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855 'Samsung' stories September 2010 - August 2014

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Samsung trolls iPhone-toting ‘wall huggers’ at power outlets in major airports

Mike Beasley Aug 13 2014 - 5:27 pm PT

34 Comments

Image via Cnet

Last month Samsung ramped up the anti-Apple rhetoric with a new ad campaign that depicted iPhone users as “wall huggers,” constantly tethered to a power outlet due to the inferior battery in their non-Samsung smartphones. Today Cnet reports that the company has taken its campaign one step further by trolling real-life iPhone users at power outlets throughout major airports.

The new ads take the form of posters near power outlets that read, “Samsung Galaxy S5 with Ultra Power Saver Mode,” followed by a tagline that appears to poke at Apple’s own recent ad campaign: “So you have the power to be anywhere but here.” If you’d like to take a gander at the latest salvo in the ever-escalating flame war between Apple and Samsung, you’ll be able to do just that very soon at JFK, O’Hare, and Midway airports. Samsung says even more airports could be getting the ads if they’re successful in the first three.

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Microsoft no longer dissing the iPad in Surface ads, now dissing the MacBook Air

Ben Lovejoy Aug 11 2014 - 4:17 am PT

91 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfpULoEZIHk]

Oh dear. Just when we thought Microsoft might have gotten over its misleading Surface tablet ads attacking the iPad (and iPad mini), it has run three new ones, each attacking the MacBook Air (the other two are shown below the fold).

Microsoft’s decision to go on the offensive is perhaps understandable: while Apple can run a MacBook Air ad simply observing that it’s “the notebook people love,” poor sales of the Surface despite high marketing costs have so far resulted in Microsoft losing $1.7B on the device …
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Opinion: Is the case for Apple ending its patent battles with Samsung stronger than ever?

Ben Lovejoy Aug 8 2014 - 7:25 am PT

23 Comments

Steve Jobs famously declared back in 2010 that Android was a stolen product, and he was willing to “go thermonuclear war” in order to “destroy” it.

“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,” Jobs said. “I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.”

Back in April, I suggested three reasons it might be time for Apple to settle its Android disputes and move on. The relatively small damages award in the most recent case (and which now looks set to be further reduced) provided a fourth reason not long after I wrote that piece. But I think the case today is even more compelling …
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USPTO rejects parts of Apple’s auto-correct patent, $119M payout by Samsung likely to be reduced

Ben Lovejoy Aug 8 2014 - 4:08 am PT

2 Comments

In a new twist to the second Apple vs Samsung patent trial, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has rejected the specific part of Apple’s auto-correct patent that Samsung was said to have infringed, reports FOSS Patents. This effectively means that Samsung was ruled to have infringed a patent that is no longer valid.

The trial found that Samsung infringed three of the five patents Apple claimed, including a specific element of its auto-correct patent which described a particular method of offering corrections or completions. Samsung had unsuccessfully argued at trial that this approach had been used by others before Apple, and therefore could not be patented. The court rejected this argument, but the USPTO has now agreed with Samsung …
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Sam Sung Apple Specialist raises a smile as he auctions last business card for charity

Ben Lovejoy Aug 6 2014 - 3:52 am PT

1 Comment

framed

The idea of a former Canadian Apple Specialist auctioning his last business card might sound rather bizarre until you see his name.

card

The amusing card is being auctioned on eBay, with all proceeds going to the Children’s Wish Foundation, a charity whose mission is to fulfill the wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. The charity fulfills the wishes of more than a thousand children a year.

At the time of writing, the high bid was $4,850 with eight days to go. If you’re feeling well-off and generous, you can bid here. The winner will get the framed shirt, lanyard and card.

This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated

Samsung and Apple agree to end all patent disputes outside of the United States

Chance Miller Aug 5 2014 - 7:19 pm PT

12 Comments

Samsung and Apple just announced that they have agreed to drop all patent suits against each other in countries outside the United States, Bloomberg reports. The two companies will drop suits against each other in Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Netherlands, the U.K., France and Italy. This agreement does not include any licensing agreements, though. This has no effect on United States battles either.

