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Samsung Note 4 release timing Fail?

rushmore

rushmore

Extreme Android User
The iPhone 6 is apparently releasing on September 19th. Samsung announced over a month before release. Apple is announcing one week after, but likely releasing at least three weeks before Samsung.

That seems a Charles Barkley level turrible contrast in execution of a launch. Samsung had best hope the 5.5 model is much later.


Added:

That might not seem bad to some folks, but anyone that has been in sales and marketing would appreciate how bad that difference is.
 
I really think the holdup might be the s805 in the note. Remember when the g3 came out and we all assumed it would have this chip, only to find out how far from being ready it was? I think Samsung was hoping it would be ready for mass production sooner than it was. All of the other high end phones announced at ifa are still using the 801 when I'm sure they would be using the 805 if it had been readily available (the z3 is almost the exact same phone as the z2!)
 
Whatever the case, the gap will facilitate more market share going to Apple. This might not be too pretty for Samsung.
 
Well, Apple sheeple don't seem to care much about anything but their iDevices. The entire design of the shuttered ecosystem is to keep people slaved to it and limit their options on devices they can buy (coding for one phone is easier than a hundred variations of phone for example). One can say it is good business for Apple, but overall I don't think its not necessarily good for the consumer. Not that apple consumers would care or notice for the most part - iSheeple. It's the main reason I much prefer android (which happens to now be the worlds most used OS for electronic devices) - flexibility, choices, options and more freedom.
 
Regardless of "Sheeple", "iSheep", or "Samdroids" or whatever. Thing is when Apple launches a new product, they set a date, and that's the date you can go out and buy it, and is widely available. Samsung launches a new phone, and it seems like an indeterminate time, while whatever carriers decide how they want to customise it and what versions they're going to have.
 
Apple rocks as far as launches- no question. Samsung tried to copy the presentation part in their launch last week, but failed very awkwardly. To make it worse, they failed operationally too based on the actual date being at least a month later. Apple is both announcing after and apparently selling BEFORE them. If true- pure nuts and a profound sales killer for Samsung. Apple will KILL the Note 4 if the 5.5" is released first.

Though I have an iPad Air and like it, prepare to be sickened by the media love fest orgy for all things Apple. Starting today.

Samsung had best hope the 5.5" is delayed due to production.
 
I think you're way off the mark thinking Samsung's release date will affect the Note 4's performance in the slightest - especially interjecting the iPhone into that discussion.

As if someone waiting for the iPhone cares about the Galaxy Note 4.

The Android Community does a lot more work making sure people go to the iPhone or stick with it than the release date of a Phone.

Every phone in the Android ecosystem is made to look terrible, by its own community of users, because each set of owners are desperate to justify their purchasing decision/choices. Vendor Wars, I like to call it. When people ask me about phones, 80% of the time they've done a Google Search and seen a lot of negative feedback about Android devices - regardless of which they're looking for.

Apple doesn't have to contend with that kind of infighting. If they search about the iPhone, the Tech Press is more prone to giving glowing reviews because there is only one company producing them (and generally only one flagship being released) and the users have the same tendencies as Android users, so the reviews in forums are typically much better and give the idea of a much higher satisfaction rate to those interested in it.

Releasing the Galaxy Note 4 a month early won't change that. Read the tech blog comments now, and you'll see people are already bashing it because of TouchWiz, Bloat, Cheap Feel, etc. even before they've personally seen it. Don't expect this to stop anytime soon.

Apple basically gets all of their negative advertising (towards basically all Android OEMs) for free.

People who want an iPhone don't want a Note 4, so releasing early won't change that. Those that want a Note 4, will wait for it and buy it when it's release regardless if the iPhone is out on the shelves a couple weeks earlier.

Apple's sales have historically remained strong throughout the entire year, only tapering off noticeably a few months before a new iPhone is released (for obvious reasons). This leads me to think the release date of other phones does not really affect their sales, and likely doesn't affect Samsung's sales (compared to the iPhone).

Also, the performance of flagships like the GS5, G3, M8 compared to what we expect from the iPhone completely throws your theory out of whack, since those phones were released weeks or months ago and their sales still aren't setting records despite being far ahead of the next generation iPhone. The Note 4 more limited in reach than those handsets, due to the form factor being more polarizing and its selling points being more niche than the more "traditional" smartphones that were released earlier this year...

Samsung will face stiffer issues from their last generation Note 3, which is still a REALLY good device, and other Android OEMs than from the iPhone. The devices live in different ecosystems, so at the end of the day, the effect each has on the other isn't as great as you seem to imply or think it is.

