No doubt there will be a group of people here that misunderstand or misconstrue what I am about to say but ...
You know that's so true and equally applies to almost everyone Apple competes with. It could almost be considered as yet another industry (classing support as a business) Apple has re-invented.
No doubt there will be a group of people here that misunderstand or misconstrue what I am about to say but ...
Samsung, of all the companies that Apple competes with, has the best chance to copy Apple on this front and succeed. They are large and have deep pockets without a fear of going backrupt month-to-month yet they also can work fast like a start up. On top of that they have their hands in HW, OS, SW and ecosystem construction that could rival Apple. If they realized the long-game of treating the customer well even though it's a cost center they could have a similar mindshare that Apple enjoys.
3 years ago I bought the then brandnew top of the line flagship touchscreen smartphone from Samsung for what was an obscene amount, never received any FW update and three months later they launched a new top of the line model and swept mine aside. The one I owned has many glitches, their products are shady at best.
I came to the same easy conclusion you did.
I am not surprised that Samsung just upped and reamed your backside with that TV purchase. The only Samsung product I use is a feature phone and only because it was a free upgrade. I don't expect it to last long. Just like a previous Samsung cell phone died after 11 months and a Samsung dehumidifier I bought died after three months. Their customer service philosophy seems to be "take the money and run".
Samsung is a shit company run by a CEO who was convicted of embezzlement and tax evasion but then was pardoned by the president of Korea. He has also been embroiled in a slush fund/bribery controversy and is currently being sued by his brother for allegedly stealing a billion dollar inheritance from his own siblings.
I'd stay away from any company whose CEO has that track record.
Samesung does not have the best displays...never did. Anyone that knows anything about picture quality would say the best display right now is the Sharp/Pioneer ELITE by far
In the "popular price" range, is there any clear leader? Not the tippity top for those who want the very best, but in the broad middle, does any company have a clear (no pun intended) advantage in screen quality?
No doubt there will be a group of people here that misunderstand or misconstrue what I am about to say but ...
Samsung, of all the companies that Apple competes with, has the best chance to copy Apple on this front and succeed. They are large and have deep pockets without a fear of going backrupt month-to-month yet they also can work fast like a start up. On top of that they have their hands in HW, OS, SW and ecosystem construction that could rival Apple. If they realized the long-game of treating the customer well even though it's a cost center they could have a similar mindshare that Apple enjoys.
While that's always theoretically true, everything I've seen of Samsung suggests that an Apple-like focus on customer satisfaction just isn't in their DNA.
Worse, their rapid emergence as a leader in the red hot mobile market seems to have convinced them that they can treat everyone with contempt-- customers, competitive IP owners, the courts, everyone.
People talk about Apple being arrogant, but their actions are all in service to making great products and keeping their customers happy. Samsung seems to think arrogance is its own reward, in service to simply venerating Samsung. A customer centric model requires a certain basic humility, the understanding that you're only as good as how much the average user enjoys your products. Samsung cares about moving product, now, and buyers remorse can always be cured by the next new better thing, of which they have an inexhaustible supply.
Of all things Samsung copies from Apple the one thing that could make them a real threat to Apple is the one thing they haven't copied and the one thing Apple doesn't have exclusive rights to: customer service and support.
That is very lucrative. Apple pushes Apple Care as strongly as, say, Best Buy pushes their own brand of extended warranty. Good service after the sale translates into future sales. Apple values getting loyal customers for life.
But IMO, the thing that Apple does best is system integration. People want to buy a Mac and an Apple TV and Apple's wireless routers and external drives and iPhones and iPads in part because they all work so well together. Each one adds value to the pre-existing purchases.
I don't think that Apple gets enough credit for that. Tim was flogging that aspect yesterday at his Wall Street event, in the context of iCloud. He made tons of sense.
The ecosystem and the "it all works together" aspect of Apple's products is, IMO, a major selling point both for the product currently being bought, and for future sales of Apple products.
Nobody does lock-in better than Apple. Indeed, I see few companies that do it at all. M$ is trying to do a "Windows everywhere" thing, but Windows is nothing if not inter-operative already. You don't need a Windows phone to play nice with your company's M$ mail server. But you need Apple products to work seamlessly with Apple products.
Apple is masterful at integrating their products into a compelling whole.
Of all things Samsung copies from Apple the one thing that could make them a real threat to Apple is the one thing they haven't copied and the one thing Apple doesn't have exclusive rights to: customer service and support.
