By SteveJack
This is not an April Fool’s joke. Take a look at the image below. It’s Samsung’s newly-announced “Instinct” to be offered to the criminally obtuse by beleaguered Sprint in June.
In the spirit of Samsung’s lack of originality, portions of the rest of my article are basically just half-assed rephrasings of statements lifted directly from my recent RIM BlackBerry 9000 article. Unlike Samsung, I’ll throw in some actual new ideas, too:
Samsung clearly seems to have tried to copy Apple’s iPhone exterior look, but it has none of the multi-touch goodness of Apple’s iPhone. It’s the same old, same old in an iPhone-inspired wrapper. And that should fail to inspire much confidence in Samsung or Sprint (which has precious little to begin with).
You can judge the distance behind and overall cluelessness of iPhone’s future roadkill by the amount they copy the iPhone’s exterior. See: LG, HTC, RIM, and now Samsung, among many others.
According to CNET, “Except for a [few] feature changes and a unique interface, the Instinct is a recycled CDMA version of the SGH-F490, which we saw two months ago at the GSMA World Congress.” This ceaseless quest to dress up antiques in Apple veneer is pathetic and sad.
What are Sprint customers supposed to do? Get this phone, stick an iPhone Apple logo sticker on the back, and just pretend throughout the duration of a 2-year contract?
Obviously, Samsung has no shame. And Sprint’s so desperate, they’d sell blocks of wood painted like iPhones if people would buy them.
The question I’m left with for Samsung and Sprint — and this goes for the rest of these companies rolling out imitation iPhones this year — exactly how stupid do you think your customers are?
See Gizmodo’s gallery of Samsung Instinct photos here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Joe Architect” for the heads up.]
SteveJack is a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and a regular contributor to the MacDailyNews Opinion section.
As a Sprint customer I’ll be the first to say that their phone line-up sucks. If just one company would make a high-quality basic phone with good sound quality and reception, I still believe it would sell.
Not all people feel the need to have the latest trendy device OR be stuck with AT&T;.
Looking at the photos, I think they are VERY close to the iPhone- even the keyboard. Depending upon how the phone actually works, ease of use, etc. I would say it has a good chance at taking some market share. That will all depend upon marketing and the sale price.
Is it just me, or does ‘Sprint Instinct’ sound akin to ‘running in sh!t’?Which would explain why Sam sung blue…..
It’s obviously a knockoff.
I don’t think Samsung thinks people are stupid at all. They simply want to cash in on the growing popularity of the iPhone with something that obviously appeals on the same level.
Samsung would be stupid not to want to get in on the action and the truth is many people will buy it because it will basically perform many of the same functions as the iPhone – albeit not as elegantly – and cost way less than the iPhone.
@ Cuthbert – Lemmings? vs. lemmings who answer to a different iTune.
Only 8 more months til my sprint contract runs out…
My instinct says to stay far away… from Samsung phones and Sprint service.
I wonder if the Instinct users will be able to print their airline boarding passes from their phone.
You have it wrong, it’s the Samsung Extinct!
Good one.
I don’t see how anyone at Apple is afraid of this product.
@tooneth,
Clean your glasses.
This reminds me of the discussions of how the iPhone is just a copy of the LG Prada.
Indeed, this is an attempt to have a knockoff. But if Apple wasn’t so greedy by limiting this wonderful iPhone to just AT&T;, then there wouldn’t be any demand for it all. As much as we like our Mac computers and iMac’s, what if we were were limited in our ability to purchase it and be saddled with exorbitant monthly user fees by the Apple stores? How popular would Macs be then? Their market share would not be growing the way it is.
Considering how substandard the AT&T;network is with regards to scope and coverage… it is amazing that they have sold as many iPhones as they have in this country. There would be no problem with bricked phones if they opened it up to Verizon and the like.
What Rick says is exactly right: Sprint and Verizon are CDMA, and CDMA is arguably a better network than GSM. It is certainly more advanced. They couldn’t switch to GSM even if they wanted to and why should they switch to an inferior system. Do you actually think that either Sprint or Verizon would refuse to carry the iPhone if Apple were to offer it to them? Of course not. So faced with the situation where there is a very popular phone whose manufacturer refuses to allow them to sell, what else can they do other than to try to approximate it as best as they can. FWIW, I’d love to have an iPhone, but I can’t because AT&T;is just impossible for me. Indeed, I’d gladly pay three or four times the cost of an AT&T;iPhone just to get a CDMA version. But I can’t, so in the mean time I have to make do with a regular phone and an iPod Touch. That’s almost as good when I can get WiFi, but I wish I didn’t have to carry two devices. And if I were to buy one of these clones, it wouldn’t be because I was too stupid to realize that I was getting a knock-off, but because Apple forced me to buy the knock-off by refusing to sell me the real deal.
@rick — You make a good point. It would be great if Apple would open up the iPhone to be sold by any viable phone company willing to meet its terms on price and share or recurring revenues. But in Apple’s defense, they started a new revenue model and at the time there were no takers. So they gave ATT the nod if they were willing to take the risk on the phone. Remember, lots could have gone wrong here.