The bigger iPhone has more of a chance to pull Android users to iOS than releasing the Note 4 earlier has to pull or persuade [prospective] iOS users to switch to, or stick with Android due to Apple having a stickier ecosystem behind their platforms, with useful services that are largely locked to their platforms.
 
We will agree to disagree. I already noted the Note 4 will be impacted by the Note 3 and also the G3 as well. The big hit will be market share from the 5.5" iPhone. We will let the numbers speak for themselves. If in the next few months Apple touts and Samsung speaks in generalities, that will be all we need to know.

Market share and growth is the most critical marginal impact. Not holding on to current Android owners. The trend will be significantly impacted by these new devices and bolstered by the media love.
 
If you watched Apple's event, then it's an exhibit A on why the iPhone would beat the Note 4 with or without a 5.5" model.

The Galaxy Note 3 never outsold the Galaxy S4 so you're putting way too much emphasis on this one specific device.

iOS users got more options. Good for them.

Even if the iPhone 6 only lanched the 4.7" model, it would have still pulverized the Galaxy Note 4. It has always been that way, even when Samsung had a 4.3" Galaxy S3 and Apple was still stuck at 3.5", the iPhone still pulverized it.

Just cause people want bigger devices, you just assume that the Note would have pulverized the iPhone if they hadn't launched a 5.5" phone? All they did was give their users and prospective users more options. Yes, users go from one platform to the other either way, but Samsung's brand loyalty is not on the level of Apple and they don't have the "us and us alone" advantage, which is a huge one, that Apple has in its own ecosystem.

You keep speaking as if iOS users are going to defect Apple for a bigger screen ANDROID phone, which has historically not been the case. The two ecosystems are *not* interchangeable and there is a significant quality/attention to details disparity between the two platforms and ecosystems, generally speaking. It's not as cut and dry as "oh shit, the Note is done... Apple just released a 5.5" phone."

If that was the case, then the One Maxx and several other BIG phones would have already killed the Note Line off with their even bigger screens and lower prices... No?
 
I can't speak for others but I do know this time last year timing was everything for me.
I needed a larger screen, period. I was an iphone user for about 5 years. I was happy with the operating system because I didn't know what I was missing.
Bottom line---If the 5.5" iphone was going to be introduced this time last year, I never would have gone with the N3.
Now I wouldn't give up my N3 for a free 5.5" iphone.
 
Sorry, but still see Note 4 sales being bad (compared to Note 3) due to the Note 3, G3 and especially the 5.5" iPhone. It is going to be crazy, sold out, love fest bigger than last year and will absolutely hurt Note 4 sales. Especially being available about one month before the Note 4 (mid October?).

Weight of hurt: Updated the weight.

Note 3 = 20%
G3 = 30%
i6 = 50%

JMO, put the Note 4 was poorly timed in relation to the one thing they could control some against- the iPhone 6. Respectfully, one needs to appreciate how significant the marketshare impact is for that long.

Note 4s only chance to spare a worse sales debacle is a supply shortage of the 5.5" model.

Added: That might not help either. By the time the Note 4 releases second supply of 5.5" iPhone will be in place. After that, customers will just wait for the iPhone 5.5" due to the crazy great reviews. Consumers jumping to a bigger device will adopt the 5.5" big time.

Not long to find out if wrong ;)

Maybe I will luck out on eBay and get a Note 4 when somebody decides to get the super amazing iPhone 6 afterwards! :) ;) You know it will happen. Reviewers have probably already done their reviews- without even having a device to test.
 
That doesn't make much sense.

People are going into panick mode because Samsung's sales are dropping and then they put all their hope in the Note 4.

We all know that even without a 5.5" iPhone, it would have been lines around the corner and a non-trivial amount of Android users would have jumped on that 4.7" iPhone like white on rice. There are already enough Android users that are frustrated that most OEMs don't even thinking about launching a proper flagship at that screen size...

The differentiator between Android and iOS never was the screen size. There are enough iOS users out in the world that we should all know why they stay so loyal to Apple, and why Android users are much more likely to OEM hop (or hop to another platform) than Apple users are to leave that ecosystem.

I'm double fisting an M8 and a Note 3 right now and under the skin they're still practically interchangeable.

Google, their services, their business model, their priorities, and the speed at which they innovate/adjust on Android is the reason why I consider getting the iPhone 6 (4.7", coming from bigger phones mind you). Not the fact that they released a 5.5" phone (I'm not paying $920 or so, after taxes, for a phone and a 16GB Phone is out of the question).

Apple's users will buy whatever they put out, and they always drag enough people with them due to the value that exists WITHIN that ecosystem.