Sol, you've hit the nail on the head. I would add that I think the reason for not following Apple's lead is a philosophical one on the part of the competition. While everyone and their dog seems to be only concerned with "chasing profits" .... Apple has said time and time again that their focus is on making "insanely great products/services". People seem to have difficulty believing that because it seems that that is not the "normal" approach to doing business. Weird huh?
I was always taught that if you take care of the details (i.e. quality of design, service, et.) .... the "big picture" (company profits) will take care of itself. All great artists take time with the thousands of details to paint a masterpiece. Running a business of any size is no different. Until Apple's competitors really understand and practice this simple idea ..... Apple will continue to dominate the marketplace in the only metrics that amount to anything .... customer satisfaction and profits. .... just my 2¢ wort. Cheers.
Sell the product under cost but make it up in volume.
If you are talking about samsung's second largest cliet, Apple, well, Samsung electronics's semi unit has the fattest profit margin, followed by mobile.
Sol, you've hit the nail on the head. I would add that I think the reason for not following Apple's lead is a philosophical one on the part of the competition.
John Gruver of Daring Fireball stated just yesterday that Apple's isn't a HW or SW company, it's an experience company. While that's contains a bit of marketing flare it it's also true. They sell the experience by being great at both HW and SW and almost always releasing completed products that work well to bring this synergy to the user.
In the "popular price" range, is there any clear leader? Not the tippity top for those who want the very best, but in the broad middle, does any company have a clear (no pun intended) advantage in screen quality?
In the cheapo market, there really is no difference. You can get a decent picture from any manufacturer; there is no leader in terms of picture quality.
No doubt there will be a group of people here that misunderstand or misconstrue what I am about to say but ...
You know that's so true and equally applies to almost everyone Apple competes with. It could almost be considered as yet another industry (classing support as a business) Apple has re-invented.
With all due respect, Apple support is very good; but not reinventing-ly great. They just look really look good with the piss poor support of Windows products (coupled with how much more often they need support )
This might also be because I've been on the benefiting side of Valve's customer support, which I would argue with anyone is the best in the tech business.
In the cheapo market, there really is no difference. You can get a decent picture from any manufacturer; there is no leader in terms of picture quality.
Of all things Samsung copies from Apple the one thing that could make them a real threat to Apple is the one thing they haven't copied and the one thing Apple doesn't have exclusive rights to: customer service and support.[/QUOTE]
With all due respect, Apple support is very good; but not reinventing-ly great. They just look really look good with the piss poor support of Windows products (coupled with how much more often they need support )
This might also be because I've been on the benefiting side of Valve's customer support, which I would argue with anyone is the best in the tech business.
I'm sure we can all come up with anecdotes of better and worse, the fact is Apple get rated by independent companies and have scored, consistently high in customer satisfaction. It is this not just my own experience I am referring to. Don't forget the scale involved. I'd like to think my own companies over the years gave excellent support too but we didn't have quite as many customers as Apple
My best personal experience was Apple shipping me a replacement / loner 30 inch ACD at 6 p.m. my time that arrived 10 a.m. the next day enabling the editing to continue with hardly a break.
With all due respect, Apple support is very good; but not reinventing-ly great. They just look really look good with the piss poor support of Windows products (coupled with how much more often they need support )
This might also be because I've been on the benefiting side of Valve's customer support, which I would argue with anyone is the best in the tech business.
I would consider the Genius bar as re-inventingly great. No other store had anything like it -- a full staff of techies ready to look at your Apple gadget no matter how old it is and doesn't charge you just to perform diagnostics. And if it's a minor fix, it's usually free.
Bestbuy has a tech support area whose main job apparently is to fend off warranty claims and to sell overpriced and unnecessary tune-up and maintenance services.
Of all things Samsung copies from Apple the one thing that could make them a real threat to Apple is the one thing they haven't copied and the one thing Apple doesn't have exclusive rights to: customer service and support.
Perhaps that's because Apple support has been slipping¡ Or should that be a ¿
Given this latest episode of goofiness in the TV business, it's no wonder yesterday that Tim Cook reiterated his comments at the Goldman Sachs conference about it continuing to be a "hobby" for Apple. I don't think Cook engages in misdirection plays, and I draw from his latest remarks that any so-called Apple television product is a considerable ways from prime time. In other words, Apple hasn't yet made a firm commitment to go that route. The path to introducing a game-changer in television is still too obscure, not due to a lack of technology, but due to the chaos in creative content, distribution and conflicting interests that litters the landscape. It's like the early days of Gettysburg - a melee on many fronts and the outcome unclear.
