It looks like Samsung is after market share just as much as after profit margin.
And having gazillion models of everything helps to avoid cannibalization...
Difficult to say where all this is going, but I do feel we're now slipping into a technological lull. The iPad was pretty much the last major consumer electronics breakthrough we've had. Everything being made now is just a minor point upgrade of the last device, or in some cases a product downgrade such as the iPhone 5 de-evolving into the iPhone 5C.
Here are my predictions for 2014, partially based on past events, and on what I've seen coming out of the CES.
- Apple will continue its downward spiral into a non-innovative black hole.
- Android will continue to improve in the software department, but will not create anything significantly new.
- GoogleTV will die completely. At least I hope it does! What a piece of crap!
- Windows 8 will continue to be the most widely distributed and most hated PC based OS. Expect to see some hoarding of Windows 7 licenses.
- 3D TV will vanish for another 10 years (thankfully). 3D printers however will grow in popularity, mainly in the production of sex toys at home.
- Smart watches will continue to try and find their place in the market. It's still a solution in search of a problem.
- Phones and tablets will reach a saturation point where new devices are purchased only to replace broken devices out of warranty.
- 4K will only become significant for content producers and camera manufacturers where working with higher resolution masters ensures your 1080p broadcast material will look simply stunning. GoPro could make a killing here.
- The market for self-driving cars will crash as fast as the cars themselves.
- Electric cars will continue to be an overpriced niche product for as long as it still takes 12 hours to "fill up the tank."
By the time the infringement case of the Galaxy S3 gets underway, the Galaxy S5 will be on sale. Two generations behind.
Why bother. If really needed to fill the void, release an S5 mini (what they did with S4 mini replacing banned S2).
The injunction would have been practically worthless at this point....the legal process is far longer than the product life cycle!
I don't believe Samsung has any grounds to appeal, since they admitted guilt. That admission also implies they must simply pay royalties going forward, thus avoiding legal challenges.
I don't believe Samsung has any grounds to appeal, since they admitted guilt. That admission also implies they must simply pay royalties going forward...
Nice business model: just sue a successful product!
Microsoft makes more off of Android (~$2B) than Windows Phone.
But it doesn't always work: Oracle vs. Google (Java); SCO vs.IBM (Linux)...
I predict Apple will fall hard. New iPhones fail to impress and the lucrative North America continues to abandon it for Android. Apple enters 2015 with their stock down below $300.
Looks like this one is going to come true... with the stock well over $500 (for some time now), Apple has announced a 7 to 1 stock split. So, I'm guessing it should still be under $300 by the time 2015 roles around.
Lots of links have been posted in this thread so far, yet nobody has linked to the most accurate mobile phone industry forecaster ever, who has pwned all other predictors for years! Industry insider, Oxford University lecturer, ranked by Forbes Magazine as the #1 most influential mobile phone industry authority:
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