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Side-Effect of the Apple v. Samsung Trial: Increased Sales for Samsung 385

New submitter jbernardo writes "There seems to be an interesting side-effect of the flawed jury verdict of last Friday — Samsung sales have surged. Even with the approach of the launch of Apple's new iPhone, the Galaxy SIII is sold out in many stores, and there is a measurable increase in sales, according to Trip Chowdhry, the managing director of equity research at Global Equities Research, cited in Forbes. Maybe Apple really managed to convince its customers that Samsung phones are equivalent or better, so they are being overcharged? Or is it a rush to buy the currently best smartphone in the market in case there is an injunction on its sale in the U.S. any time soon?"
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Side-Effect of the Apple v. Samsung Trial: Increased Sales for Samsung

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  • Streisand effect? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Reibisch ( 1261448 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:17PM (#41180859)

    At this scale? That'd be interesting.

    • by kthreadd ( 1558445 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:19PM (#41180893)

      Fairly sure it's not because of the trial.
      There's a lot of factors to consider.

      • My intuition is that this bump is not due to people switching from apple to Samsung. I wouldn't be surprised if they picked up a couple people who would have otherwise gone htc, moto, etc.

      • by gentryx ( 759438 ) * on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:25PM (#41180979) Homepage Journal
        ...and the coverage in the news. Here [google.com] is a nice story on how people react on the verdict.
      • Re:Streisand effect? (Score:5, Interesting)

        by EdIII ( 1114411 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:26PM (#41180987)

        Not really all that many factors.

        It is supposed to be a kick ass Android product. Pretty good chance it will be banned from sales in the future.

        I can easily see people that might have waited otherwise rushing to get it now before they can't. What's the alternative? Apple??

        Yeah, right. There are quite a number of people out there that would sooner die then choose Apple because of their shiny retarded walled garden approach to computing. I'll go back to a clamshell phone before I choose Apple for anything.

        I don't know what Apple is thinking here. People that want Apple, largely have it. People that will never choose Apple are not going to embrace them, especially if they approach competition like this. Nobody likes to be forced.

        • Re:Streisand effect? (Score:5, Interesting)

          by Desler ( 1608317 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:31PM (#41181067)

          How is there a 'pretty good chance' of the G3 being banned when it wasn't ruled infringing and isn't part of the list that Apple is asking to be blocked?

        • It's simply, imho, a question of what's the newest and greatest. At this time, Apple has the iPhone 4S and Samsung recently released the SIII. It should be popular since people are attracted to new things. Once the iPhone 5 is out and if it has enough of a cool factor, perhaps we'll see another switch in who's on top...

          • That might depend on the iPhone 5 dock connector. Rumor has it it's going to change and no one will be able to used their old accessories.
        • There are quite a number of people out there that would sooner die then choose Apple because of their shiny retarded walled garden approach to computing.

          In fact, I know quite a few people that won't choose Apple because of their walled garden, but don't even know what that is, or that the iStuff have one.

          People just try both phones, and one you can configure, add all kinds of different things, and have a lot of similar apps to choose from, in the other you just can't, can't and don't. People don't need even

        • by zooblethorpe ( 686757 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @03:39PM (#41182111)

          There are quite a number of people out there that would sooner die then choose Apple because of their shiny retarded walled garden approach to computing.

          This is the first time I've ever heard of Apple being so good that even the deceased prefer Apple products. :-P

          I think you meant than (comparative: "A is bigger than B") rather than then (adverbial: "Alice ate, then met Bob").

