# Samsung outselling Apple and Nokia in smartphone sales to become #1



## editor (Jul 25, 2011)

The figures aren't confirmed, but Samsung's soaring sales are certainly pretty impressive, as Bloomberg reports:



> Samsung Electronics Co., maker of the Galaxy mobile phone, may have surpassed Nokia Oyj and Apple Inc. in smartphone sales for the first time on demand for devices that run on Android software, a research company said.
> 
> Samsung is estimated to have sold between 18 million and 21 million smartphones globally in the April-June quarter, compared with 16.7 million for Nokia and 20.3 million iPhones, Neil Mawston, a London-based analyst at Strategy Analytics, a research company based in Boston, said in an e-mailed response to questions on July 22. The data exclude tablet-computer sales.
> 
> http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...apple-in-second-quarter-smartphone-sales.html


Notably, the S2 is yet to be released in several markets...


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## editor (Oct 28, 2011)

New figures are out and Samsung is indeed crushing the opposition. It now has nearly a _quarter_ of the global smartphone market.


> Samsung overtook Apple to become the world's biggest seller of smartphones between July and September.
> 
> Research from Strategy Analytics showed that Samsung sold 27.8 million smartphones in the three month period, compared with 17.1 million from Apple and 16.8 million from Nokia.
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15489523


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## wemakeyousoundb (Oct 28, 2011)

That'll be because Koreans must by law own at least 10 smartphones each in order to defeat the evil northerners.


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## elbows (Oct 28, 2011)

Park Chung-hee was much worse than Steve Jobs, but then he was a brutal dictator of a country rather than just one corporation.


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## sim667 (Oct 28, 2011)

I dont know if i like the idea of a company that manufactures arms to be doing so well in the domestic market


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## magneze (Oct 28, 2011)

Hurrah for plucky little Samsung. Gawd bless them.


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## c01642 (Oct 28, 2011)

It just goes to show if you rip someonelse off then undercut them you can achieve wonders!  Go on Samsung!


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## editor (Oct 28, 2011)

c01642 said:


> It just goes to show if you rip someonelse off then undercut them you can achieve wonders!  Go on Samsung!


'Ripped off' as in producing a far superior phone with better features, yes?


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## sim667 (Oct 28, 2011)

editor said:


> 'Ripped off' as in producing a far superior phone with better features, yes?


debatable.


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## editor (Oct 28, 2011)

sim667 said:


> debatable.


Don't take my word for it. Just look up what phone has been winning 'Phone of the Year' just about everywhere.



> Arguably second in importance only to Gadget of the Year, the nation’s handset of choice is, for the first time in three years, from neither Apple nor HTC. Little wonder, Samsung smashed it into the roof of the net with its top-of-the-range Android blower. A gorgeous looking phone with slick operation, the S II also features the best camera on any smartphone to date, great integration with Samsung’s TVs and other kit and a screen that matches the iPhone 4’s, without aping it, thanks to the unfathomable power of Super AMOLED.
> http://awards.t3.com/categories/phone-of-the-year/samsung-galaxy-s-ii





> Product of the year:
> http://www.whathifi.com/awards/2011/portables


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## c01642 (Oct 28, 2011)

Any thing that pisses on apple is good in my eyes. I might get one of these as i am tied in to windows phone 7 with work.

http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SGH-I937OKAATT


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## sim667 (Oct 28, 2011)

I have used one, I wasnt impressed.... seemed slow.

Unless that was that particular one.

I still wouldnt have anything samsung because of what other pies they've got their fingers in.


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## c01642 (Oct 28, 2011)

This ones not out yet, gets launched on the 7th of November.


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## Kid_Eternity (Oct 28, 2011)

sim667 said:


> I dont know if i like the idea of a company that manufactures arms to be doing so well in the domestic market



Wait what?


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## editor (Oct 28, 2011)

sim667 said:


> I have used one, I wasnt impressed.... seemed slow.