Apple makes things well, and though they are expensive, people will buy it for its superior quality. If Apple makes a tv, they will make money on it cuz people will buy it.
Comments
No doubt there will be a group of people here that misunderstand or misconstrue what I am about to say but ...
You know that's so true and equally applies to almost everyone Apple competes with. It could almost be considered as yet another industry (classing support as a business) Apple has re-invented.
No doubt there will be a group of people here that misunderstand or misconstrue what I am about to say but ...
Samsung, of all the companies that Apple competes with, has the best chance to copy Apple on this front and succeed. They are large and have deep pockets without a fear of going backrupt month-to-month yet they also can work fast like a start up. On top of that they have their hands in HW, OS, SW and ecosystem construction that could rival Apple. If they realized the long-game of treating the customer well even though it's a cost center they could have a similar mindshare that Apple enjoys.
3 years ago I bought the then brandnew top of the line flagship touchscreen smartphone from Samsung for what was an obscene amount, never received any FW update and three months later they launched a new top of the line model and swept mine aside. The one I owned has many glitches, their products are shady at best.
I came to the same easy conclusion you did.
I am not surprised that Samsung just upped and reamed your backside with that TV purchase. The only Samsung product I use is a feature phone and only because it was a free upgrade. I don't expect it to last long. Just like a previous Samsung cell phone died after 11 months and a Samsung dehumidifier I bought died after three months. Their customer service philosophy seems to be "take the money and run".
Samsung is a shit company run by a CEO who was convicted of embezzlement and tax evasion but then was pardoned by the president of Korea. He has also been embroiled in a slush fund/bribery controversy and is currently being sued by his brother for allegedly stealing a billion dollar inheritance from his own siblings.
I'd stay away from any company whose CEO has that track record.
Samesung does not have the best displays...never did. Anyone that knows anything about picture quality would say the best display right now is the Sharp/Pioneer ELITE by far
In the "popular price" range, is there any clear leader? Not the tippity top for those who want the very best, but in the broad middle, does any company have a clear (no pun intended) advantage in screen quality?
No doubt there will be a group of people here that misunderstand or misconstrue what I am about to say but ...
Samsung, of all the companies that Apple competes with, has the best chance to copy Apple on this front and succeed. They are large and have deep pockets without a fear of going backrupt month-to-month yet they also can work fast like a start up. On top of that they have their hands in HW, OS, SW and ecosystem construction that could rival Apple. If they realized the long-game of treating the customer well even though it's a cost center they could have a similar mindshare that Apple enjoys.
While that's always theoretically true, everything I've seen of Samsung suggests that an Apple-like focus on customer satisfaction just isn't in their DNA.
Worse, their rapid emergence as a leader in the red hot mobile market seems to have convinced them that they can treat everyone with contempt-- customers, competitive IP owners, the courts, everyone.
People talk about Apple being arrogant, but their actions are all in service to making great products and keeping their customers happy. Samsung seems to think arrogance is its own reward, in service to simply venerating Samsung. A customer centric model requires a certain basic humility, the understanding that you're only as good as how much the average user enjoys your products. Samsung cares about moving product, now, and buyers remorse can always be cured by the next new better thing, of which they have an inexhaustible supply.
Of all things Samsung copies from Apple the one thing that could make them a real threat to Apple is the one thing they haven't copied and the one thing Apple doesn't have exclusive rights to: customer service and support.
That is very lucrative. Apple pushes Apple Care as strongly as, say, Best Buy pushes their own brand of extended warranty. Good service after the sale translates into future sales. Apple values getting loyal customers for life.
But IMO, the thing that Apple does best is system integration. People want to buy a Mac and an Apple TV and Apple's wireless routers and external drives and iPhones and iPads in part because they all work so well together. Each one adds value to the pre-existing purchases.
I don't think that Apple gets enough credit for that. Tim was flogging that aspect yesterday at his Wall Street event, in the context of iCloud. He made tons of sense.
The ecosystem and the "it all works together" aspect of Apple's products is, IMO, a major selling point both for the product currently being bought, and for future sales of Apple products.
Nobody does lock-in better than Apple. Indeed, I see few companies that do it at all. M$ is trying to do a "Windows everywhere" thing, but Windows is nothing if not inter-operative already. You don't need a Windows phone to play nice with your company's M$ mail server. But you need Apple products to work seamlessly with Apple products.