In a joint statement, the two companies had the following to say:

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Samsung’s SoC profits down as Apple chooses TSMC for A8, although rumor says it will produce processors for iPhone 7

Benjamin Mayo Aug 5 2014 - 5:01 am PT

5 Comments

Samsung has been having some issues lately, reporting falling profits in the most recent quarter. Although most of this is due to shrinking growth in phone sales, where Apple continues to dominate in terms of profit share, Apple has also affected Samsung’s income from its microprocessor production business. With TSMC having exclusivity over Apple’s A8 production, to be used in the upcoming iPhone 6, Samsung’s outlook for ‘logic chips’ is also gloomy, as The Wall Street Journal highlights in a new report.

Samsung executives admitted on a recent conference call that the outlook isn’t so bright for this business.

“Sales and profitability from System LSI (logic chip business) worsened as demand from main customers continued to decline,” Robert Yi, Samsung’s head of investor relations said last week. His comments confirmed, albeit indirectly, how Apple’s gradual shift away from Samsung as a customer of microprocessors was eating into its profits.

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Apple & Samsung lose share to smaller Chinese OEMs in Q2 smartphone shipment numbers

Jordan Kahn Jul 29 2014 - 9:54 am PT

4 Comments

Following releasing its second quarter data for tablet shipments worldwide, IDC today released its Q2 2014 report for smartphone shipments during the three month period that ended in June. The numbers line up with Apple’s fiscal Q3 earnings call that took place earlier this month where the company reported iPhone sales of 35.1 million units for the quarter. With 295.3 million units shipped total during Q2, and consumers anticipating a new iPhone this fall, IDC notes that both Samsung and Apple lost share to the smaller Chinese manufacturers:
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Apple no longer seeking injunction against some Samsung devices in patent case

Mike Beasley Jul 28 2014 - 5:46 pm PT

5 Comments

Apple has filed a motion to drop a cross-appeal in the seemingly eternal patent battle between the Cupertino-based tech giant and rival Samsung, as noted today by FOSS Patents.

As the appeals process drags on, Apple has decided to let go of certain points and accept the court’s rulings. In this case, Apple has decided not to seek an injunction against certain Samsung devices from its first trial in 2012. Apple has already tried to get an injunction against these devices twice in the past, but was denied both times.

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Apple maintains lead over Samsung as top tablet vendor in Q2 as both lose share to others

Jordan Kahn Jul 24 2014 - 7:44 am PT

4 Comments

With Apple’s Q3 earnings call this week revealing iPad sales of 13.3 million units for the quarter and Tim Cook making a point of defending the category, today we get a look at how Apple is doing overall with IDC’s latest numbers for worldwide tablet shipments.

While noting that tablet shipments worldwide grew 11% year-over-year, IDC’s numbers show that Apple was able to maintain its lead over Samsung with 26.9% of the market (down from 33% last year) compared to Samsung at 17.2% down from 18.8% the year before. Both lose share to other companies as the category reportedly experienced a lot of growth among smaller companies like Lenovo and Acer while the “others” category grew from 37% to 44% marketshare:
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Samsung actually makes a solid ad, too bad new spokesperson Kelly Slater is an iPhone user

Zac Hall Jul 23 2014 - 7:35 am PT

15 Comments

Samsung’s latest ad entitled “Every Day is Day One” is really, really nice. The cinematography is top notch and the soundtrack makes it even richer (a cover of David Bowie’s “Absolute Beginners”). It features Samsung’s Galaxy phone and Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smart watch without being embarrassingly tacky, and it was done in partnership with the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) as Samsung Mobile is a global partner.

The only issue is competitive professional surfer Kelly Slater cameos in the ad with his Samsung sponsorship clear in the shot seen above, and Kelly Slater is a proud iPhone owner just like you and me. 😎🌊📱

Despite the mixed affiliation, the ad really is a great one. More of this and less focusing on Apple might go a long way… you never know. Anyway, be sure to check out the full ad over at 9to5Google.

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New Samsung ad says ‘we’ve had it for two years’ to those anticipating iPhone 6’s larger screen

9to5 Staff Jul 21 2014 - 1:18 pm PT

135 Comments

Samsung is continuing its approach of pushing anti-iPhone ads on its YouTube channel. Today’s ad showcases two friends, an iPhone user and a Galaxy S5 user, speaking to each other about the upcoming iPhone 6’s larger screen. “Dude, iPhone might be getting a bigger screen” excitedly states the iPhone user “That hasn’t happened yet?” slyly responds the Galaxy S5 user. Check out the full advertisement for yourself below:

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9to5Toys Last Call: Kensington iPad Air keyboard case $16, iTunes albums $8 each, 3-pack wireless outlets $17, more

