Samsung?s staring down the barrel of oblivion as it searches for answers to its ever-slipping grip on the mobile market. There?s one week to go before Samsung pins its hopes on the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+: but will it be enough?
The smartphone market has changed dramatically since 2011, when Samsung was the exciting ?new kid on the block.? Now, it seems, Samsung?s ?Next Big Thing? campaign in 2011, which propelled the company?s Galaxy S2 into the hearts and minds of many Android users looking for an iPhone killer, was the company?s moment in the sun.
It grew from there, hitting higher and higher numbers of sales and profits up until that pesky third quarter in 2013 ? when things took a turn for the worse. The tumble in profits continued into 2015, with Samsung confirming last week?s worse-than-expected quarterly results. As the quality of Samsung?s smartphones increased, its profits hit a negative spiral. Its crown has been passed on to new upstarts, like OnePlus and Xiaomi.
Where did it all go wrong? You could point to the poorly received Galaxy S5, some questionable launch adverts and a resurgent Apple. Business Insider?s Steve Kovach also tells a fascinating story about infighting between Samsung?s Korean and US division (which I highly recommend you read), that led to the super successful ?Next Big Thing? not being adopted by other territories, and Samsung failing to capitalise on its brief runaway success.
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But there?s a bigger problem looming that?s not easily fixed with a company bonding weekend, or a (slightly) more attractive new phablet. The rapid growth of small manufacturers who produce low-cost ? high-quality- Android phones. An ever decreasing cost of materials, clever marketing (such as invite-only purchase systems) and turnkey deals have combined to create a nasty thorn in the side of the Android?s biggest behemoths.
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