MacDailyNews Take: Uh, yeah, okay. Whatever.
Hurst continues, “The Korean manufacturer is currently the world’s second largest producer of mobile phones – behind Nokia – but wants a larger share of the rapidly expanding smartphone market, which is dominated by Apple’s iPhone. When Apple launched its 3G iPhone in 2008, the American computer giant redefined the mobile phone. No longer simply a device for sending texts and making calls – the smartphone incorporated media players, the internet and sparked a trend creating hundreds of thousands of software applications – or apps – written by third party programmers.”
“Significantly, the Wave is the first handset to run Samsung’s new open source operating system (OS) Bada and features an iTunes-style apps store for downloading games, mapping, eBooks and lifestyle applications,” Hurst reports. “Bada, which means ocean in Korean, is the latest mobile phone OS to be launched in an increasingly congested market… Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile, Blackberry’s RIM and the class leading open-source Symbian OS.”
MacDailyNews Take: Add Microsoft’s “Windows Phone 7 Series” and Nokia+Intel’s “MeeGo” to the pile. And the only class Symbian could lead is Special Ed.
Hurst continues, “Because the Wave is expected to undercut the iPhone’s retail price, industry experts reckon the new pretender could steal a march on Apple. Ernest Doku, mobile phone guru at Omio.com, said: ‘Samsung’s Bada OS brings smartphone technology to the masses, enabling entry level handsets to offer apps, multimedia and a touchscreen experience comparable to high end devices. He added: ‘With handsets like the Wave, Samsung is providing an affordable alternative to the traditional smartphone, offering what consumers have come to expect in a phone – browsing, social networking support and an app store – at a fraction of the price.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Listen, Ernie, that line of “thinking” only offered a whiff of plausibility when the iPhone retailed for US$599. It fails utterly with Apple having had $99 models on the market for quite some time now, Mr. Guru. Sheesh.
Hurst continues, “The handset arrives in the UK in April. No official price has been announced.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: YAMOS. Every time a new mobile OS is announced an iPhone gets its wings. Once again: Stuffing the marketplace full of superfluity only benefits Apple.
Flooding the market with indistinguishable choices merely benefits the market leader. When a consumer is presented with that many options, their brain tends to shut down and go for the “sure thing”, the trusted name.
——RM
At Microsoft, there are a whole lot of people carrying around iPhones. You see white earbuds everywhere, and I have yet to see an actual Zune outside the company store.
As in, “I bada dud.”
Today’s flood of info about mobile devices and such has been a real eye opener.
Now I understand the iPad announcement a bit better.
We were given a little peek at the iPad with iPhone OS 3. That’s where the puck is right now, go ahead all you Bada people skate to that.
The real question is what is the iPad with the new OS 4?
We have not seen anything yet.
Good point, never thought of it like that. While apple’s products are phenomenal, their mind games are even better.
I had to stand in line at the local AT&T;store for about an hour Friday afternoon to get a SIM replaced on my iPhone and had plenty of time to check out what people were there for. It was iPhone, iPhone, iPhone and iPhone- nothing else.
Nobody was signing up for DSL or satellite TV or whatever. It was all people buying iPhones or upgrading them. What does that tell you?
Does anybody think for a skinny NY minute that people would stand in line for any of the iPhone’s current or future competitors? I don’t think so.
It’s funny how simplicity is winning out in an over complicated world. Apple has everyone on the edge of their seats waiting for 4.0 and what it’s going to bring to the table.
It’s actually quite funny to watch how android users there are and each one is showing which version of droid they are using and what apps each can’t buy because their phone is up to date.
So, they want to be the White Front of phones when Apple already has that base covered?
For those too young to remember White Front (you can google it) insert Wal-Mart, or flea market, or whatever.
Apple’s absence from the Korean market was amusing as Samsung and LG took the 2 1/2 years to morph their phones into iPhone-esque gadgets… However, they are realizing that copying the hardware, design aesthetics of the device or even UI alone does not make an iPhone. I believe Samsung is realizing they need to ape the entire apple experience– the iTunes music, podcast, video & iApp store. They are trying to (re-)create a seamless and simple OS and it is ironic to see that Windows has done a much better job then Samsung in the interim… I
Ben Hurst. Another clueless asshat who doesn’t know a pen from his anal sphincter.
korea may not be so safe from iphone as samsung may think:
http://www.businessinsider.com/south-korean-sausage-sales-surge-as-people-use-them-for-iphone-styluses-2010-2
all this late entry may have worked in 2007, but the world has changed since iphone’s introduction. apple has had a way of doing that lately. now all of these have a bar to go over. not going to be easy. it helps apple that there will be mass copying. just adds confusion. they did not fumble the ball when they had the clean air. now they can just stay ahead of the pack.
brings to mind the saying “if you’re not the lead dog, the views the same”.
“they did not fumble the ball when they had the clean air. now they can just stay ahead of the pack.”
What does clean air mean in this context?
This Bada thing is a noble try by a company that is desperate to get into the lucrative smartphone game, but as many have stated here it is a lot harder said than done, and all the iPhone clones cluttering the market only serve to make the iPhone stand out more from the pack. The curse of too many choices makes the leader stand out more from Brand X.
I think it’s a gooda idea. But then I’m-a Italian.
Actually it’s
Bada Bing
Bada Boom
Bada Bomb.
But actually Samsung make an above average phone.
the Samsung stock price went up and the dopes on CNBC were touting ‘bada’… guys… get real..
The $99 iPhone has still failed to materialise in the UK, where sign-ups are still having to pay £30 per month for two years for even a 3G model.
If this is at a tenner a month, and little Timmy can use his pre-pay credit to buy cheap and cheerful apps off bada, it may carve a mass Market niche for itself. With handsets like the Pop and Cookie moving millions in mere months, that captive audience is comparable to the iPhone’s reach.
Apple fanboys may spend any amount of money to get an iPhone, but the real impulse purchasers and pester power victims baulk at that price tag.
It probably won’t do anything to undermine Apple’s unassailable position in the app business at large, but bada’s a far cheaper alternative, and taking some of that mass market money is what Samsung does best.
And THAT’S why they called me a guru.