News/Rumors

Apple vs Samsung: judge sets new trial dates

In March, Apple had a major failure in its mobile patents fight with Samsung when Judge Lucy Koh slashed a $1.05 billion jury award by more than 40 percent and set a new trial to recalculate the sum she found may have been incorrectly awarded by a jury.

Koh on Monday entered a case management order saying that the new trial on damages should take place between November 12 and 18. “This is going to be Groundhog’s Day,” Koh said, referring to the jury trial. “You’re going to be reliving July of 2012.” The upcoming damages trial will be limited to 13 Samsung products, with a decision on damages being final for 14. The appeal is possible.

The court will select eight jurors for the five-day trial, which are to assess damages based on the original trial’s legal scope. Moreover the court will not allow Apple and Samsung to expand the scope of the damages trial by relying upon new sales data and new products. It should be noted that while Samsung can get lower damages, Apple has the opportunity to raise them. By the way, Samsung continues to flood the market with its Galaxy smartphones and tablets as Apple’s patent challenges unfold.12.07.26-Apple-1

Another trial  is set for November 12, while a separate patent trial dealing with additional IP claims is set for March 31, 2014.

News/Rumors

Apple plans to triple its operations in India

As the analysts say, Apple and Samsung are locked in a pricing struggle in India, with each company suggest discounts on its smartphones to draw customers in one of the world’s largest developing smartphone markets. As the world’s second-most populous country, India represents a tremendous market opportunity for both companies.

The fact is in early April Apple decided to give a discount to any customers trading in an older smartphone for Apple’s iPhone 4. The customers now receive a cash discount of at least 7,000 rupees ($128) toward the purchase of an iPhone 4. Samsung in it’s turn offers 15 percent cash back for consumers buying a Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S III, Galaxy Grand, or Galaxy tablet. Industry observers expect that Apple will have to address the issue further by introducing a lower-cost iPhone in the near future. The current low-cost iPhone 4, they say, is just a stopgap measure that allows Apple to build a presence while clearing inventory of older models.

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Apple’s iPhone holds a 15.6 percent revenue share in the Indian smartphone market. That’s a distant second to Samsung’s hold on the market. Offering a wide range of handsets at an array of price points has allowed Samsung to grab 38.8 percent of the revenue in India’s growing smartphone market.
Since mobile providers in India do not subsidize the cost of smartphones, Apple is faced with a difficult situation in the country. The company’s flagship iPhone 5 sells for 45,500 rupees, while Samsung’s Galaxy Grand is available for 21,500 rupees.

 

News/Rumors

Apple vs Samsung: new trial can cause more damages

When it became clear that the damage in the dispute between Apple and Samsung is reduced to nearly $ 600 million, as the judge Lucy Koh agreed to review the case against smartphones, some took it as a victory for the Korean company.  The revision of the original patent litigation payout of $ 1.05 billion may decrease, remain constant or even increase. As FOSS Patents’s Florian Mueller pointed out, in a recent address to the court, Samsung openly confirmed that the final amount of the payment may be even larger than the original.

A new trial deals with 14 products out of 28. Apple’s in a hurry to get from Samsung $ 598,9 million, without  further consideration of the case. Samsung desires that, in respect of the first part ($ 598.9 million)it was made a partial decision. It’ll allow the Korean manufacturer to appeal and request a trial of the decision. While there is no solution, there is no such  possibility either.

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Meanwhile, this appeal is important not only because the damage decision may be more favorable for Samsung, but the fact, that the judge will defer its decision on the second part of the case, and Samsung will be able to request for combining its appeal with Apple’s one, filed in response to the judge’s decision to reject the claim of the American vendor to ban U.S. sales of Samsung smartphones. Thus, Samsung would have managed to tighten the ban issue in view to its irrelevance.

Apple is sure, that reducing the damages for Samsung from $ 1 billion to $ 598.9 million, the court made a mistake at $ 85 million. According to  the representatives of the American corporation, Judge Lucy Koh didn’t consider the compensation for the two Samsung phones Galaxy S II AT&T and Infuse 4G, which were on sale at the time of filing a claim of patent infringement.