When Google can eliminate that disparity, you won't have to sit there wondering if "a bigger iPhone" is going to doom the Note 4. When Android developers start to generally care about design, performance, support, and utilizing platform affordances as much as iOS developers, etc... Then the grass will not look so green on that side of the bridge.

The Note 4 at this point isn't anything special in terms of screen size. 5.5" phones are aplenty - some way cheaper than the Note, and 0.2 inches on top of that is ignorable. You can get a better camera with OIS in other, cheaper phones with 5.5" or bigger screens. The reason why the Note has been able to best other "Phablets" is due to the Digitizer + S Pen, it's position as a productivity device, and it being a Samsung device; with Samsung's marketing muscle behind it.

Take away the S Pen and Digitizer, and the Note is nothing more than the Galaxy S5 "Plus" - complete with TouchWiz's bad rep and the hoards of posters who bash it on the internet.
 
AnonGuy said:
That doesn't make much sense.

People are going into panick mode because Samsung's sales are dropping and then they put all their hope in the Note 4.

We all know that even without a 5.5" iPhone, it would have been lines around the corner and a non-trivial amount of Android users would have jumped on that 4.7" iPhone like white on rice. There are already enough Android users that are frustrated that most OEMs don't even thinking about launching a proper flagship at that screen size...

The differentiator between Android and iOS never was the screen size. There are enough iOS users out in the world that we should all know why they stay so loyal to Apple, and why Android users are much more likely to OEM hop (or hop to another platform) than Apple users are to leave that ecosystem.

I'm double fisting an M8 and a Note 3 right now and under the skin they're still practically interchangeable.

Google, their services, their business model, their priorities, and the speed at which they innovate/adjust on Android is the reason why I consider getting the iPhone 6 (4.7", coming from bigger phones mind you). Not the fact that they released a 5.5" phone (I'm not paying $920 or so, after taxes, for a phone and a 16GB Phone is out of the question).

Apple's users will buy whatever they put out, and they always drag enough people with them due to the value that exists WITHIN that ecosystem.

When Google can eliminate that disparity, you won't have to sit there wondering if "a bigger iPhone" is going to doom the Note 4. When Android developers start to generally care about design, performance, support, and utilizing platform affordances as much as iOS developers, etc... Then the grass will not look so green on that side of the bridge.

The Note 4 at this point isn't anything special in terms of screen size. 5.5" phones are aplenty - some way cheaper than the Note, and 0.2 inches on top of that is ignorable. You can get a better camera with OIS in other, cheaper phones with 5.5" or bigger screens. The reason why the Note has been able to best other "Phablets" is due to the Digitizer + S Pen, it's position as a productivity device, and it being a Samsung device; with Samsung's marketing muscle behind it.

Take away the S Pen and Digitizer, and the Note is nothing more than the Galaxy S5 "Plus" - complete with TouchWiz's bad rep and the hoards of posters who bash it on the internet.
Click to expand...

Agreed on the S pen and that could be about mainly the only folks that get it. I will patiently wait for a good deal N4 on eBay :) ;)

We shall see on sales. If Samsung is not touting like they do when sales are good, we will know. Samsung has yet to be press shy if a device is a success and quite the opposite if not.

As far as the survey on who actually uses the S-Pen, wasn't it some lower number like less than 40% of owners? Anybody have a link? Point being not all flock to the Note for the S pen. They want the big a$$ display.

Added: I was joking about eBay, but it actually makes some likely sense...
 
As far as the survey on who actually uses the S-Pen, wasn't it some lower number like less than 40% of owners? Anybody have a link? Point being not all flock to the Note for the S pen. They want the big a$$ display.
Click to expand...
Which is exactly my point.

Many just blindly buy the high spec device from the most reputable vendor.

Users who gravitate towards the iPhone tend to look a bit deeper.

The "Phablet" landscape looks different now than it did a year ago, and especially two or three years ago, as well. There is a lot more competition within the Android ecosystem at the 5.5"+ screen size for phones. So, while before users had less choice for a decent flagship with a very large screen - even those that would never go to iOS - now they have a plethora of them. So that will bite into Samsung's slice of the market pie a lot as well.

Especially in price sensitive markets, where the choice between something like the Galaxy Note 4 and the OnePlus One is an economic no brainer.
 
Even if Samsung announced a short release date they can't compete with Apple due to Apple's current deity status. In the UK, the press were unashamedly worshipping at the alter of Apple, and the Note 4 was bearly mentioned.

Apple launches are now akin to the build up to Christmas....who would have believed that people would applaud and give a standing ovation for a watch and phone.