The S2 may be many things but one thing it is categorically _not_ is 'slow'.


sim667 said:


> I still wouldnt have anything samsung because of what other pies they've got their fingers in.


At least they give money to charity. But what are these dreadful 'pies' you speak of?


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## ska invita (Oct 28, 2011)

Google comes up with
Samsung Builds Weapons of Death
http://wanderingraven.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/samsung-builds-weapons-of-death/


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## Kid_Eternity (Oct 28, 2011)

Dear god, and Fandroids freak out about Apple and their favourite phone make is an arms dealer! You couldn't make it up!


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## pinkmonkey (Oct 28, 2011)

But Samsung make iphones don't they?


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## Kid_Eternity (Oct 28, 2011)

pinkmonkey said:


> But Samsung make iphones don't they?


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## elbows (Oct 28, 2011)

pinkmonkey said:


> But Samsung make iphones don't they?



They supply certain important components that are used in iPhones and other iOS devices, yes.


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## weltweit (Oct 28, 2011)

Nokia seem to have missed the boat of smartphones a bit. I suppose when you were no1 the only way is down and where did companies like HTC come from?


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## elbows (Oct 28, 2011)

Oh my, look what I found. Epic.


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## elbows (Oct 29, 2011)

'Samsung Techwin is trying to bring peace throughout the world'

'Suppresses moving objects when necessary'
'


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## Kid_Eternity (Oct 29, 2011)

Wow so Samsung aren't really a company you want to buy off if you don't like arms dealers then...


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## elbows (Oct 29, 2011)

Well when it comes to IT and moral high ground, I've long thought 'good luck finding any'. The history and evolution of such technologies are highly interwoven with military matters. That and the intelligence-gathering & analysis applications of IT have left me holding my nose for a very long time, before we even get into issues of capitalism & consumption & resources.

So on the one hand this Samsung stuff does not change anything for me. On the other hand we probably aren't used to seeing such direct connections between the manufacture of our gadgets and military hardware to the point of being numb about this stuff. So Im kinda shocked, but as a geek I rate the chances of successfully managing to avoid buying anything Samsung manufacture to be quite low, due to the array of components they manufacture for use in other companies devices.


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## ChrisFilter (Oct 29, 2011)

So they're number one AND are a major Apple supplier? Not a bad place to be.


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## ChrisFilter (Oct 29, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Wow so Samsung aren't really a company you want to buy off if you don't like arms dealers then...



Nor Apple, by extension. Wait... Omg... They're both major corporations! Neither of them are happy fun computer toy makers! We've been lied to!


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## Kid_Eternity (Oct 29, 2011)

ChrisFilter said:


> Nor Apple, by extension. Wait... Omg... They're both major corporations! Neither of them are happy fun computer toy makers! We've been lied to!



Exactly my point. I don't waste time talking about how evil Steve Jobs was but saying it's ok for Samsung to be an arms dealer because they give to charity! Corporations are corporations plain and simple, only children and fools liken them to people...


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## weltweit (Oct 29, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> ... only children and fools liken them to people...



But google promise to do no evil?


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## elbows (Oct 29, 2011)

A quick look at the Corporate setup in South Korea helps explain what we are dealing with when it comes to Samsung.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol



> _*Chaebol*_ (alternatively *Jaebol*, *Jaebeol*; Korean pronunciation: [tɕɛːbəl]; from _chae_: wealth or property + _pŏl_: faction or clan)[1] refers to a South Korean form of business conglomerate. They are globalmultinationals owning numerous international enterprises. The term is often used in a context similar to that of the English word "conglomerate". The term was first used in 1984.[1]
> There are several dozen large Korean family-controlled corporate groups which fall under this definition. Through aggressive governmental support and finance[_citation needed_], some have become well-known international brand names, such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG.


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## ChrisFilter (Oct 29, 2011)

I agree, but it would be fair to say that people can go overboard in their enthusiasm for their chosen tech tribe, losing sight of what matters in life..