          </pedantic>

      • For me the factor is: "Apple will never get a cent of my money" and it's time for my upgrade, so it's a pretty new Galaxy S3 for me!
    • Yes. (Score:4, Funny)

      by JCCyC ( 179760 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:21PM (#41180927) Journal
      Cue Nelson Muntz laugh.
  • People Worried? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Techmeology ( 1426095 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:18PM (#41180881) Homepage
    Law of unexpected consequences: Perhaps people are worried that Samsung devices will become unavailable?
    • by JWW ( 79176 )

      This. Exactly. People who want Samsung devices are moving now out of fear that the currently on sale devices will be pulled.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Machtyn ( 759119 )
      For those who don't want to live in the Apple-verse, would like a little more freedom with their devices and apps, and want one of the best Android devices on the market, this is an obvious move. I understand that Apple wishes to protect its properties, but this limits customer choice. They did, after all, get a nearly 5 year headstart with their devices, made billions of dollars from sales and continued cross-market promotions, etc. But Apple won't make one dime off of me.
      • Re:People Worried? (Score:5, Informative)

        by noh8rz8 ( 2716593 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @03:01PM (#41181535)

        How does it limit customer choice? Samsung will go back to the drawing board and come out with some killer features that don't infringe. Wouldn't that be more customer choice?

        • Killer new features on phones that don't infringe on Apple's patents in question (while disallowing prior art as this jury did) would be nearly impossible, considering the actual areas Apple was complaining about.

          Icon shape and dispersion? Jeez.

  • Bias (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:21PM (#41180931)

    flawed jury verdict

    Apple's new shinny

    the currently best smartphone in the market

    Whoever wrote this made it a touch too clear their loathing for Apple and preference for Samsung.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Agreed. Here's a wholly anti-Samsung piece to even things out:

      http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2012/08/26/devils-advocates-play-up-sympathy-for-samsung-after-apple-trial/ [roughlydrafted.com]

      • Haha, thanks for linking to that article, it's quite a hoot to read.

        if you read anything about the legal skirmish between Apple and Samsung, and replace “patent infringement” with “real estate title arguments,” the entire argument of the IP communists collapses into dust.

        "IP communists"? Really? I think that insult is about 30 years out of date. The irony here, of course, is that copying someone else's product and outselling them doing so is perhaps the ultimate capitalist move.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by wierd_w ( 1375923 )

      And that is just fine. Opinions are meant to be shared. Goodness knows the apple crowd is very vocal with theirs.

      Just remember that loathing apple does not spontaneously elevate the one doing the loathing to Samsung Fanboi.

    • Loathing for Apple's usage of lawsuits and nonsense patents as a way to protect its business?

      Guilty as charged.

      Preference for the Galaxy S3 in this moment in time?

      Guilty as charged.

      I admit, I'm biased. If that is your definition of bias.

      But if I could afford it, I'd have a Asus transformer tablet, and I've had HTC, Nokia and Sony-Ericsson smart and feature phones. I have no loyalty to any company. But I can loathe a company that tries to stop competition with frivolous lawsuits, that copies everything

      • Re:Bias (Score:4, Interesting)

        by djchristensen ( 472087 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @03:46PM (#41182233)

        I'm with you. When the most valuable company in the world, EVER, goes whining to the courts because another company has phones with "pinch zooming" and "rubber-band scrolling", I cannot respect that company and will avoid their products. I mean really, how many iPhone purchases honestly didn't happen because Samsung had these features? Certainly they would have played zero role in any decision I have or would have made.

        There are four iPods and an iPad in my household, but those are the last Apple products I'll willingly buy (with a wife and kids, can't really say absolutely never). I'll be getting a smartphone and likely a small tablet for myself soon and won't even consider an iPhone or iPad, with Apple's legal behavior being responsible for going from "would consider" to "no freaking way".

      • Re:Bias (Score:5, Interesting)

        by jc42 ( 318812 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @03:51PM (#41182313) Homepage Journal

        But I can loathe a company that tries to stop competition with frivolous lawsuits, that copies everything and patents the most obvious stuff to stop others doing the same, blocking innovation the same way James Watt's patents blocked the evolution of the steam engine for 30 years.

        It's interesting to read comments pointing out what assorted historians have been saying for a long time: The primary use of patent laws has always been to block technical progress. We keep hearing the propaganda (enshrined in the US Constitution, among other places), that patent law is to encourage progress. But the historical evidence is contrary to this.

