Samsung loses ground to Chinese brands in the tablet market
Newly compiled data from industry researcher Strategy Analytics shows that big names brands in the tablet market, such as Samsung and Apple, have seen their market shares take a plunge this year, while low cost “white box” Chinese products are gaining momentum.
Samsung has been the hardest hit in the past twelve months, having seen its share of the tablet market shrink by 5.6 percent, down to 17 percent of the market in the first quarter. Apple also took a significant hit, as its share declined 4.6 percent from 28.9 in Q1 2014 to 24.3 in Q1 2015. Combined, Apple and Samsung accounted for just over half of the world’s tablet market back in Q1 2014, but this year only managed to grab a 41.3 percent share of the market in the same quarter this year.
“2015 will be the year that Samsung pares down its large product portfolio to focus on a tighter circle of strong performers in the mid- to low-price tiers” – Strategy Analytics
The market appears to be diversifying away from the familiar global brands, and much of this share is being eaten into by growing Chinese manufacturers. Price competitive companies Lenovo and Huawei both saw growth compared with the same quarter last year, up 1.2 and 1.5 percent each, ending up with a 5.3 and 2.4 percent share respectively. Falling costs of previously high-end features have given a big boost to the price/performance value proposition offered by these less-expensive tablet brands.http://embed.chartblocks.com/1.0/?c=5559aa57c9a61dfa486a8330&t=849b5b4af175405The other major winner in the quarter has been “white box” tablets, i.e. non-brand specific devices produced in smaller quantities, which often come from low cost Chinese manufacturers and are powered by Android. This market segment grew by a further 2.7 percent year-over-year and now accounts for a substantial 28.4 percent of the tablet market, making it larger than either Apple or Samsung.
Samsung’s latest budget friendly Galaxy Tab A line-up might help to address the price sensitivity issue and its upcoming Galaxy Tab S2 should keep up Samsung’s presence in the high-end segment, but it’s likely to be another tough year for the established brands.
Which tablets have you been looking at this year?
The gorgeous blue and green versions of the Galaxy S6/Edge are finally available
Fans of the Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge can finally get their hands on the two color options that are exclusive to each device.
Samsung announced today that the Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 and the Green Emerald Galaxy S6 Edge are now available to consumers. Blue and green are the color options that are exclusive to the S6 and S6 Edge respectively, while black, white, and gold are shared. All models are available with 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB of storage.
Samsung showcased the Blue Topaz and Green Emerald colors at the Galaxy S6 launch during MWC. From my brief time with the device at the show, I found the blue Galaxy S6 very appealing, though keeping that striking glass back smudge-free will be a constant problem.
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If blue or green aren’t striking enough for you, perhaps the red and gold Iron Man limited edition of the Galaxy S6 Edge will do the trick. Samsung recently teased that Iron Man-themed device and we can’t wait to see it in store, hopefully in a few weeks.
So, what’s your favorite color?
Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 and Green Emerald Galaxy S6 Edge are announced
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I’m still a bit baffled about the whole practice of releasing coloured variants after the official release of a device, but apparently it must work. Samsung has today announced two new coloured variants of their barnstorming flagship duo, the Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 and Green Emerald Galaxy S6 Edge. It hasn’t been announced exactly how much these version are going to cost or what regions they’ll be available in, but Samsung assures us that they will be available at some point and will be available in all storage sizes.
It’s interesting that Samsung would release one colour for one device and not the other – what if I want a green Galaxy S6 – but Samsung has gone to the effort of acquiring the services of British Psychologist Dr. Donna Dawson to analyse what kind of people would want these devices. According to Dawson, “People who opt for Samsung’s Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 are likely to be more self-confident, fastidious, discriminating, sensitive, exacting, and intuitive,” and “People who choose Green as their preferred color will tend to be balanced, loyal, hard-working, honest, benevolent and concerned for others.” If you are none of those things, then perhaps these aren’t the devices for you, apparently.
