Samsung spies on iPhone launch lines to pierce Apple mystique

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Samsung's commercials may make fun of Apple fans waiting in lines for the next iDevice, but the South Korean tech giant may not be above trying to figure out just what drives those fans to queue up hours and days in advance.

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Customers line up outside Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store. Thanks to AppleInsider reader Ryan.


As Apple fans lined up to get the new generation of iPhone, the Cupertino company's chief rival sent a video and photography crew to document the lines at Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan. Their goal according to CNET: figuring out what had those customers so excited that they would stand in line for hours ? even days ? to be the first to get their hands on a new phone.

"Other companies release new phones, but there's not as much passion and heat," one Samsung operative said. "It's only Apple. Why? We're curious."



Reportedly, the crew only documented the scene in front of the Fifth Avenue store, occasionally asking line-sitters questions: "Is the line shorter or longer this year than last?" and "Is the crowd more excited or less excited than previous years?" The crew seemed most interested in whether Apple's "cool factor" was waning and the degree of loyalty among Apple fans.

CNET notes that the video group was not from Samsung's electronics arm; it was instead from the conglomerate's broadcasting segment, Samsung Broadcasting Center/Cheil Worldwide. That segment occasionally works with Samsung Electronics on projects, and both are divisions of the parent company Samsung Group, but there is so far no indication that the video documenting was done at the request of Samsung Electronics.

Apple and Samsung have been locked in bitter combat for years now for supremacy in the global smartphone market, both in terms of sales and in the courts. Combined, the two firms take in all of the industry's profits, with other manufacturers losing money or just breaking even.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 139
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    [I]"but the South Korean tech giant may not be above trying to figure out just what drives those fans to queue up hours and days in advance."[/I]

    Products that don't suck.

    /research
  • Reply 2 of 139
    "Other companies release new phones, but there's not as much passion and heat," one Samsung operative said. "It's only Apple. Why? We're curious."

    I bet it's more than that.
  • Reply 3 of 139
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    Android phones are a dime a dozen. There is only one iPhone company. That and iOS users have class and love original products.
  • Reply 4 of 139
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Thing is that the lines are not just for the launch day. They persist for days if not weeks. Some people just don't have a good place for Fed Ex to drop off the phone while they are at work so they stand in line on the weekend.

  • Reply 5 of 139
    I see they are trying to copy this now too. Losers.
  • Reply 6 of 139
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

    Because Apple buyers know they're getting a quality product, made by people that have a borderline-clinical attention to detail, backed by a company with stellar customer service that won't forget about them the moment they purchase their product.



    You read that Samsung?  Stop pushing trash out the door, and stop using Apple as your R&D department.



    I find it ironic that Samsung has no problem putting ads out there insulting (potentially future) customers, yet would love to figure out what Apple is doing right so Samsung can have those exact same lines of anticipation.



    The reality Samsung is that you'll always be associated with crap.  Get over it.

  • Reply 7 of 139
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member

    I think it's simply the fact that it's not Samsung. Or Motorola. Or HTC. Or Nokia. Or HP. Or LG.

     

    Apple is the original.

  • Reply 8 of 139
    "Other companies release new phones, but there's not as much passion and heat," one Samsung operative said. "It's only Apple. Why? We're curious."

    Riddle me this...Why are you such douchebags?

    They won't get it, because they can't get it.
  • Reply 9 of 139
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post

     

    The reality Samsung is that you'll always be associated with crap.  Get over it.


    I don't know about that. They do make a lot of the parts that go into Apple products so it can't be all crap. They also build a lot of quality hardware like TVs, home appliances, and some industrial equipment. The crap part is their business ethics and their lack of creativity. The main reason Samsung phones are inferior to Apple's is that Android is crap compared to iOS.

  • Reply 10 of 139
    Quality
    Useabilty
    Design
    Iphones are a joy to simply hold, which is why i do not use a case, i love the device!!!
  • Reply 11 of 139
    takeotakeo Posts: 445member

    People have always been passionate about Apple products. Since the very beginning almost 40 years ago. It's about the user experience. It's hard to quantify but when you get the user experience just right, people find the device so intuitive, easy, comfortable and non-threatening that they fall in love. I don't know that any Android device could ever achieve that level since they just don't have the same degree of hardware / software integration.

  • Reply 12 of 139

    Apple's philosophy:

     

    Superior User Experience, end-to-end. 

     

    It isn't really something that is easily articulated with words. 

     

    It has to be part of your company culture. 

     

    It has to be something like . . .   THIS:



    image

     

    It's about making tech *an intimate experience* for PEOPLE. 

