14th March had marked the unveiling of Samsung Galaxy S4. Samsung left no stone unturned. They did everything possible under the sun, to make this revelation of S4 a success. And what a magnificent opening it was!
Amidst all the hype LG decides to play a cheeky yet clever joke at their arch rivals. It so happens that for the past 20 years, LG owns a billboard at Times Square, which was the venue for the unveiling of S4. Interestingly, LG’s billboard to advertise their product was right above Samsung’s. If you thought it ended there, think again.
The hoarding for S4 read “Be ready 4 the Next Galaxy”. LG played smartly with the number 4 and hence their tagline reads:-“LG Optimus G is here 4 you now”. What got the shutterbugs talking is the fact that LG Optimus G is yet to make it’s stateside.
LG is not the only one envious of Samsung’s growing market base. Apple has become very suspicious too. Apple’s head of marketing Phil Schiller in an interview last year had said that the Galaxy S4 was likely to ship on old software that would frustrate the users. At the unveiling we heard that S4 is using an OS that is nearly a year old.
Google also played their part in disrupting the publicity of S4. The announcement of Andy Rubin (head of Android department) quitting was done on the same day as that of release of S4. Also, it is believed that soon enough Samsung will be manufacturing phones with Windows 8 and Tizen. This seems to be a reason stress between Google and Samsung, as Samsung is the biggest seller of Android phones.
At the launch of S4, HTC’s ‘street team’ was also seen. This team was seen handing out snacks, but the main motive behind this was to give the world a sneak peek into HTC One Phone. HTC President Jason Mackenzie told that the event was “a good opportunity to let people compare real-time. We want to seize the opportunity to get it into as many hands as possible.”
Samsung is estimated to have shipped 64 million smartphones in 2012. The Galaxy S3 — hit 40 million channel sales in just seven months and the firm topped global handset charts. With these figures, it is no surprise that the other company’s feel insecure and had to bow down to such gimmicks.