What do you think about the Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 and Green Emerald Galaxy S6 Edge? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Samsung Tomorrow via SamMobile
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LG’s leather-clad G4 flagship goes on sale this week
LG is super-excited about the leather used in making its G4 (judging by the video below), and hopes you are too as it goes on sale this week. We certainly liked the new flagship, especially the screen, f/1.8 camera and battery life, though we found the style on the non-leather model a bit dull. It ticks the spec boxes too, with expandable memory, a 5.5-inch quad HD “quantum” display and a 64-bit Snapdragon 808 six-core CPU. Unfortunately for US denizens, the G4 begins its rollout in Hong Kong, then hits Turkey, Russia and Singapore before arriving stateside. LG still hasn’t confirmed the price, but it’s rumored to be around $600 — about the same as Samsung’s non-curvy Galaxy S6.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Source: LG
LG kicks off G4 global rollout starting this week
Announced at the end of April, the LG G4 will soon be available in the first markets.
LG announced today that 180 carriers and retailers have signed up to sell the G4 around the world, with the first market set to receive it being Hong Kong. The leather-bound device will go on sale there this week, with Turkey, Russia, and Singapore following next.
Eventually, the G4 will be available in “most of Europe, North America, CIS, Southeast Asia, Middle East/Africa and South/Central America.”
LG is yet to reveal an official price for the device, but thanks to the sweepstakes ran by T-Mobile and Sprint in the US, we suspect the G4 will cost about $600 unlocked. That’s a bit lower than the suggested retail price of the Samsung Galaxy S6 or the HTC One M9, for comparison.
More details should be revealed in local announcements coming this month and in June. In the United States, all four big carriers said they would carry the LG G4, though only Sprint gave a timeframe so far: “June.”
“The LG G4 is our most ambitious smartphone yet because it is unlike any other flagship mobile phone on the market today,” said Juno Cho, CEO of LG. While we can’t entirely agree with that, we do like the G4 a lot. Check out our review.
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Do you plan to pick up the LG G4?
LG G4 TO BEGIN SHIPPING IN KEY MARKETS WORLDWIDE
SEOUL, May 18, 2015 — Customers in key markets around the world will finally get their chance to own the latest advanced smartphone from LG Electronics (LG), one which industry experts have widely praised for its exceptional camera, vivid and expansive display, and willingness to set new rules in defining what a premium mobile device could be.
LG G4 will begin rolling out this week to consumers in key markets around the world, continuing throughout the month into June and beyond as more retailers and operators see what LG G4 has to offer their customers. Starting in Hong Kong, the G4 will follow with rollouts in Turkey, Russia and Singapore, eventually including most of Europe, North America, CIS, Southeast Asia, Middle East/Africa and South/Central America. Approximately 180 carriers and retails are already on board as G4 partners.
Highlights of the LG G4 include:
￭ Handcrafted, genuine full grain leather (see LG’s leather artisan at work at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T9ejKpcunE) back cover in six beautiful colors in addition of three unique material covers with 3D patterns
￭ Rear camera featuring a rare F1.8 aperture lens and 16MP resolution supported by Color Spectrum Sensor (CSS) and a new Manual Mode
￭ Front 8MP camera and Gesture Interval Shot for perfect selfies every time which can then be saved to the removable microSD card
￭ Vivid IPS Quantum Display which offers 20 percent greater color reproduction, 25 percent improvement in brightness and 50 percent greater contrast
￭ First smartphone to utilize Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon™ 808 Processor with X10 LTE for the best balance of performance and power savings
￭ High-capacity 3,000mAh removable battery and supporting Quick Charge 2.0 (enabled with Quick Charge 2.0 certified adapter, sold separately)
￭ Slim Arc exterior design for a more comfortable grip and greater durability when dropped
“The LG G4 is our most ambitious smartphone yet because it is unlike any other flagship mobile phone on the market today,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Our vision is to create our own set of standards without worrying about what trend other smartphones are following. We think we have a winning formula because the initial reaction to the G4 has been tremendously positive.”
