Apple or Samsung? Chicken or Beef? Actually, I prefer ground turkey due to it’s a leaner meat and less toxins, but I digress. Perhaps, though, this is what has driven me to produce such an article, because my deviation from the predicated conventional norms. Let’s face it, Apple and Samsung dominate the mobile technology, and consequently are the two most consumed and talked about manufacturers. We hear of every press release and upcoming launch event, retailers promote them seemingly around every crevice of their stores (yes, I’m looking at you Best Buy), and we are constantly presented with those witty us versus them commercials reminiscent of a bitter high school rivalry. Apple and Samsung masterfully inject themselves into our daily lives and influence our trending ways. Thus, when it comes time for that new Smartphone, tablet, television, or media player, it seems the majority flock to one or the other. People, let me tell you, you have other choices.
Let me drop some quick knowledge you may or may not know; Apple currently possesses 20.4% of the overall Smartphone sales, while maintaining 92% profits of the overall Smartphone industry. I’ll repeat that in case you missed it, 92% of the overall Smartphone profits. In a landscape encompassing well over 1,000 manufactures, and more popping onto the scene each day, Apple reigns the top dog of profitable companies. Putting further into perspective, roughly 1 of every 5 consumers owns an iPhone and/or Apple product. And that 20% is leading Apple to billions in gross profits. Not to mention the recent successes of Apple TV and Apple Watches. Recent survey analysis relates Apple’s success to its identity. Of those consumers in the market to buy a tech device, over 84% surveyed stated they would buy Apple products based solely on brand recognition. I will repeat, not knowing the functionality of the products, but solely on the fact they have heard the name, people will be inclined to buy Apple devices. That in itself I find truly amazing. The notion of buying something based only because I saw the name on television, or my neighbor bought one, or because it’s the in product baffles me.
Possessing an amazing 19.9% share of Smartphone devices sold last year, and filling in nearly all of the remaining 8% of available market share profits, Samsung remains the other most recognizable force in the industry. 19.9% may not sound like a huge number, but let’s attempt to put that in perspective. Several statistical analysis firms put overall Smartphone sales for 2014 at roughly 1.1 billion sales. This means Samsung accounts for approximately 220 million of those sales. Truly astonishing are those numbers. Following similar analysis, 86% of potential buyers surveyed stated they would buy a Samsung product on name recognition alone. Now that is truly amazing! Please forgive me if it seems I am attempting to minimize Samsung’s impact on the evolution of the industry. That is far from my intentions, as I am a huge fan of their in-house Exynos processor and find myself amazed in the steady improvements of their stunning displays. In the past year I have witnessed three magnificent devices out of the Samsung camp in the Galaxy Note 5, S6 and S6 Edge. All are truly remarkable gadgets showcasing Samsung’s innovation in hardware design language and substantial improvements in their TouchWiz software. Devoid of the poor battery life, the Galaxy line this past year lived up to the moniker of flagship devices. Each of these embodied the strongest, brightest and best offerings and a glimpse of what to expect in the upcoming year. Yet, I still find myself wondering why we gravitate to these products at the cost of other quality and cheaper manufacturers.
In asking myself this question more and more, the conclusion literally hit me in the face one evening. Walking down the street, while simultaneously writing a text message, I ran into a Samsung sidewalk sign outside Best Buy. That sign was closely followed by an Apple banner parlaying news of the recently released iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. The saying “…if you control the media, you can control the masses…” came to mind. I know the context of the quote is intended another way, but let’s face it, Apple and Samsung find ways to dominate our information sources, and because of that earn our money. If all you see is Apple and Samsung on the news, in print, on the radio, you will fixate on that. These tech giants clearly understand this simple concept, and do all they can to insert themselves into our lives. In a consumer-based world, we are lead to believe these two are the “posh” and “in-thing” of our times above all others, and maybe rightfully so. But I repeat, you have other choices.
I challenge you today to record how many times you hear or see the promotions of companies such as LG, Lenovo-Motorola, Huawei, Sony, Oppo, Blackberry or Oneplus. The last may be the exception if you frequent Facebook or Twitter, but my overall notion still stands. These companies rarely promote themselves and rely on the principle we as consumers will learn about their products and gravitate towards them. Unfortunately, we as consumers rarely do this and that is our greatest flaw. We trend towards what we are told is the latest and greatest, or what we see others have, or what’s the best of those readily accessible. In paraphrasing one of my favorite comic book characters, Ben Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility”. As a consumer, you have a responsibility to be informed before you hand over your money. Do your analysis and understand why whatever you buy is the best choice. Now I’m not saying to not to buy Apple or Samsung products. As previously mentioned, I too am an owner of several of their products, but before you spend the $700 to $1,000 full retail price….really, that much? Okay, before you pay my monthly mortgage for a device, make sure you do your homework. I personally have found the offerings of Asus and LG, to name a few very pleasing. Although I purchased the device nearly six months ago, I absolutely love using my Asus Zenfone 2 (the high-end variant) as my daily driver. That’s pretty impressive as I own nearly 15 different phones, three of which are Apple and Samsung products. What is even more impressive is the $299.00 off-contract pricing, not too bad in my opinion. Also, it would take an act of force majeure before I stop using my Nexus 5 from nearly three years ago. Much like a fine wine, it just seems to get better with time. Thus, I implore you to please remember this one message…you have other choices.
JA3Tech 