Taiwanese authorities probing Samsung over 'dirty tricks' against HTC
Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission has launched an inquiry into Samsung's business practices following allegations that the South Korean conglomerate hired people to post negative comments about HTC online.
HTC's new One smartphone reportedly has Samsung worried.
The Taiwanese FTC's investigation will look into claims that Samsung hired students to write articles attacking HTC and recommending Samsung cell phones, Agence France Presse reported this week. Should the charges against the Galaxy phone maker be upheld, Samsung and its local advertising agent would face up to $835,000 in fines.
Officials for Samsung Taiwan have said that the company has not yet been informed of any FTC investigation. Samsung Taiwan has, though, ceased all Internet marketing, and the company's Facebook page said that it regretted "any inconvenience and confusion from the Internet event."
HTC was once a major player in the Android handset, but the Taiwanese firm has lost considerable ground to Samsung's Galaxy line of devices. HTC this year launched the One, a new, premium-build flagship handset aimed at reversing the company's fortunes and clawing back market share from Samsung.
The One was met with critical acclaim, with tech observers praising the build quality of the device. Samsung, according to some reports, is so worried about the build quality-gap between its handsets and devices from HTC and Apple that the company is considering releasing a much higher-quality device in the near future to counter the threat.
Tensions between Samsung and assorted Taiwanese manufacturers have grown along with Samsung's increased stature in the mobile computing market. On Wednesday, reports emerged that several Taiwanese tech manufacturers were banding together with Apple and other manufacturers to counter Samsung.
Samsung was also recently accused of running a "Kill Taiwan" effort, targeting Taiwanese high-tech companies lie Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co..
HTC's new One smartphone reportedly has Samsung worried.
The Taiwanese FTC's investigation will look into claims that Samsung hired students to write articles attacking HTC and recommending Samsung cell phones, Agence France Presse reported this week. Should the charges against the Galaxy phone maker be upheld, Samsung and its local advertising agent would face up to $835,000 in fines.
Officials for Samsung Taiwan have said that the company has not yet been informed of any FTC investigation. Samsung Taiwan has, though, ceased all Internet marketing, and the company's Facebook page said that it regretted "any inconvenience and confusion from the Internet event."
HTC was once a major player in the Android handset, but the Taiwanese firm has lost considerable ground to Samsung's Galaxy line of devices. HTC this year launched the One, a new, premium-build flagship handset aimed at reversing the company's fortunes and clawing back market share from Samsung.
The One was met with critical acclaim, with tech observers praising the build quality of the device. Samsung, according to some reports, is so worried about the build quality-gap between its handsets and devices from HTC and Apple that the company is considering releasing a much higher-quality device in the near future to counter the threat.
Tensions between Samsung and assorted Taiwanese manufacturers have grown along with Samsung's increased stature in the mobile computing market. On Wednesday, reports emerged that several Taiwanese tech manufacturers were banding together with Apple and other manufacturers to counter Samsung.
Samsung was also recently accused of running a "Kill Taiwan" effort, targeting Taiwanese high-tech companies lie Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co..
Comments
Ignoring, of course, all the times they HAVE been caught doing things that are illegal and unethical.
Nothing really new since the iPhone 4
Samsung engages in criminal behavior and hires fake Fandroids to go around lying and spreading their crap?
Color me shocked!
We should go over to androidpolice.com and give them a taste of their own b.s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
Cue Kdarling and Gatorguy saying that they're only allegations and there's no actual proof that Samsung would ever do anything like that.
Ignoring, of course, all the times they HAVE been caught doing things that are illegal and unethical.
Certainly no allegation and I'm not surprised by it either. Samsung admits it happened.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-admits-to-trolling-HTC_id41977
They seem more and more inclined to do whatever it takes to gain market share, ethical or not.
Chances are that it will be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Samsung is at fault here, but that they will at the same time get off scott free. That's the way it usually works in cases like this. Only poor (or the poorly connected) people ever get prosecuted for things like this.
Originally Posted by DaveN
We should go over to androidpolice.com and give them a taste of their own b.s.
No. We're BETTER than they are. Apple users have a history of not ruining others' forums; there's no reason to lower ourselves to their level.
HTC sucks.
There. I said it.
Hey Samsung! Pay me!
I'd love for you to find a single popular Android site that has a even a quarter as much mention of Apple as Appleinsider has of Android, Google, etc.
Maybe if this site wasn't FUDcentral when it comes to Apple competitors you'd have less people who feel inclined to correct you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
No. We're BETTER than they are. Apple users have a history of not ruining others' forums; there's no reason to lower ourselves to their level.
Yeah, I agree. Even though I have never tried to hide my dislike of Fandroids and Android in general, I have never once signed up for any Android forum.
And I can spot the imposters that come here, to this forum. They're easy to spot, you can smell them, because they reek.
They also sometimes try to be clever and they give themselves user names pretending to be Mac users, but they're not fooling anybody.
Androidpolice hardly if ever talks about Apple...especially in a negative light.
In fact I'd love for anyone to find any popular Android fan site that even has a quarter as many articles about Apple or Microsoft or any other competitor as AppleInsider does.
This site continuously spreads anti-anyone but Apple FUD it's sickening.
Maybe if the site read more like AppleInsider and not FUDcentral you'd get a lot less fandroids who feel inclined to correct you (along with those who troll market share like it's the only metric that matters)
That's an understatement.
Originally Posted by TeaEarleGreyHot
Hiring shills to write phony reviews is hardly novel. And not illegal in the US, either.
Uh, yeah, that very much is illegal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeaEarleGreyHot
Hiring shills to write phony reviews is hardly novel. And not illegal in the US, either. It's called "advertising".
And yet strangely, the FTC disagrees with you because it has both shutdown and brought fines against companies who have done what you claim is "not illegal".
Quote:
Originally Posted by saarek
I must admit, the new "One" is a beautiful device. I won't be dumping my iPhone anytime soon but do wish that Apple would release a fresh look.
Nothing really new since the iPhone 4
I must agree - the One is very pretty. I have no problems with the iPhone 4 or 5 and don't feel a desperate need for 'something new', but the One is definitely Apple worthy imo.