Samsung hijacks Apple store crowds
Posted by admin on October 12, 2011 in News | One lonely comment
The petty feud between Apple and Samsung over patents, rights and marketshare seems to be escalating into open warfare, with Samsung trying to openly hijack Apple store queues in the streets of Sydney. With the iPhone 4S launch date imminent, the Korean tech giant has set up a pop-up store a mere two doors from Apple’s flagship store.
Significant queues were seen outside Samsung’s makeshift storefront, which seems to be all about the Samsung’s latest stab at smartphone dominance, the Galaxy S2. We have to give it to Samsung; the premise is enticing. Every morning, the first ten people in the queue will be afforded the right to buy a Samsung Galaxy S2 at a symbolic price of only A$2. Consequently, some of the people found queueing on tuesday morning had actually been there since monday night. Samsung fans have reportedly even flown in from Melbourne to get their hands on this special deal. Reports are also of Samsung employees trying to convince people at the Apple store queue to go with the Galaxy S2 instead. “And they are idiots,” according to 15-year old Apple devotee Tom Mosca.
The competition between Samsung and Apple is raging at an all-time height, with the former accusing the latter of a series of patent infringements related to the iPhone 4S. Samsung has filed lawsuits in several European countries, trying to bar the iPhone 4S from being launched in these markets. This in response to Apple’s successful attempt at preventing the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab in several markets over alleged patent infringements of its iPad 2.
The question is; will the consumer win? Granted, fierce competition leads to lower prices. With these giants battling it out in court however, both innovation and consumer choice might ultimately suffer.