Apple is masterful at integrating their products into a compelling whole.
Of all things Samsung copies from Apple the one thing that could make them a real threat to Apple is the one thing they haven't copied and the one thing Apple doesn't have exclusive rights to: customer service and support.
Sol, you've hit the nail on the head. I would add that I think the reason for not following Apple's lead is a philosophical one on the part of the competition. While everyone and their dog seems to be only concerned with "chasing profits" .... Apple has said time and time again that their focus is on making "insanely great products/services". People seem to have difficulty believing that because it seems that that is not the "normal" approach to doing business. Weird huh?
I was always taught that if you take care of the details (i.e. quality of design, service, et.) .... the "big picture" (company profits) will take care of itself. All great artists take time with the thousands of details to paint a masterpiece. Running a business of any size is no different. Until Apple's competitors really understand and practice this simple idea ..... Apple will continue to dominate the marketplace in the only metrics that amount to anything .... customer satisfaction and profits. .... just my 2¢ wort. Cheers.
Ah yes. . .
Sell the product under cost but make it up in volume.
If you are talking about samsung's second largest cliet, Apple, well, Samsung electronics's semi unit has the fattest profit margin, followed by mobile.
Sol, you've hit the nail on the head. I would add that I think the reason for not following Apple's lead is a philosophical one on the part of the competition.
John Gruver of Daring Fireball stated just yesterday that Apple's isn't a HW or SW company, it's an experience company. While that's contains a bit of marketing flare it it's also true. They sell the experience by being great at both HW and SW and almost always releasing completed products that work well to bring this synergy to the user.
I'd love for others to copy this part of Apple.
In the "popular price" range, is there any clear leader? Not the tippity top for those who want the very best, but in the broad middle, does any company have a clear (no pun intended) advantage in screen quality?
In the cheapo market, there really is no difference. You can get a decent picture from any manufacturer; there is no leader in terms of picture quality.
No doubt there will be a group of people here that misunderstand or misconstrue what I am about to say but ...
You know that's so true and equally applies to almost everyone Apple competes with. It could almost be considered as yet another industry (classing support as a business) Apple has re-invented.
With all due respect, Apple support is very good; but not reinventing-ly great. They just look really look good with the piss poor support of Windows products (coupled with how much more often they need support
This might also be because I've been on the benefiting side of Valve's customer support, which I would argue with anyone is the best in the tech business.
Ah yes. . .
Sell the product under cost but make it up in volume.
I don't know about your math but in mine it doesn't matter how many you sell under cost, you'll never make money.
i don't know about your math but in mine it doesn't matter how many you sell under cost, you'll never make money.
. . . Bingo!
In the cheapo market, there really is no difference. You can get a decent picture from any manufacturer; there is no leader in terms of picture quality.
Thanks.
Very well said.
With all due respect, Apple support is very good; but not reinventing-ly great. They just look really look good with the piss poor support of Windows products (coupled with how much more often they need support
This might also be because I've been on the benefiting side of Valve's customer support, which I would argue with anyone is the best in the tech business.
I'm sure we can all come up with anecdotes of better and worse, the fact is Apple get rated by independent companies and have scored, consistently high in customer satisfaction. It is this not just my own experience I am referring to. Don't forget the scale involved. I'd like to think my own companies over the years gave excellent support too but we didn't have quite as many customers as Apple
My best personal experience was Apple shipping me a replacement / loner 30 inch ACD at 6 p.m. my time that arrived 10 a.m. the next day enabling the editing to continue with hardly a break.
With all due respect, Apple support is very good; but not reinventing-ly great. They just look really look good with the piss poor support of Windows products (coupled with how much more often they need support
This might also be because I've been on the benefiting side of Valve's customer support, which I would argue with anyone is the best in the tech business.
I would consider the Genius bar as re-inventingly great. No other store had anything like it -- a full staff of techies ready to look at your Apple gadget no matter how old it is and doesn't charge you just to perform diagnostics. And if it's a minor fix, it's usually free.
Bestbuy has a tech support area whose main job apparently is to fend off warranty claims and to sell overpriced and unnecessary tune-up and maintenance services.
Of all things Samsung copies from Apple the one thing that could make them a real threat to Apple is the one thing they haven't copied and the one thing Apple doesn't have exclusive rights to: customer service and support.
Perhaps that's because Apple support has been slipping¡ Or should that be a ¿