 14 of 61

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Conrail View Post


    A pepsi delivery man can get fired for drinking a bottle of coke.  Surely this guy has enough sense to realize he should be using his company's products whenever possible.  



     


    Apple should hire him away.

  • Reply 15 of 61
    rob bonner wrote: »
    Based on the latest Samsung ads, Apple should use this in the advertising.  But they won't, they are better than that.

    They are? Gates might disagree. Apple ads didn't just mock Windows. They mocked him personally. Jobs used to say Microsoft has no taste and no originality. So what track record do are you thinking of that makes them "better"?

    Their advertising is often better in terms of simplicity and absence of technobabble. And they design great products. But you're on drugs by saying they're better people. They're not better or worse. They are just a group of people who work really well together to make really cool stuff.
  • Reply 16 of 61


    Originally Posted by stelligent 

    Gates might disagree. Apple ads didn't just mock Windows. They mocked him personally.


     


    Which ones?






    But you're on drugs by saying they're better people. They're not better or worse.



     


    They don't steal ideas from others. Apparently that's not "better" to you.

  • Reply 17 of 61
    Update 1: Samsung Chief Strategy Officer fired for using Apple products.

    Update 2: Ex-Samsung Chief Strategy Officer found dead in Australian desert while on soul searching trip to Mildura. Dehydrated hand found clutching iPhone last running Apple Maps app.
  • Reply 18 of 61


    Sohn only started at Samsung August this year. Common sense dictates that he was already in the Apple Ecosystem before being hired by Samsung. And only a fool would abandon his established ecosystem because of a new position.


     


     


    Quote:


    "Can you say more about why these technology categories are so important? 




    OK, so think about Apple compared to Samsung. I use a Mac, actually, at home. I’ve always used Mac, an iPhone, and an iPad. I also have the Galaxy. So I’m a great example. 



    If you look at the strengths of Apple, in a way it’s not the product per se. It’s that consumers like their ecosystem such as iCloud. I like that my family 6,000 miles away in Korea is able to see my schedule and see all of my contacts and photos. It is sticky, but it is a proprietary architecture.



    Look at your phone [pointing to my Samsung Galaxy Nexus]. It’s a better phone, in my view. It’s a better display. It’s faster. But eventually the connected ecosystem is really critical.



    I think we have probably the largest platform in the world between the devices and displays and televisions we sell. We actually provide more devices that are interacting with consumers than anyone in the world. But if you think about our experiences, it’s device-centric. It’s experienced by itself. It’s not experienced in a connected way. So we think we can provide a lot more things than what we are doing today with an open ecosystem with our partners.



    Wait, you are still using Apple products? 



    At work I’m using Samsung devices; Apple at home, mainly because all of my systems and files are done that way. That’s sticky, you know? However, I did figure out how to sync all of my contacts and all of my schedules between the two different systems. You can do it. It’s a bit of work, but it is possible.


     


    http://www.technologyreview.com/news/508306/the-man-looking-to-turn-samsung-into-a-silicon-valley-trendsetter/



     


     

  • Reply 19 of 61

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post





    I know a webmaster @ Samsung. He requested a company provided iPhone because most people looked at their mobile site from an iPhone. He got it, even upgraded to a 5 because of the new screen AR.


     


     


    And he wants a company provided iPhone? Jobs's favorite Wayne Gretzky's quote was "A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be."  Not sure why he's looking at the past (iphone), not into the future (android). 


     


    Get rid of him.

  • Reply 20 of 61


    Keep an eye on this guy's LinkedIn profile, wow.  

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