Samsung and Apple are in total war in the smartphone market. Apple in one corner with the reliable, tested, and true iphone; Samsung in the other corner with the more advanced Galaxy. The latest battle waged between these cell phone titans took place in the courts, where apple sued Samsung and won major victories over their patent designs. The patents were over touchscreen technology and the generic look of a smartphone. The Galaxy SIII and other android and googled powered phones have lost major ground, as they now risk being sued for future phones that use touchscreens and the standard rectangular look that almost every smartphone has.While Samsung has staggered back significantly, they are now back on the offensive through various marketing tactics and one simple message. That message: it doesn't take a genius to see the the Galaxy S III is better than the iphone 5. In fact all the ads Samsung has for the GSIII in print, internet, and television exist only to educate the consumer on the features both phones have. Apple fired back in their marketing campaigns by mocking their competitors attacks and focusing on the advantages of the iphone. While on paper samsung appears to have a better phone and a great marketing strategy for it, long term they may find themselves unable to compete with apple if they can't overturn the verdict for the touch screen patent. Consumers will also find long term problems as well, with the risk of existing products that infringe on the patent risk being removed and companies having to pay for the licensing agreement. Basically consumers will have less choice and have to pay higher prices.
Do you believe that the verdict on the patent infringements by apple's competitors should stand Why/Why not? Also do you think Apple's competitors will be able to compete against apple without the touchscreen feature that has become standard to all smartphones and all users.
- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/business/media/samsung-apple-fight-moves-to-the-marketing-arena.html?_r=0
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/24/apple-samsung-lawsuit-verdict_n_1829268.html