Justin Kahn Jul 15 2014 - 9:30 am PT

0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

iPad Bluetooth keyboard cases: Kensington Keycover for iPad Air $16, Logitech Ultrathin for iPad 2/3/4 (ref) $20
Media: last chance to watch all South Park episodes for free, dozens of hit iTunes albums for $8 each, more
3-Pack of Etekcity Wireless Remote Controlled Outlets $17 (Reg. $76)

Samsung 28-inch 4K UHD LED 60Hz Monitor $540 shipped (Reg. $700)

Slingbox Pro HD TV Streamer refurb $60 (Orig. $200), Slingbox 350 $100 shipped (Reg. $180)

Kindle Paperwhite e-reader w/ built-in light (cert. refurb) $85 shipped (Reg. $119 new)

Other new deals:

New! Bluetooth sound bars from Yamaha, Philips, and Samsung starting at $70 shipped
New! Daily Deals: AOC Monitors from $100, Logitech UE Headset $15, more
New! Games/Apps: Xbox One games from $6, 10% off Xbox Live GC, iOS freebies, more
New! Activewear: REI up to 35% off, Eastbay 20% off, 2014 Nike Free from $79
New! 1 year magazine subs from $5: ESPN, Macworld, The Economist, more

More deals still alive:

Mpow Dual-Port USB Wall Charger $9, Car Charger $8, MFi lightning cable $10
$100 StubHub gift card for $85 shipped (15% savings)
Nexus 5 (unlocked) 16GB: $335 (Reg. $350)
Roku 3 Streaming Media Player (refurb) $68 shipped (Reg. $100 new)
4TB Samsung D3 Station desktop drive $115 shipped (Reg. $150+)
2TB Western Digital Elements USB 3.0 portable drive $84.99 shipped (Reg. $130)
Raspberry Pi B+ microcomputer now available w/ several enhancements, same $35 price tag
Epson WorkForce All-in-One $190 (orig. $300), more

Twelve South:

15” MacBook Pro BookBook: $70 http://t.co/yPyKpSWrT0

iPad Air Rutledge: $83 https://t.co/WKR9truDZ9 pic.twitter.com/sP2Vxixtq8

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) July 14, 2014

Fashion: Levi’s jeans/apparel additional 50% off + free shipping, more
Jabra REVO wireless Bluetooth headphones $115 shipped (orig. $249)
Smart Home:
- $25 off the Wink Hub w/ one accessory purchase or $49 off w/ two accessory purchases
- Free Philips Hue personal wireless lightning bulb ($60 value) w/ purchase of Philips Hue pack
Angry Birds Star Wars II for iOS goes free ($0.99 value)
Samsung 51″ Plasma $400 new (Reg. $500), Sharp 32″w/ $100 Dell GC $250 ($410 value)
Save 25% on all accessories from T-Mobile, including Olloclip, cases, speakers, more

New products/ongoing promotions:

Woot founder’s new daily deal website ‘Meh’ officially opens its doors today
Microsoft is handing out $75 in credit to select gamers for upgrading to Xbox One
UE Boom Bluetooth speaker wins Gold at Design Excellence Awards, now $180 (Reg. $200)
Rayman Fiesta Run available for free on iOS (Reg. $3)
Samsung’s new 850 Solid State Drives pre-order from $129.99 shipped
Save 25% on Nomad’s new carabiner, key & credit card sized MFi Lightning cables

Android/Microsoft deals:

LG G3 (AT&T, Sprint, VZW): $100 w/ 2-yr agreement ($250 value)

iPhone 5s remains world’s best-selling phone, iPhone 5c takes number 5 slot

Ben Lovejoy Jul 15 2014 - 7:06 am PT

14 Comments

Sales channel data from 35 countries compiled by Counterpoint shows that the iPhone 5s remained the world’s best-selling phone as of May, some eight months after its launch. This backs up a report from ABI Research that the phone had retained the number one slot through Q1.

Apple’s iPhone 5s continues to be the bestselling phone in the world, a spot that many expected to be taken by Samsung’s Galaxy S 5. The highly anticipated Galaxy S5 comes in at second place but still a quite distant number two in terms of (sell through) unit sales.

The news wasn’t quite so good for the iPhone 5c, which came in at number 5, behind both the Samsung S5 and last year’s S4 – as well as the company’s Note 3 phablet.

