Samsung Vs Apple; the Pacquiao-Mayweather of Cell Phones

Two champions are putting on one of the best competitive fights of all time. Unlike Pacquiao and Mayweather, their fight isn’t just in the ring. The battle between Samsung and Apple to dominate the smart phone market is a global fight that has spilled into the courtroom, onto the streets, and back into our pockets. The fight isn’t close to over, and each side is preparing, plotting, scheming for a way to knock the other out for good. Over the last seven years, the two sides have traded jabs, thrown haymakers, and even exchanged head-butts. There is no love lost between the two giants, each fighting for the glory, the money and the right to be called the champion.

The lead was first taken by Apple who came out swinging from the gate and caught Samsung by surprise. Many thought the fight would end quickly as Apple’s I-Phone looked so precise, so fast, and so impressive. Samsung was backed against the ropes and needed to find an answer quickly. Time was running out, the consumer was going to stop the fight. Convinced of its superior design, technique, and overall approach, Apple’s bettors started to count their money, celebrating their great investment. Samsung countered out of know where, reached back and smacked Apple with the Galaxy so hard it made Steve Jobs and the rest of Apple fall to the canvas. After a fast start, Apple found itself dazed and confused, on the mat, asking itself; “Does size really matter?”

With support from of its American fans, Apple got up and readied itself for another round with Samsung. Samsung pummeled Apple in the global markets and took a decisive lead in the fight. With the way things were going, Apple knew it had to reconsider its approach. They had greatly underestimated Samsung, and had suffered severe damage in the process. Even the American strong hold that Apple had built around was losing a significant market share to Samsung. Apple made some adjustments, countered with the I-phone 3 and 4, but found itself retreating, losing to the bigger Samsung. Eventually Samsung evened things up in America, and held a commanding lead overall. Apple needed an answer to the relentless pace of Samsung, or like Blackberry, they too would soon fall victim to the mighty South Korean giant. Apple knew it couldn’t sit back and wait. They were falling further and further behind and needed to do something to swing the momentum back in their favor. It was time to fight dirty.

Apple took Samsung to court for infringing on its intellectual property. The slide to unlock feature was one of the notable design features that was fought over. Samsung saw the tactic and immediately followed course and countersued Apple. After a short amount of time, the fight had spilled into the courts of ten countries with nineteen total cases being fought. Apple won the rulings in the United States while Samsung won in South Korea, Japan, and the UK. The battle got so ferocious that the sides agreed to sign a pact in 2014 that dropped all lawsuits outside the United States because the legal fees became so astronomical. After the dust settled, Apple had won two judgments, one for 119 million, and a second for a billion. Samsung appealed the decisions and the cases are still currently being fought. With the match still in Samsung’s favor, Apple knew it had to do more than stall for time in the court room. To win the fight, Apple had to attack.              

Apple dug deep, focused on the fundamentals, and listened to its consumer coaches on what they should do next. The great American powerhouse had gotten away from what it did best, and let Samsung take the fight to them. In September of 2014, Apple hit Samsung with a quick one-two releasing the I-Phone 6 and 6 plus. Just as Samsung was beginning to take total control, Apple focused on fixing its weaknesses and showed the new phone had better endurance and a higher quality picture than ever before. The option of screen size seemed very effective, and Apple was able to land more and more customers. Apple took back control of the American market, pressed forward, ready to take back the ground it had previously lost to Samsung in the rest of the world. Samsung knew they couldn’t sit back and cover up. The lead they had built could disappear very quickly and they had to counter Apple’s strong advance. Samsung launched the Galaxy S6 hoping it would be enough to stop the damage Apple was inflicting. Samsung was able to stop the bleeding, but after the vicious exchange Apple had pulled neck and neck with Samsung. Both sides are now bloodied, humbled, and ready to fight another round. The I-phone 7 vs the Galaxy 7S is set for the fall of 2016, and until then, both sides will look to score in the trenches to slowly take command of the fight. With no end or winner in site, the championship bout between Apple and Samsung very well may be the fight of the century.