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Samsung fans have more iTunes “likes” than Apple fans ?

Facebook “likes” analysis showed, that few Apple fans like iTunes, as well as Samsung fans, especially women.

The fact is, that those, who tell about their liking for Samsung on Facebook, are mostly committed to iTunes, than those who “like” Apple.

Parhaps, there are psychological differences between those who are committed to each brand.

Those who criticize iTunes are sure that this data is a trifle and can not be relied on. But the data did! Twice as many Samsung likers than Apple likers to Apple’s service can prove this fact. They are also slightly more likely to be from female.

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Maybe you will ask, how this data was generated. Well, Business Insider has so called Likester account. Its tools help your private understanding of which brands in Facebook have more ‘likes’.

In this entertaining research, analysts compared likers of Apple’s Facebook page with those who liked the page of Samsung Mobile USA. It turned out, that Apple has 8.8 million likers, while Samsung Mobile USA has almost 23 million.

However, Apple fans seem to have a frenetic adhesion to the brand. And when Samsung is more passionate in posting anything on its Facebook page, Apple seems never do it at all. Well, maybe this fact strengthens this perception.

News/Rumors

Galaxy S4 challenges iPhone

Samsung on Thursday revealed its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, with features like photos with sound from a 13MP rear-facing camera, language translation, group media streaming, infrared gesture control and more.

With the newest Galaxy S4 debut, Samsung spared no expense as it introduced the device on stage at Radio City Music Hall in New York, complete with live orchestra and an incredibly polished scripted presentation.

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One of the few major hardware features Samsung introduced was the S4′s cameras. A dual-camera mode can capture images from both the 13MP rear-facing and 2MP front-facing cameras, allowing the photographer to be in the video or photograph. Users can also add audio to still photos, along with other advanced software functions.

The 5-inch, 441 pixel-per-inch Super AMOLED display on the S4 includes “Air Gesture” capabilities that allows users to interact with the screen without actually touching it.

Rounding out the new component set is a plastic body measuring 5.3 inches long by 2.7 inches wide and 7.9mm thick. The S4 runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean on a 1.9GHz quad-core or 1.6GHz octa-core processor and comes with 16GB of storage standard, with options for 32GB or 64GB, while all models come with a MicroSD slot. Powering the device is a 2,600mAh battery.

Overall, it seems that Samsung is banking on software improvements and innovations to drive sales, as hardware enhancements were largely iterative.

Media coverage of the event has been unusually high for a Samsung product debut, possibly due to pundits sounding off on a “doom and gloom” scenario for Apple, the Korean company’s biggest rival in the smartphone space. Whatever the reason, the tech giant was able to drum up a substantial amount of attention. The company’s YouTube live Webcast of the S4 unveiling hit over 430,000 viewers when the device was finally unveiled.

It was reported on Wednesday that Samsung has substantially boosted its U.S. advertising budget for the company’s mobile phone lineup, spending in excess of $401 million during 2012, up from $78 million the year prior. The Korean firm managed to outspend Apple, which consistently generates media buzz when it announces a new product.

The battle for smartphone supremacy has become a two horse race between Apple and Samsung. According to a recent report from research firm Canalys, the two companies accounted for a respective 22.1 percent and 29 percent of all global handset shipments for the fourth quarter of 2012. It should be noted that the estimates are based on shipments, not sales.

On a device by device level, impressions across Chitika’s ad network in North America found Apple’s iPhone 5 and Samsung’s Galaxy S III to be in a dead heat during the first nine days of February. A broader look at the data showed all Samsung smartphones to account for 20.6 percent of the market, while all iPhone models took a 41.5 percent share. Overall, Apple’s marketshare dropped 4.5 percent since the last Chitika study as Samsung’s grew by 3.6 percent.

As for the new Galaxy S4, the handset will no doubt be compared to Apple’s own flagship iPhone 5, which debuted six months ago in September 2012.

