Over the past few years, tech giants Apple and Samsung have developed their existence as dominant forces in the mobile-technology market. Although they’ve pursued radically different strategies, each company has been heavily successful. Apple generates around $1 billion per month on iPhone sales, while Samsung’s operating system has stacked up massive global market-share gains. Although Samsung has surged to become the largest handset makers in the world, it appears poised to intensify tough competition in the mobile space that could benefit consumers.
Apple has been losing out in the sales war with arch-rival Samsung from South Korea and first quarter sales shows a major difference. Part of the reason may be because Apple has failed to introduce any new versions of its popular iPhone yet. But while Apple is the more expensive and trendier of the two brands, Samsung’s mass market, lower cost appeal has beaten Apple in the shipments race so far this year. A research estimated that the total number of shipments reached almost 200 million in the first quarter of 2013, up 30% from the first quarter of 2012.
Samsung increased its market share by an estimated 68 million s and accounting for 34% of all shipments in the quarter. Apple’s profits fell for the first time in a decade this week, but all is certainly not lost for them. Despite lower profits, the company reported better than expected iPhone sales of around 37.4 million, a 7% growth compared to the same period in 2012.
Samsung’s devices are growing in popularity, no questions asked. And the Galaxy devices have established their iPhone-like cache among some users. As a matter of fact, a recent report suggests that Samsung’s sale grew nine times faster than apple in the first quarter of 2013. Some of this growth was due to low-end devices, but Samsung is also collecting a following for its Galaxy brand of devices. So the big question to be answered is; is it time to move on from Apple to Samsung’s products?
There is no question that the Samsung Galaxy S line of devices is gaining popularity every day. And while Apple introduces one new device and a new set of software upgrades per year, Samsung has released two flagship devices in a year. And Google has managed to push software upgrades that have reached many of the Samsung devices. It’s not expected to see huge changes in the iPhone introduced later this year. The device is not expected to have the fastest processors nor will it have all the cutting-edge technology that latest Android devices will likely have. But is it enough to leave the Apple iOS? Well, that depends how much one have invested in iOS which consist of mobile apps, songs, movies and digital media.
The good news is that it’s basically getting a little easier to move between the iOS and Google Android. For example, when it comes to music, you can download Google music player manager onto your desktop to upload your music, even your iTunes music, into the Google Play cloud. And you can even download music onto your Android to listen to it when you’re offline. Google Play offers great flexibility in how and where you listen to your music. And because it’s compatible with iTunes, you can still purchase music through iTunes and have that music automatically synced to Google Play. Hence, syncing music between platforms and among different devices has gotten much easier than it has been in the past.
The competitive landscape in the mobile device world is growing more complicated. Despite its recent stock slump, Apple still commands 70% of all -industry profits. More competition means more innovation, and with powerful giants in the mobile mix, competition in the tablet markets could accelerate — and that’s something that consumers should cheer. Therefore, my suggestion is; Stop waiting for the new iPhone. If you aren’t wowed by the iPhone 5 and you’re tired of waiting to see what Apple will bring next, then go ahead and buy the Samsung Galaxy device that suits you best. By the time your new contract is up in two years, Apple may finally have a new device that excites you.