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## ChrisFilter (Oct 29, 2011)

Re: 28


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## elbows (Oct 29, 2011)

A discussion regarding South Korean companies probably deserves this sort of documentary to be included. The other parts are interesting too, first saw it quite some years ago and never forgot about some of the details, and it only scratches the surface. I'll just embed this one for now.


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## editor (Oct 29, 2011)

elbows said:


> A quick look at the Corporate setup in South Korea helps explain what we are dealing with when it comes to Samsung.


Still, at least they give a few bob to charity in-between creating evil killer laser beam weapons and being a major supplier for Apple's iPhone and iPad. 

But of course, all tech companies are pretty much evil, but some have the power to at least exert an influence that really could make a big difference to a lot of people.

Bill Gates managed it. Shame his big rival didn't.


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## elfman (Oct 29, 2011)

I never go out intending to buy a Samsung phone but I think the last 4 phones have all been Samsung


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## pinkmonkey (Oct 29, 2011)

elbows said:


> A quick look at the Corporate setup in South Korea helps explain what we are dealing with when it comes to Samsung.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol



Yep I know, I've worked in Korea. Chaebol are a fact of life in Korea. As I said on another thread, if you live in South Korea, chances are you will live in an LG owned and branded apartment block (I'm not joking, they have the logo on the side), buy your petrol from a Lotte petrol station, smoke Lotte cigarettes, your trainers will be made by Samsung and your car will be Daewoo. Virtually everything you buy will have been supplied by chaebol. So Chaebol make arms, well they make virtually everything else too, they make and distribute food, cars, clothing, they build flats, make cigarettes, run private healthcare, even a penis enlargement clinic called, 'Men Power Clinic,'  (that I saw, owned by the chaebol named  Lotte).   It's easier to list what they are involved in than what they are not involved in.

Pic is of the LG apartment complex in Busan, where I used to travel to work.


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## Kid_Eternity (Oct 29, 2011)

ChrisFilter said:


> I agree, but it would be fair to say that people can go overboard in their enthusiasm for their chosen tech tribe, losing sight of what matters in life..



True...


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## joevsimp (Oct 29, 2011)

Samsung make fucking anything, I don't think this one in particular was, but them and Hyundai both manufacture these from time to time, and the biggest model of this has 14 cylinders rather than just six





its hardly anything new, Ben Sherman and Hi-Tec over here make army uniforms and boots


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## grit (Oct 29, 2011)

pinkmonkey said:


> Yep I know, I've worked in Korea. Chaebol are a fact of life in Korea. As I said on another thread, if you live in South Korea, chances are you will live in an LG owned and branded apartment block (I'm not joking, they have the logo on the side), buy your petrol from a Lotte petrol station, smoke Lotte cigarettes, your trainers will be made by Samsung and your car will be Daewoo. Virtually everything you buy will have been supplied by chaebol. So Chaebol make arms, well they make virtually everything else too, they make and distribute food, cars, clothing, they build flats, make cigarettes, run private healthcare, even a penis enlargement clinic called, 'Men Power Clinic,' (that I saw, owned by the chaebol named Lotte). It's easier to list what they are involved in than what they are not involved in.
> 
> Pic is of the LG apartment complex in Busan, where I used to travel to work.



Thats incredible, and very interesting, thanks.


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## editor (Oct 29, 2011)

joevsimp said:


> its hardly anything new, Ben Sherman and Hi-Tec over here make army uniforms and boots


And Apple have been in talks with the US Army:


> Leaders from the Army's technology command visited Apple, Inc. here to discuss the use of Apple products in Army business and battlefield operations.
> http://www.army.mil/article/36178/army-apple-meet-to-discuss-hand-held-solutions-for-soldiers/


It seems rather ridiculous trying to choose a modern smartphone on ethical grounds when it comes to manufacture because al the bits are made all over the place by generally less-than-ideal facrtories.

There are some factors that may be worth considering when buying a product though, like the company's environmental record, their treatment of their own workers and what kind of contribution they give to charities and the like.