     

    Samsung is galaxies away from that. 

  • Reply 13 of 139
    I woke up at 3 am est time today to order and secure a gold 5s
    Still went to the store at 7, got in line with 200 folks hoping to get one , alas no gold left for # 140, no worries, estimated delivery 10/10
    But we all had a blast in line,!!!
  • Reply 14 of 139
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post

     

    I don't know about that. They do make a lot of the parts that go into Apple products so it can't be all crap. They also build a lot of quality hardware like TVs, home appliances, and some industrial equipment. The crap part is their business ethics and their lack of creativity. The main reason Samsung phones are inferior to Apple's is that Android is crap compared to iOS.


    quality of TV - emphasis mine. I disagree, my neighbor does too. We both have a same scum flat panel tv 3-4 years old. His is a bigger POS than mine but they both have issues. Mine has to be shut off and restarted when changing channels from cable(directl line or box) so that the sound works. It loses audio constantly. My neighbor has sent his in a few times to be worked on, JUNK samescum junk.

    have fun with all your samescum junk droid dorks

  • Reply 15 of 139
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post

     

    I don't know about that. They do make a lot of the parts that go into Apple products so it can't be all crap. They also build a lot of quality hardware like TVs, home appliances, and some industrial equipment. The crap part is their business ethics and their lack of creativity. The main reason Samsung phones are inferior to Apple's is that Android is crap compared to iOS.


    Samsung = feature bloat + poor execution

     

    Samsung chose to use Android and infringe on Apple patents. Slow legal systems, tons of marketing, and a naive public that doesn't understand FRAND licensing terms bought the company time to build marketshare.

  • Reply 16 of 139
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    If they get an answer to the question I'd like to hear it. Honestly I don't get the standing in line thing for a cell phone. It was one thing when iPhone was first introduced but let's face it that was long ago.
  • Reply 17 of 139
    Um, because they make their own OS, not borrow someone else's. Maybe Tizen will work for you guys, you know, your own blood, sweat, and tears that build it, as opposed to throwing on a few sprinkles and flourishes on the Mountain View product.
  • Reply 18 of 139
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cpsro View Post

     
    Samsung = feature bloat + poor execution

     

    Samsung chose to use Android and infringe on Apple patents. Slow legal systems, tons of marketing, and a naive public that doesn't understand FRAND licensing terms bought the company time to build marketshare.


    I don't disagree with that. I only replied that the name Samsung is not universally associated with crap by the general public. It is only Apple fanatics who perceive them that way. Perhaps General Electric fans like myself also think their appliances are rubbish too but in reality they get pretty good ratings.

  • Reply 19 of 139
    quality of TV - emphasis mine. I disagree, my neighbor does too. We both have a same scum flat panel tv 3-4 years old. His is a bigger POS than mine but they both have issues. Mine has to be shut off and restarted when changing channels from cable(directl line or box) so that the sound works. It loses audio constantly. My neighbor has sent his in a few times to be worked on, JUNK samescum junk.
    have fun with all your samescum junk droid dorks

    In some ways I agree. About 4-5 years back, I got a Samsung LED TV and BluRay player with a (what I thought was) nice Samsung sound bar.

    All the same series. 3 remotes. 3 different remotes all from the same year and same series of electronics. The TV has been good. The Sound Bar had a constant slight hum. Not a 60Hz hum but about 100Hz sounding like a fan. Sent it back. New one had the same issue. Sent that one back. New still had the same issue. I wanted to return and get my money back (given the design was defective). Nope.

    But what makes me mad is the three remotes.
  • Reply 20 of 139
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post

     

    I don't disagree with that. I only replied that the name Samsung is not universally associated with crap by the general public. It is only Apple fanatics who perceive them that way. Perhaps General Electric fans like myself also think their appliances are rubbish too but in reality they get pretty good ratings.


     

    Well, to those that arne't the gullible "general public", we know better.  I've never owned a Samsung product that has their name on the outside.  Every time I walk into a store that carries TVs, I ask them what is the TV that has the best picture quality, reliability.  And the answers come back and they have never said "Samsung".   I also ask if they get spiffs from Samsung, because they are notorious for spiffing sales reps into pushing their products, so ask several sales reps and see what kind of answers you get back.  if they act cagey about it, that's a tip off.  Also, stay away from the big box stores and go to the independently run specialty stores that carry a wide range of audio and video equipment that has experience with the high end products.  They are typically more knowledgeable and they are far more selective in what brands and models they sell.  Some of those stores cherry pick the product lines from the big companies because they only want to sell what's the best product in a price range and not what the cheapest is.  Cheap only gets you cheap products.
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