Sammy will have to step up as Anon Guy quite rightly states,there are now a whole host of 5"+ devices to choose from.

I will get the Note 4 simply because I love the Note range and my previous Note phones(1 and 2) have been brilliant, plus I'm due for an upgrade:D

The burning question for me is.... will I get the Note 5? I won't if Sammy doesn't make significant steps in improving audio , low light camera functions , battery and internal storage.

Phone Wars has got interesting again.
 
I believe it is a fail. People like myself, who just want a bigger phone, that are on the fence, that don't really care what OS their phone is running on and have to make a decision quickly about what to get are in a pickle. My wifes phone has be broke for 2 months, our upgrade status just became eligible this month, she wants her phone now right now but we are also changing plans and have to do so at the same time. I really like what I've seen of the Note 4 and would love to have one, but with the announcement of the iphon6 plus and it's "release" date next week (mind you I've never owned and iPhone however my daughter has one) I'm at a crossroads of, who cares I'll just pick up the iPhone 6 plus. I don't know what I should do, I've even contemplated picking up the note 3, heck it blows my S3 out of the water I think. I even thought about picking up the note 3 then returning it once the note 4 release date is known... hoping that happens in the next two weeks.

For those on the fence, it is a HUGE deal, so yes the timing is fail. Put it to you this way if the Note 4 was available for pre-order today I would pre-order it over the iphone 6 plus, due to timing I may be pre-ordering the 6 plus and not the Note 4 and I'm not the only one on the fence
 
Samsung is going to take a huge phablet marketshare hit and will be worse, each week of availability gap.

The only help is if the 5.5" has more than expected supply shortages.
 
To me a phablet is more than a huge phone. I have a DNA with 5" screen and don't consider it the same thing as a phablet (Note). I put the iPhone with phones. Should there be a reason to think otherwise?

EDIT: Just noticed in a news blurb that the iPhone Plus is sold out but won't ship for another four weeks. So technically most that want a Note will have it in hand before the Plus "owners".
 
That sounds very unApple though, so seems odd info unless orders were so crazy huge it caused a back log.

Perhaps that is for later orders amongst the millions that preordered. This would actually seem like worse news if so for Samsung.
 
Don't really care about marketshare, I have no vested interest in any of these companies and find it pretty amusing that users discuss it like a small percentage swing in either direction is going to have any kind of impact on our lives or the release future devices.

But I do think Samsung have peeked, most of it is due to pressure from other Android manufactures and very little to do with Apple.

Only thing I like about the iPhone 6 is the A8, nothing else about it interests me.
 
Timing is indeed an important element in sales circa 2014. It's a serious mistake to think it's not. As far as the actual impact only time will tell, yet that said I do think Samsung missed a golden opportunity to gain an advantage over Apple.

Although credited with every success at Apple, Steve Jobs true skill was being a great salesperson and strategist. He created, nurtured and grew Apple's cult like following. He also developed relationships highly favorable to Apple with high profile journalists and bloggers. Of particular value is the developed strategic alliance with Walt Mossberg, David Pogue and Kara Swisher.

Fast forward to the present, it's the strength of the brand and Apple logo along with the made up labels like "focus pixels" that sucks in the customer. Their is no such thing as a focus pixel, yet people believe anything Apple says. The iPhone 6 is the only phone with focus pixels... I'm nearly speechless in disgust.
 
Focus Pixels are no different than ISOCELL or Super AMOLED to be quite frank. All OEMs do that. UltraPixels, ClearPixel, S Pen (it's just a stylus...). The list goes on. Android vendors invent terms for their tech just as much. I'm pretty much immune to that at this point.

Just show me the screen and I'll decide if it's good enough for me
 
Also, Samsung got their fair share of good press, but I think the bloated up Galaxy S4 was the beginning of the end of that for then.

They absolutely turned a lot of people off with that phone despite its high sales, and the S5's disappointment is part of the result of that.
 
What you guys forget is that when Samsung release a Galaxy S or Note they do a huge global release in all continental regions: Middle-East, Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific and North America on the same day, whereas iPhone is select countries step by step.

Someone in my office also said it may be due to the NVidia lawsuit.
 
Apple's Law Suits never stopped Samsung from releasing/launching phones, so I doubt the NVidia lawsuit would change that. They should be used to operating in that type of environment by now...

Apple doesn't need to release in all places at once because they're pretty confident that their users will ignore competing devices to wait for theirs, and that assumption has played in their favor for years now. Why should they think otherwise now? Their sales of iPhones has never dropped or even stagnated, yet, and it doesn't seem like this one will be the beginning of the end for then given the pre-order demand already putting the devices on back order for weeks.
 
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