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## elbows (Oct 30, 2011)

The setup in countries such as South Korea does make me shake my head a bit at the popular dystopian nightmare where corporations dominate the landscape of peoples lives in the west in far more ways than have been the case here so far. I say shake my head because its usually presented as a scary future possibility with much horror expressed at this potential fate, when in fact rather similar things have actually been going on for real for many decades in some countries without much of an uproar. There are certain aspects of this stuff that Apple would probably have liked to do themselves (e.g. the story about Steve Jobs and the employee uniforms he wanted), and this stuff is probably one of the things that creeps some people out about Apple so much. But it does my head in a little bit that we just shrug when its done elsewhere, even if putting it down to 'cultural differences' has some truth to it, Im not sure thats justification for turning a blind eye.

Ethical stuff does seem like an impossible minefield, since its almost impossible to take a completely principled stance without compromising in some way, and doing it by halves makes a bit of a mockery of the actual ethics. But maybe anything is better than nothing, and its for each of us to determine whether we pay attention to certain factors, whether it be arms manufacturing, environmental issues, labour issues, charity work, who owns the company or whatever. Personally I can't stand the PR dimension of charity stuff, nor instances where charity work is about maintaining the status quo, but regardless I can see why people may favour companies or their rich leaders that give some wealth back in this way.


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## joevsimp (Oct 30, 2011)

well yeah, if we get into applying ethics to which smartphone to buy, we'll end up with this


Spoiler: massive webcomic


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## editor (Oct 31, 2011)

Android now accounts for half of all smartphone sales in the UK, with Blackberry in second place with 22.5%. Apple's share has crashed from 33% a year ago to just 18.5% today - even though the 4S should reverse that trend to some extent.


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## Yu_Gi_Oh (Oct 31, 2011)

pinkmonkey said:


> Yep I know, I've worked in Korea. Chaebol are a fact of life in Korea. As I said on another thread, if you live in South Korea, chances are you will live in an LG owned and branded apartment block (I'm not joking, they have the logo on the side), buy your petrol from a Lotte petrol station, smoke Lotte cigarettes, your trainers will be made by Samsung and your car will be Daewoo. Virtually everything you buy will have been supplied by chaebol. So Chaebol make arms, well they make virtually everything else too, they make and distribute food, cars, clothing, they build flats, make cigarettes, run private healthcare, even a penis enlargement clinic called, 'Men Power Clinic,' (that I saw, owned by the chaebol named Lotte). It's easier to list what they are involved in than what they are not involved in.
> 
> Pic is of the LG apartment complex in Busan, where I used to travel to work.



Completely true, it's a narrow market in Korea dominated by those few big names, although it's been noticeable over the last 5 years how much more acceptable it's become to buy non-korean brands, especially obvious by the cars you see driven these days, although the majority will still be Hyundai/Kia etc.

I never found it to be in any way like a 'dystopian nightmare' though, it's a great place to live, much better nationalised than England as far as I could see.  At least they don't have the Chaebol running the trains and schools.


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## elbows (Oct 31, 2011)

Yes I should have been clearer, I didn't mean to imply that daily life was a nightmare there, only that some of the corporate aspects that feature in certain dystopian nightmares are present in one form or another in some countries. Not that I think its at all right that certain families should control whole industries, and Im really not convinced its a great place to work (depending on what job you do).


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## pinkmonkey (Oct 31, 2011)

Yu_Gi_Oh said:


> Completely true, it's a narrow market in Korea dominated by those few big names, although it's been noticeable over the last 5 years how much more acceptable it's become to buy non-korean brands, especially obvious by the cars you see driven these days, although the majority will still be Hyundai/Kia etc.
> 
> I never found it to be in any way like a 'dystopian nightmare' though, it's a great place to live, much better nationalised than England as far as I could see. At least they don't have the Chaebol running the trains and schools.


I found that the Koreans I worked with were very proud of the Chaebol, they were always melting my ear off, 'you should get a Samsung camera/laptop/phone, they are the best.'


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