I love the title of the above linked article posted on CNBC.com. "Samsung Gets a Head Start on Apple With SmartTVs." You mean they are finally going to make a smart tv? Actually no this isn't their first attempt to make a "smart tv". They have been making what has been considered a smart tv for years.
Samsung has been making smartTVs for six years, but the company may have felt under pressure to release its new line early in the year because of speculation that Apple will roll out its own TV in the fall.
So in other words, because Apple is doing it (rumored to be anyhow), than Samsung has to step up and make one? The article goes on to state that it doesn't care what other companies are doing, but they are focusing their efforts on what they are creating.
The iPhone has been out since 2007, which revolutionized the phone industry, and brought about true smart phones. Samsung Followed. The iPad came out in 2010, and revolutionized what people perceived as tablets. Samsung followed.The AppleTV set top box has been out since 2007, and rumors have been present about Apple evolving the set top box into a TV of it's own since. It has been exactly six years, the same amount of time Samsung has been making smartTV's according to the quoted article, that the AppleTV has been on the market. Samsung rode the coat tails of the first two markets, and with the help of investing so much cash in trash advertising*, they have succeeded in growing their presence in at least the phone market. You would think that a company who has had six years of experience making smart televisions, and more experience in television design in general, would have been able to best Apple on this market.
It seems to me that Samsung's latest strategy is to get ahead of Apple by taking rumored products that may be released in the future and come out with them first, or at least alert the media and let them know that they will be coming out with such products. They are coming out with a TV that will be able to run apps, do all of the tasks you can do on your phone assumably, and they are also coming out with a watch like device (of course this is a rumor), but where have I heard of that one before?
It is well known that Apple takes a long time to develop their products so they get it right. (The iPad has been in existence since as early as 2002) Even if Apple doesn't come out with a full fledged television, I am almost certain they will expand their TV brand. If Samsung does beat Apple to the market with a television equivalent to their phones, they might want to look into copying Apple in the innovation department or they are doomed to lose that market as well.
*The Samsung Trash Ads comment: I say this because I cannot stand when a company directly attacks another company in it's advertising. Apple was never named in the commercials, but it is completely obvious that they, and their user for that matter are the direct target. I don't believe Apple's commercials have been so bold at all. If I am wrong and someone is willing to show me where than I will be happy to say that I am wrong.
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