        The only actual use of a patent to to prevent your competitors from using something. Yes, you can use it to extract royalties, but this is just an indirect way of making the products more expensive, and thus interfering with competitors' development and sales.

        But more important than price is the effect of multiple patents. The historians' explanation of Watts' delay of the steam locomotive is that a practical locomotive required a number of other inventions in addition to Watt's efficient steam engine. But Watt and several other inventors each wanted to own it all, and refused to license their inventions to each other unless they each got the lion's share of the results. They pretty much all held out until their patents expired. Then, since Watt had the largest bunch of good engineers working for him, he was able to quickly start manufacturing and selling practical locomotives. He became rather wealthy late in life, but could have become rich decades earlier if he and the other inventors hadn't been so greedy, and had agreed to share the proceeds in a reasonable manner.

        Part of the history is also the patenting of well-known ideas. But that's a different story from Watt's. It is a lot of what's going on now in the US, as exemplified by the Apple-Samsung case. We have somewhat reduced it to an ongoing series of jokes about patenting a rectangle with rounded corners. But it's a lot more pervasive than that. There was a cute offshoot of this humor yesterday on SMBC [smbc-comics.com], based on the idea of lawyers in India filing suit against the Western computer industry, based on the fact that the number 0 was invented in India, and stolen by Western traders. (Actually, it was stolen by Arabian traders, but that's "Western" to people in India. ;-)

  • by gl4ss ( 559668 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:22PM (#41180937) Homepage Journal

    galaxy s 3 shouldn't be under the banhammer - however it's been on the news due to this a lot.

    it's more likely it's something to do with start of school year though.

  • by jeffmeden ( 135043 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:22PM (#41180943) Homepage Journal

    Maybe Apple really managed to convince its customers that Samsung phones are equivalent or better, so they are being overcharged? Or is it a rush to buy the currently best smartphone in the market in case there is an injunction on its sale in the US any time soon?"

    It's the latter. Hell, I have been asked (as someone who is known for reading a tech blog or two) if one should worry about their *existing* handset being taken away or somehow immobilized, thanks to the verdict. People just don't get what is going on, and some of them who interpreted the news coverage as an ad for Samsung, saw the "banned sales" headlines and rushed out to buy devices. Hey, if they are worth banning, they must be good right? Just like (make-believe) gun bans threatened in the wake of certain political parties, or bans on the sale of incandescent light bulbs. People react strangely, and they almost NEVER react in favor of whatever it is that the government/courts/etc. threaten to, they do the opposite.

    • by Machtyn ( 759119 )
      I don't think the premise to the question is correct. I'm thinking the rush is to get some of the better Android devices before sales are discontinued. Not that Apple has convinced anyone that a Samsung device is better.

      People do react strangely, but one thing about this is not strange - if a desired item is threatened by banning, then that item will see an increase in sales. People want Samsung devices, Said device is about to leave market, better get one before their gone. People want guns. Guns ar
    • by ThatsNotPudding ( 1045640 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @03:06PM (#41181601)

      Just like (make-believe) gun bans threatened in the wake of certain political parties,

      Apple phones don't kill people, SAMSUNG PHONES DO.

  • by cynop ( 2023642 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:24PM (#41180959)

    The trial was only one of the factors to consider here. The overall growth of the android ecosystem should be accounted for. Also keep in mind that smartphone sales are surging overall ( http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/08/more-than-half-of-all-handsets-will-be-smartphones-in-2013/ [arstechnica.com] ) so it makes sense for Samsung's phones to sell more.

    It would help to see the recent sales figures of other notable android manufacturers like HTC and LG to decide if the exposure from the trial had a noticeable effect

  • Just bought mine (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:26PM (#41180997)

    I went and bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 even though it wasn't a part of the lawsuit or a ruling against the Samsung Galaxy Tab line. I had been scouting it out for a few months now. Even though I disagree with the ruling, I wanted to buy it before an increase in price due to licensing fees, in case Samsung decides to license the technologies that were borderline borrowed from Apple.