Sure, the Samsung and its ilk (RIM’S Blackberry 9000) may be pale imitations of a better phone – but you have to hand it to Apple, really.
Their first attempt at a mobile phone stunned the entire industry into a frenzy of ‘me too! me too!’ panic. And when those companies talk about their ‘iPhone killers’ it’s as if Apple doesn’t even need to spend a dime advertising the phone – its rivals do that just fine, thank you very much.
Heh heh heh.
http://www.instinct-samsung.com is the best samsung instinct website on the Internet.
it is a nice phone but if it was a little thinner it would be nice and you shouldnt have to have the sprint everything plan to use it you sholud be able to have whatever plan you want
The best samsung instinct fans website is at http://www.instinct-samsung.com check it out folks.
It amazes me how you apple fan boys are quick to label something as a “knockoff”. Last I checked the LG Prada came out before the Iphone, so did the HTC Touch. The Instinct is nothing like like the Iphone, actually I would call that Apple thingy an Ipod-phone, if you take away the phone side (which is crappy) and the browser, what do yo have… an ‘Ipod’.
The Instinct has a true GPS chip with LBS, MMS, video recording, picture mail (you can send & receive pictures and videos). You Apple fan boys were fooled into spending $600 on what is basically an Ipod.
The Instinct is actually smaller than than hard-drive sized Ipod…
http://gizmodo.com/photogallery/instinctlive2
I also just got word that there is nothing special in the Iphone 2.0 firmware update, you fan boys will be disappointed, source; http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/18/iphone-firmware-2-0-hands-on/
Samsung Instinct wins CTIA awards…
http://www.cellphonedigest.net/news/2008/04/the_samsung_instinct_an_iphone.php
I don’t understand why people keep saying that the design of the Iphone is original. First of all the LG Prada came out before the Iphone, and it has a very similiar appearence. It’s really hard to come out with a full Touch Screen phone, without making it that shape or size. I mean come on, there isn’t many options. I’ve actually already used this phone, and I liked it more than the Iphone considering it was a beta version. And i’m not a Iphone hater, I actually was considering changing to At&t;for the Iphone but now I think im going to stay with sprint for this phone. The phone is suppose to be in the 200-250 price range with contract, and so for 50 bucks more i can get an 8gb micro sd. Than i have basically everything the iphone has for 100-200 bucks less. It’s a great phone people just need to be more open, and people need to get there facts straight when they say that everyone is copying the design of the Iphone when LG brought it out first, and im not to sure but I think I heard or saw that the Touch by HTC was announced before the Iphone was. Not sure on that one though.
OK. So all the Apple iPhone users have determined this is a piece of junk. Fine. I get brand loyalty. I’m a hardcore Apple/Mac user since the mid 80s. never even thought of deviating from the enlightened path (I mean that sincerely). And I’ve wanted an iPhone since the day they were announced. I waited with eager anticipation. And then came the stunning disappointment: AT&T;exclusive service.
What a HUGE let down. I am a Sprint user and in my area they offer great service as well as superior coverage to AT&T;. Additionally, all (well, many) of my AT&T;friends have complained about their service. Nonetheless, I was ready to drop Sprint in order to get the iPhone, and sign on with AT&T;. I was ready to suffer inferior service just to have my iPhone…until I heard about the Sprint Instinct.
So I really have no basis of comparing the 2 phones, having neither owned and iPhone or held a Samsung Instinct. But other than you all poo’ing on the Instinct because it’s an obvious attempt to copy Apple, why shouldn’t I buy one and keep the service that has served me well.
If AT&T;has inferior service to Sprint, in my area, then what is your suggestion about the Instinct vs the iPhone, other than piling on the boo-hiss-it’s-an-Apple-wannabe bandwagon.
I have a serious issue/decision to make, and would love some sincere sensible advice. Is the Instinct really a hunk of junk? If so, please explain in terms other than emotion-driven Apple loyalty (which I understand and sympathize with).
Thank You.
so i’m guessing its only SteveJack that credits Apple with inventing the touch screen and everything else is bordering on patent infringement. I’ve never been to this site before, but SteveJack is the epitome of why people hate mac users. He’s clearly well brainwashed into the cult of Mac, and his ramblings reek of FAIL.
What makes this lame is not that it looks similar to the iPhone. What makes it lame is that Samsung is trying to fool people into thinking it works like an iPhone, but in reality it is just a tired old product wrapped in a new package. Just like what Microsoft did with the Zune. What makes it lame is that the company is touting it as an ‘iPhone Killer’. Please. Apple worked on the iPhone for years, and put plenty of sweat and money into developing it.
You know, it doesn’t matter if LG got a phone out the door first. Afterall, if LG’s Prada mattered, then why are there no ‘Prada-killers’ out there?
The simple fact is the iPhone took several technologies and packaged them into a device that has no equal – save the iPhone 3G. (heh)
It’s a fact that after January 9 2007, the cellphone industry went into free fall panic. And the best they can come up with? Half asssed imitations of the iPhone!