The iPhone 4S keeps on trucking: two-and-a-half years after its release, Counterpoint shows it at number 6 – one notch down from ABI’s Q1 data.

Overall, Samsung has roughly twice Apple’s market share thanks to a huge range of handsets at all price levels, a statistic that is unlikely to keep Tim Cook awake at night even if market share doesn’t increase, as Apple takes home the lion’s share of the profits – something you can watch in real-time thanks to an interactive graphic.

It’s widely expected that the iPhone 6 will boost Apple’s share of the market as it taps into demand for larger displays, with Cook saying last month that there is more growth to come from Android migration.

(via Business Insider)

Chinese clone-makers already have functional ‘iPhone 6’ knockoffs for sale

Benjamin Mayo Jul 12 2014 - 7:28 am PT

27 Comments

NowhereElse.fr has posted some pretty amusing pictures today of working iPhone 6 clones from China. These devices use the rumored specification and schematics of the actual iPhone 6 that we have seen so much over the last few months, but obviously use off-the-shelf internals and don’t run iOS.

Although unconfirmed what knockoff OS these devices are running, it is most likely a skinned version of Android with a custom launcher that imitates the appearance of iOS 7. The Google Play store is already full of iOS 7 Home Screen and app clones.

The real thing is expected to be announced by Apple in September, featuring larger 4.7 and 5.5 inch displays.

TSMC shipping Apple’s SoC’s for the first time with iPhone 6 says report, will use 20nm process

Benjamin Mayo Jul 10 2014 - 4:45 am PT

2 Comments

Up to this year, all of Apple’s SoC’s have been manufactured by Samsung.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has finally escaped Samsung’s grasp of iOS device CPU production. Although Samsung lost exclusivity last year, there was still doubts that TSMC would be able to follow through with their contract. According to this report, the manufacturer has succeeded and started shipping next-generation microprocessors for Apple’s devices (likely adorned with the ‘A8’ nomenclature) in the second quarter.

This marks a significant point in the production of the iPhone, finally allowing Apple to distance itself from Samsung in such a key area of its devices. The A8 chips use 20-nanometer production processes, according to the report. This compares favorably to the 28-nanometer process used for the A7, which should give better power efficiency and performance per watt. 9to5Mac previously reported that the A8 would focus on significant efficiency enhancements, rather than raw compute performance.

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Samsung misses analyst estimates, reports $7.1 billion in operating profit for Q2

Chance Miller Jul 7 2014 - 5:36 pm PT

28 Comments

Photo: ibtimes.com

After warning earlier this month that Q2 didn’t “look too good,” Samsung today released its earnings preview for the second quarter of 2014. The South Korean company reported an operating profit of $7.1 billion (7.2 trillion won), missing analyst estimates of $8 billion (8.1 trillion won). This comes out to a 24 percent drop year over year (via Bloomberg).

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Samsung borrows a line from BlackBerry, calls iPhone users ‘Wall Huggers’ in new ad

Jordan Kahn Jul 3 2014 - 9:43 am PT

119 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzMUTrTYD9s]

As Samsung has done with past TV commercials for its flagship Galaxy S5, its latest ad for the device again takes the iPhone head-on. The new ad, titled “Wall Hugger”, focuses on mocking the iPhone’s battery life while showing off the S5’s Ultra Power Saving Mode and removable battery features. And in usual Samsung-fashion, it also borrows a line from comments Blackberry executive John Chen made back in March…
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Samsung reportedly takes early lead in possible three-way battle to make Apple’s A9 processor

Ben Lovejoy Jul 1 2014 - 4:02 am PT

17 Comments

A report from DigiTimes claims that Samsung has received orders from Apple for chips made using its new 14nm process, with volume production set to ramp up in the course of next year.

The Samsung Electronics and Globalfoundries team reportedly has landed orders for its 14nm FinFET process from Qualcomm and Apple, with related foundry services to begin in early 2015, according to industry sources in Taiwan …

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Samsung and its lawyers fined $2M for leaking details of Apple/Nokia patent deal

Ben Lovejoy Jun 24 2014 - 4:57 am PT

9 Comments

Samsung, together with its lawyers, will have to fork out a little more cash following its loss in its second patent battle with Apple. A court has fined lawyers Quinn Emanuel and Samsung a total of $2M for misusing confidential details of a patent deal struck between Apple and Nokia.