  • Now that the trial has ended and everybody has had the chance to inform themselves what it was about, tech-savvy potential Apple customers looking to buy a high tech tablet flee to Samsung since they no longer want to be associated with the unethical behavior exhibited by Apple?

    • I doubt this has much to do with "ethical behavior". More likely, quite a few people have suddenly found out that Apple is not the only choice for smartphones & tablets, and that its competitors are actually good enough that Apple is worried about them.

  • by InvisibleClergy ( 1430277 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:29PM (#41181039)

    Is it gonna be a tablet? A phone? A prosthetic limb? The iShinny, the new iProsthetic iLimb from Apple.

  • by torkus ( 1133985 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:31PM (#41181065)

    Title says it all. How many people did you know bought a Wii because they "saw it in stock somewhere" and figured they should get it while they had the chance?

    Apple's trying to slam down the banhammer on Samsung so of course it drives up perceived scarcity (or scarcity-to-be). Same reason every single sale is 'limited time, act now or miss out' and so on.

    Also keep in mind Apple gave Samsung tons of free publicity. I'm comfortable saying that anyone who uses a cell phone knows what an iPhone is, but until now not as many people knew Samsung sells such 'obviously similiar' products. They sure do now. Oh, and they're cheaper? Wait...maybe I should run out and get one while I still can. People who follow tech trials are also plenty fed up with patent nonsense so heck, let's support the underdog. They tend to innovate better anyhow.

    So really, I'm not surprised at all.

  • by tekrat ( 242117 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @02:35PM (#41181127) Homepage Journal

    "Even with the approach of the launch of Apple's new shinny,..."

    Is this some kind of iKnee replacement? It's a shin-bone that plays music and accesses Siri? I've never of this product.... Please advise.

    • Everybody knows it should be Apple's new iShinny. Jeez.
    • Can't tell if that was an allusion to the Simpsons but it's oh-so-fitting.

      Groundskeeper Willy: [gasps] Boy... you read my thoughts! You've got the Shinning.
      Bart Simpson: You mean "Shining".
      Groundskeeper Willy: [sotto voce] Shh! You want to get sued?

  • On 30th August 2012 00:44 GMT, there was an article on The Register titled "Customers dumping Samsung phones in wake of Apple suit"

    Apple CEO Tim Cook might be pleased with the verdict in his company's recent patent legislation against Samsung, but Samsung customers are definitely not, according to the market watchers at mobile phone trade-in firm Gazelle. "Consumers seem to be jumping ship," Anthony Scarsella, Gazelle's "chief gadget officer," told MarketWatch. "We expect this trend to continue, especially with this latest verdict." Scarsella says his company, which buys used mobile phones from consumers, has seen a 50 per cent increase in the number of customers looking to unload Samsung kit since Monday alone. The sudden upsurge in supply has led Gazelle to drop the prices it pays for Samsung mobiles by 10 per cent.

    So which is it? Buying or dumping?

    • On 30th August 2012 00:44 GMT, there was an article on The Register titled "Customers dumping Samsung phones in wake of Apple suit"

      Apple CEO Tim Cook might be pleased with the verdict in his company's recent patent legislation against Samsung, but Samsung customers are definitely not, according to the market watchers at mobile phone trade-in firm Gazelle.

      "Consumers seem to be jumping ship," Anthony Scarsella, Gazelle's "chief gadget officer," told MarketWatch. "We expect this trend to continue, especially with this latest verdict."

      Scarsella says his company, which buys used mobile phones from consumers, has seen a 50 per cent increase in the number of customers looking to unload Samsung kit since Monday alone. The sudden upsurge in supply has led Gazelle to drop the prices it pays for Samsung mobiles by 10 per cent.

      So which is it? Buying or dumping?

      In the case you cite, it's just speculation by a non-expert backed up by data with an unreasonably small sample size.

    • That article in the Register is basically quoting a small reseller of used phones, which has found an excuse to try to pay less for Samsung kit. But the Reg lately will post anything that might get them visits, and if it is pro-apple even better.
    • Both?