News/Rumors

Samsung spent $68M more in phone ads than Apple

According to new research released on Tuesday, Samsung spent a whopping $401 million on U.S. print, television, billboards and internet advertisements in 2012, leapfrogging past HTC and its biggest rival Apple, which in 2011 outspent the Korean firm more than three to one.

Data from advertising research and consulting firm Kantar Media shows that Samsung boosted U.S. ad spending by some $323 million between 2011 to 2012, while second-biggest spender Apple’s budget went from $253 million to $333 million over the same period, reports The Wall Street Journal. In contrast to Samsung and Apple, third place HTC slashed spending to $46 million, down from $124 million in 2011. Rounding out the top five were BlackBerry and Nokia, which also cut their budgets last year.

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Despite Samsung’s incredible influx of ad money, aimed at promoting handsets like the Galaxy S III, the company took second place to Apple’s iPhone as America’s most effective mobile phone brand, said advertising analytics firm Ace Metrix in January. Interestingly, Ace went on to name the Korean tech giant as the overall top technology brand of 2012.
The Galaxy maker is perhaps most well known for “The Next Big Thing is Already Here” campaign, which constantly ribbed iPhone users as hapless followers, and Samsung doesn’t appear to be letting up, as the company’s Super Bowl TV spot from February poked fun at Apple’s ongoing worldwide patent litigation.
The WSJ said advertising is but one of the many investments Samsung is making to ensure that it retains its lead in the global smartphone market, which is now largely a two horse race against Apple. As noted by the publication, executives from cellular providers claim Samsung spends the most money on “below the line” marketing such as in-store advertising and promotions.
As for 2013, the Korean company will likely continue its less than frugal advertising blitz with the upcoming Galaxy S4 launch, which is expected to take place on Thursday at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

News/Rumors

ITC delays ruling on Samsung patent claims against Apple

The U.S. International Trade Commission on Wednesday announced that it will delay final judgment of assertions that Apple infringed on certain FRAND patents owned by Samsung when it made the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

As noted by Reuters, the case stems from an earlier decision handed down by an ITC Administrative Law Judge in September, who found Apple to not infringe on the patents in suit. The full Commission promised a review of the ruling, which could potentially see the sales ban of infringing iOS devices.

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After requesting filings related to what effect banning Apple products would have on the public, including whether acceptable substitutes are readily available, the ITC pushed back the issuance of a final decision until May 31. The move could signal a finding of infringement by one or all of the iOS devices in question, though Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents notes the request for party input could be a good sign for Apple.

In a more in-depth look at the ITC’s announcement, Mueller points out that the Commission is at least considering FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) licensing, whereas the issue was skirted entirely in the initial determination. He goes on to say that Samsung’s 2.4 percent royalty rate will be scrutinized, a number believed to be much higher for Apple than other industry players licensing the patented tech.

Also of note is that an Apple product ban would not necessarily affect the company’s current offerings as the most recent iPhones and iPads switched baseband chip suppliers. Samsung’s standard essential patent (SEP) licensing is applied differently with the older units using Infineon silicon than the current Qualcomm-based devices.

The ITC is also reviewing a separate decision that found Samsung was in violation of four Apple patents. That case was originally scheduled for determination on March 27, but was also pushed back to an as-yet-unannounced date.

News/Rumors

Samsung topped Apple and Lenovo in China’s smartphone market for 2012

Chief Apple rival Samsung tripled its Chinese smartphone sales in 2012, taking the top spot ahead of Lenovo and Apple in the increasingly important Chinese market.Yonhap News reported (via The Next Web) Sunday on a new analysis out from Strategy Analytics. That report had Samsung selling 30.06 million smartphones in China, nearly three times the 10.90 million units it sold in 2011. That total gave Samsung control of 17.7 percent of the Chinese market, solidly ahead of its competitors.