The documents were supplied by Apple to Samsung’s lawyers purely so that it could see that Apple was telling the truth about its patent deals with other companies. The documents were marked “for attorney’s eyes only” and were not to be revealed to Samsung executives …
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Kanye West complains Apple trades iTunes placement for live appearances instead of paying artists (Video)

Jordan Kahn Jun 20 2014 - 6:46 am PT

28 Comments

Kanye West hasn’t been shy when it comes to expressing his opinions about Apple. Earlier this week he sat down for an interview with AdWeek and noted he thought Samsung’s deal last year with Jay-Z might have influenced Apple to invest in pop culture through its purchase of Beats. Above, Kanye expands on that thought in an interview with Bloomberg during the Cannes Creativity Festival. In the interview, while explaining that he thinks Apple didn’t see the value in investing in pop culture before the Samsung deal with Jay-Z, Kanye drives the point home by noting Apple offered artists “extra space on the iTunes page” instead of paying them to perform at the iTunes Festival.

We already knew that Apple wasn’t paying artists to perform at its iTunes Festival, which arrived in the U.S. for the first time this year during the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Kanye previously called out Tim Cook during one of his usual onstage rants earlier this year, but we didn’t know Apple was offering artists prime real estate on the iTunes store in exchange for their performances.

Kanye’s full quote is below:

“It showed, now that Steve has passed… It showed a number one company the importance of connecting with culture. And I know you might of heard about this thing where I was on stage calling Tim Cook out and saying why do you have these guys performing at SXSW and you don’t want to pay them. You just want to give us extra space on the iTunes page and stuff. Meanwhile, Samsung realized, the whole point of what we’re saying, is that no you have to go and pay these guys. And that culture and creativity is worth something. The best thing about the fall of Blackberry and the rise at Apple is the win for creativity…

Kanye West rants, credits Samsung and Jay Z with Apple/Beats deal

Mike Beasley Jun 17 2014 - 4:23 pm PT

31 Comments

Noted marketing and branding genius Kanye West said in an Adweek interview published today that the recent deal between Apple and Beats Electronics only came about because Apple rival Samsung inked a deal with Jay Z. In Kanye’s view, this makes all the sense in the world.

According to West, who is a dedicated Apple fan and dislikes Samsung, the Korean phone maker earned substantial “cultural credibility” with the public when it signed a promotional deal with hip hop artist Jay Z last year. Oh, and that time Kanye joined Jay Z at a Samsung-funded concert a few months ago probably helped, too.

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Review: Samsung’s U28D590D 28-inch 4k monitor finally brings quality 4k at an affordable price

Chance Miller Jun 13 2014 - 6:52 am PT

55 Comments

Ever since the Mac Pro was released in December, we’ve faced an onslaught of 4k displays. We reviewed Seiki’s budget offering last year, and while we liked it overall, it did have more than its fair share of set backs. For instance, you could only use the full 4k resolution at 30Hz, which meant that there would be noticeable lag when using the display as a monitor. Despite the low refresh rate, the display was still a great deal at its then $450 price point (now down to $390) and truly got us excited for the potential of 4k. At CES this year, we also saw a variety of 4k displays, some of which were priced for budget-minded customers, and some of which were high-end. Noticeably missing from CES, however, was Apple’s frenemy supplier/competitor Samsung.

Samsung, at the end of May, unveiled its take on an affordable 4k display. Samsung’s U28D590D is a 28-inch 4k monitor that supports full 4k resolution at 60Hz via a DisplayPort 1.2 connection. There are also two HDMI ports, but they’ll only do 4k at 30Hz, like the Seiki. The big selling point of the Samsung monitor, aside from doing 4k at 60Hz, is that it costs just $646 on Amazon. This puts it far below any currently available 4k monitor with 60Hz capabilities. I purchased the Samsung U28D590D on Amazon while it was priced at $666 and have been using it as my primary display for the past week. How does it compare to the Seiki? Is 4k all it’s hyped up to be? Let’s discuss.

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Apple makes a cameo in Beats’ epic World Cup ad (Video)

Zac Hall Jun 5 2014 - 11:17 am PT

17 Comments

Apple’s iPhone and MacBook both made appearances in Beats’ new headphones ad celebrating the World Cup. Apple, of course, announced that it is buying Beats Electronics for $3 billion last week, a deal it expects to be approved by the end of September, and featured a Beats plug earlier this week at WWDC when Dr. Dre was phoned in to the keynote and Eddy Cue was photographed wearing Beats headphones…
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