      Perhaps they're dumping their old Samsung phone so that they can buy something new. Or perhaps they believe they won't be able to legally resell the phone later, so they'd better act now.

    • I'd trust The Register as far as I can throw them, collectively. Forget the sensationalism, the spin, and the overall yellow hue that's all over all their articles. They often speculate, which not surprisingly ends up being incorrect nine times out of ten.

      I don't trust the mainstream stuff completely either. But at least it's actual journalism instead of guesswork.

  • > Or is it a rush to buy the currently best smartphone in the market in case there is an injunction on its sale in the US any time soon?

    No. The S3 is not listed as one of the phones and injunction is going against. It's the S, and S2 variants. The S3, Nexus. and others are in the clear.

    • Nexus is involved in the next Apple v. Samsung lawsuit in the pipeline, and I believe S3 is, as well. Given where the current one has ended up, it's certainly a reasonable assumption that the next one won't go any better for Sammy. If that's the case, it makes sense to not wait until some preliminary injunction would result in a ban.

    • Tell that to the people who think "the Cloud" is affected by weather.
  • Because the Samsung Galaxy S3 phone has been on the front-line news so much, people finally took a good look at it, and realized it's superiority over the iPhone-Toy.
  • Fallacy (Score:2, Insightful)

    This is a classic example of the 'post-hoc' ergo 'propter-hoc' fallacy.

    The fact that the trial was against Samsung really has very little to do with how many units they sold. People buy stuff mostly because it responds to a (perceived) need, not because some judge in California thinks they stole something from Apple.

    If anything it only gave them free advertising, but that doesn't necessarily lead to sales, especially since the advertising is somewhat negative.
  • by theEnguneer ( 2676207 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @03:00PM (#41181525)
    According to Apple, this phenomenon is due to the fact that shoppers are actually trying to buy Apple products, but are mistaking Samsung products for them.
  • by CharlyFoxtrot ( 1607527 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @03:15PM (#41181757)

    Marketwatch [marketwatch.com] sees a completely different phenomenon :

    "While many experts predict Apple Inc.’s court victory over Samsung could shake up the wireless industry over the long term, it’s already having an impact on one key area: the resale market.

    Since the $1.05 billion verdict Friday — which found that Samsung infringed on six Apple AAPL -1.04% patents — customers of Samsung have been dumping their Android products on at least one major resale site. Gazelle.com reports a 50% increase in Samsung smartphones over the past three days, which has led to a 10% drop in prices for those devices"

  • by FauxReal ( 653820 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @05:32PM (#41183777)
    There's been a new comedic meme emerging, "Anything you do might get you sued by Apple." and people are starting to run with it. Maybe the 1 Billion dollar verdict sounds ridiculous to people who's assets are measured in thousands?

    Non-technophile and iphone owning friends of mine are posting memegenerator images or making silly comments about the lawsuit on Facebook. I'm seeing the same stuff from random people on sites like imgur [imgur.com] and tumblr. Samsung also just unveiled a new Galaxy mirrorless interchangeable lens (AKA 4/3s AKA 3rd gen) android powered digital camera that some people are excited about.

    Personally, I'm not sure on what the reason is but I am surprised at how many people aren't cheering for Apple in this one.
  • by GrahamCox ( 741991 ) on Thursday August 30, 2012 @08:14PM (#41185381) Homepage
    Pare down your legal department to a skeleton staff of just enough to handle the day-to-day needs of a company, and turn the budget over to the developers. You're in a hole. Stop digging. The way to win hearts and minds and customers is to stop being such an arrogant prick of a company and make stuff people want. The whole Mac vs Windows 95 thing is starting to unfold all over again. Have you learned nothing? I'm an Apple developer and have been for a long time (note to readers: this in no way equates with "fanboy". It's my living). Even I'm bored to the back teeth with this case and don't see it doing anything but harm. So, Samsung copied you. Boo hoo. Make something better and people will buy it.

I tell them to turn to the study of mathematics, for it is only there that they might escape the lusts of the flesh. -- Thomas Mann, "The Magic Mountain"

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