There’s no negotiation with Apple: mobile chief


BARCELONA, Spain ― Samsung Electronics became the No. 1 smartphone maker for the first time last year, selling more than 17 million units globally.

The company also sold a record 330 million handsets during the year.

This year Samsung is aiming even higher, at doubling the sales target for its mobile devices. And the key strategy behind the goal is appealing to consumers with emotional marketing.

“Cellphones are not just mobile devices but also have become an essential part of our lives,” Shin Jong-kyun, president of information technology and mobile communications at Samsung, said during a press conference here on Sunday.

“User experience is more and more important. Now the key point must be delivering an extraordinary experience that makes our everyday life more special.”

What may best represent the company’s new slogan is its latest product Galaxy Note 5.3, whose signature stylus S Pen allows users to turn to the analogue feeling of writing on paper.

Upbeat about the global success of the 5-inch Note, Samsung on Monday unveiled its tablet PC version, the Galaxy Note 10.1 at the Mobile World Congress in this Spanish city. 

“Since the global launch in October, the Note phone has sold more than 1 million units around the world. We predict the sales number could reach 10 million by the end of this year,” Shin said.

According to Samsung, the tablet version features new functions that maximize the usage of the S Pen.

Multi-tasking is possible on the new Note so that users can take a note or edit a photograph while Web browsing or watching a video. For the Note consumers, the Adobe Photoshop program is offered free of charge.

Educational support has also been strengthened. Note templates come in diverse types to make it possible customizing one’s own notebook. The memo pad also converses hand-written numerical expressions into computerized formula.

When he was alive, late Steve Jobs, former Apple CEO, had expressed skepticism about stylus, saying people have already 10 styluses (fingers).

Shin, however, had no doubts about the unique experience of using the S Pen.

“We would develop more creative services using the S Pen. The demand is enough. We just need to make it more precise,” he said.

Samsung also introduced the Galaxy Beam, the world’s slimmest projector phone, which produces a projection screen of up to 50 inches. In the ads that were unveiled, a family shares their photos and videos by shooting the beam on the wall, while a group of friends watch a movie while camping in the woods.

“Samsung has now entered a group of leading companies that create a global trend. We have a responsibility to develop creative products such as the Note,” he said.

Asked about the widening legal disputes with Apple, Shin made it clear that the company will continue with their efforts, saying “There is no room for negotiation.”

By Lee Ji-yoon, Korea Herald correspondent
(jylee@heraldcorp.com)