Samsung Wins The Year’s Battle Against Apple

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Samsung is the latest competitor to step up, sword in hand, to try and slay the mighty Apple. The battlefield is mobile phones and the division lines are as fierce as ever, with the two companies known to be bitter rivals. According to the recent reports of most analysts, Samsung has won the latest battle. In 2011, Samsung shipped over 300 million mobile phones, which is more than Apple in overall sales, though the iPhone still continues to sell more than any individual Samsung device. In overall revenue, Samsung has surpassed Apple, a development that has stunned many in the electronics sector.

Analysts have pointed to the Samsung Galaxy S2 as Apple’s major worry. The S and S2 combined sold more than 10 million units this year. Overall the South Korean electronics company sold 27.8 million handheld devices in the third quarter, compared to Apple’s 17.1. Nokia wound up in third place. How has Samsung creeped up on the mobile giant, whose vaunted iOS has captured the imagination and love of the smartphone world for the last many years? Here are the two major reasons why:

1) Samsung offers a price-variety in its lineup of devices, giving it good sales figures across multiple markets. Whereas Apple is pretty much limited to the iPhone 4 and 4S, $100 and $200 respectively, Samsung has carved a respectable name for itself in several price ranges. Not only does it offer the best alternative to the iPhone in the higher-end market, it offers several excellent devices for purchase in the low-end camp. This bodes well during the holiday season and a tough economic stretch in which consumers are looking for deals where they can find them.

2) Apple devotees are waiting until they can switch to the 4S. Many iPhone users will be upgrading eventually but are waiting for a good deal or company discount. This leaves sales slumping, even during the holiday season. Apple also points to security leaks in the release of the 4S as a reason why users have been a bit slower to make upgrades to their handsets.

Samsung’s next release will see the Galaxy Nexus running off the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. Samsung’s partnership with Google has been a major boon for the company, allowing them to brandish a security lock feature that uses the camera’s facial recognition software to unlock the phone. Analysts also claim Samsung’s success testified to the versatility of the Android operating system.