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Chinese tech firm Lenovo took second place, with 13.2 percent of the market, while Apple came in third place with 11 percent. Chinese manufacturers Huawei and Coolpad trailed with 9.9 and 9.7 percent, respectively. Nokia dropped from 29.9 percent and a number one ranking in the country in 2011 to 3.7 percent and a seventh-place spot in 2012.
The newest report marks the first time that Samsung has taken the top spot in the Chinese market. Industry observers cite both Samsung’s efforts at working with Chinese carriers and the company’s growing brand recognition as drivers of its improved position.China has quickly emerged as one of the most important markets for consumer electronics in general and smartphones in particular. In February, research firm Flurry estimated that China surpassed the United States in terms of total smartphone activations.
Apple has been looking to address the Chinese market, but the company has taken a cautious approach to doing so in order to maintain the quality users expect from its products, as well as its usual profit margins.While the typical Chinese worker is probably unable to afford Apple products, the company has introduced installment plans on some devices. Investors and analysts, though, still clamor for Apple to release a low-cost iPhone in order to better capture the market. Apple CEO Tim Cook has also visited China multiple times in the past year, most recently meeting with China Mobile in order to discuss ways to bring the iPhone to the world’s largest carrier.

News/Rumors

Apple and Samsung’s rumored wireless charging

Taiwan tech industry publication DigiTimes, which has a spotty track record, reported on Friday that both Samsung and Apple are “expected” to add wireless charging to their 2013 flagship smartphones, citing unnamed industry sources.
“Apple is likely to adopt the wireless charging technology developed internally,” the report said, “but it remains unknown if the next-generation iPhone will come with built-in wireless charging capability or with other attached accessories,” the report said.

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The details on Samsung are more specific, claiming that the Galaxy S IV will feature Qi wireless charging technology run by the Wireless Power Consortium. Users will reportedly be required to buy replacement back covers and an accessory charging pad to be able to recharge their handset without plugging in a cable.

Industry insiders reportedly believe that Samsung’s adoption of Qi standards could help make wireless charging a mainstream feature among smartphones. Competing standards are available from Alliance for Wireless Power and Power Matters Alliance.

Apple described its method as a “realistic and practical” way to provide over-the-air electricity to low power devices within a distance of one meter. Apple’s concept for a wireless charging accessory would be able to provide electricity to a number of devices located within the near field, or “virtual charging area.” Low-power devices cited by Apple include a mouse and keyboard.

Apple also secured a more traditional inductive wireless charging patent this January.

Some accessory makers already offer special cases that give the iPhone wireless charging capabilities. Among major smartphone venders, the now defunct Palm Pre was the first to offer inductive wireless charging when paired with the Touchstone dock accessory.

News/Rumors

Apple gets another win on the patent wars

Apple this week secured another patent win over rival Samsung, this time in a U.K. court over a standard-essential patent related to 3G connectivity.

Samsung had attempted to assert that Apple’s products infringe on patents it owns, but Judge Christopher Floyd ruled in London that Apple did not infringe, according to ZDNet. The case involved 3G patents related to the way devices send and receive data over a wireless network.

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In filing the lawsuit, Samsung had hoped to take about 2.5 percent in royalties from Apple’s 3G-enabled devices — a demand that intellectual property expert Florian Mueller characterized as “ridiculous.”

He also noted that Apple has successfully fought off 24 standard-essential patent claims by Samsung, while the South Korean company has prevailed on three standard-essential patents, with two of those cases in its home country. Samsung responded to the ruling by saying officials are “disappointed” by the decision. The company plans to review the judgment before deciding whether to appeal.

The legal battles between Samsung and Apple began in April 2011, when Apple sued Samsung and accused the company of copying the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad with its own smartphones and tablets. Samsung has fired back with its own complaints, and the two companies are now embroiled in dozens of lawsuits that span around the globe.

Apple’s accusations of copying have not prevented Samsung from introducing similar products. Last month, the South Korean handset maker introduced a new application for its devices called “Wallet,” which bears numerous similarities to Apple’s Passbook, including the design of the icon.