Prices and additional purchase details will be announced locally at time of availability, and may vary by carrier and market.
Follow the world’s mass transit on this live map
Sure, it’s not hard to learn when your bus is likely to show up, but have you wondered where everyone else’s bus is at any given moment? You now have an easy way to find out. GeOps and the University of Freiburg have rolled out TRAVIC (Transit Visualization Client), a map that shows the real-time positions of buses and trains from more than 200 public transportation systems around the globe. Some of this info is based on schedule estimates, but it’s still quite hypnotic — you can see when subway cars pass by Times Square (hint: often), or how long it takes a bus to arrive at Barcelona’s beach. While this tool probably won’t be very useful for planning your own trips, it’ll definitely remind you just how much effort goes into getting you across the urban landscape.
Filed under: GPS, Transportation, Internet
Via: The Verge
Source: TRAVIC
Fujifilm outs the X-T10, an $800 interchangeable lens camera
If you’ve been holding out for a cheaper model of Fujifilm’s X-series flagship, the X-T1, today is your lucky day. The company has just revealed the X-T10 interchangeable lens camera, featuring a 16.3-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor (with built-in phase detection autofocus), an EXR Processor II and compatibility with Fujinon lenses — that’s great news for people who are already invested in the ecosystem. It will also pack the revamped AF system Fujifilm announced last week, which is said to be speedier and more accurate overall, particularly in low-light conditions and when trying to capture moving subjects. Most importantly, perhaps, Fujifilm is pricing its X-T10 at a reasonable $800 (body-only), or you can shell out an extra $100 for the XC16-50mm kit.
I had the chance to handle the new camera recently and came away generally impressed. The hardware is compact, lightweight and feels solid in the hands, even without the grip accessory. Put simply, think of it as a smaller X-T1. And in case you’ve never played with one of those, just imagine a solid aluminum piece with a sleek design. Although what Fujifilm showed me was a pre-production version, I’m told it wasn’t any different from the unit hitting stores in June.
Filed under: Cameras
The first trailer for ‘Steve Jobs’ is here
Ready for another movie based on Apple’s cofounder? Well, this one appears to have a bit more gravitas behind it, and a little less Kutcher: Based on the biography by Walter Isaacson, the screenplay’s been written by Aaron Sorkin, and directed by Danny Boyle. The film has already had a difficult time nailing down the actor to play Jobs himself. Michael Fassbender is still playing the titular Apple founder, with Seth Rogen playing Woz and Joanna Hoffman playing former marketing chief Joanna Hoffman. Break out the emergency black turtleneck and watch how it’s shaping up right after the break.
Filed under: Apple
Source: Universal Pictures (YouTube)
Sony’s event on May 26 in New Dehli could launch the Xperia Z4 internationally
Later this month, Sony will host an event in New Dehli that could mark the international launch of its flagship for 2015. The invite for the event on May 26 has elements of water and that means we are practically guaranteed to see the Xperia M4 Aqua become official. However, there are reports that the Xperia Z4 will also be present. The Xperia Z4, as of today, is only available in Japan and distribution is expected to expand by the end of May.
Hit the break to see the invitation.
Very aqua-like, right?
Via: Xperia Blog
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Are Huawei and ZTE looking to be less dependent on Android?
Among all of the hardware manufacturers using Android as their operating system, the Chinese companies seem to be the most reluctant on going all-in with Google’s offering.
Huawei and ZTE are reportedly going in the direction of Xiaomi by exploring options to become less dependent on Android. In fact, there are rumblings that Huawei has prepared a new device that features an operating system developed in-house. The operating system, currently referred to as Kirin OS, has apparently been in development for three years and works with a Huawei-made Kirin processor.
It sounds like Huawei is going for the do-it-yourself approach with two major areas of a mobile device. There may even be a possibility we see this device revealed at Huawei’s June 2 event.
Source: GizmoChina
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