Over 40 million Samsung Galaxy S3 handsets have been sold globally, and the device was voted the number one smartphone of 2012. The brand's much-hyped Galaxy S4 is already expected to secure the same title in 2013.
On the back of the South African launch of the Galaxy S4, Samsung's Craige Fleischer sat down with ITWeb to discuss Samsung's innovation strategy.
According to Fleischer, the consumer electronics brand is constantly in a state of flux, creating chaos within its own environment to ensure it is always changing the way it does things. "To quote the old adage, 'if you do what you've always done, you get what you've always got'.
"At Samsung, we are always looking to innovate," Fleischer said. "We keep looking to push that envelope. We have been successful thus far because each handset allows us to better understand the market in which we operate and what our customers want."
Fleischer noted that this innovation is not just about hardware anymore; consumers want features and propositions that will add value to their lives. "In line with this, we at Samsung are always looking to develop localised, relevant applications and ecosystems." One such value proposition that will follow the S4 launch is a range of accessories that link to specific applications - termed "app-cesories". This kind of technology will be used to measure the wearer's biorhythms or heartbeat, for example, linking directly to their S4s, said Fleischer, describing these as precursors to wearable devices.
Value adds
Samsung's new Accidental Damage from Handling (ADH) policy was one of the big announcements at the Galaxy S4 launch last week. The policy will see the brand offering consumers a 24-month warranty to cover screen and liquid damage to their Galaxy S4 handsets, for a maximum of two incidents, at no extra charge.
"Accidents do happen," he said, adding that this facility also showcases Samsung's service offering. "If you arrive at one of our service centres and there is no queue, it will take just six minutes to replace a damaged screen. We have the infrastructure and the environment to provide this type of support."
Samsung has never looked at the market with a "one-size-fits-all" mentality, offering various processors, screen sizes and operating systems that talk to various market demographics, said Fleischer. Within Africa, Samsung has partnered with Blue Financial Services to provide a monthly instalment plan for consumers who would otherwise be unable to afford the handset.
According to Fleischer, the launch of the Galaxy S4 with the brand's Knox security technology marks Samsung's entry into the BYOD environment. "We are giving IT managers and CIOs what they require by allowing them to control corporate information and keep that information secure, but also giving consumers their own personal space on the handset."
Fleischer strongly disagrees with those who believe the mobile device market has hit an innovation ceiling. "Many thought we could not top some of the offerings on the S3, but when you look at the feature sets that we have launched on the S4, I would say we certainly have done this," he said. "The innovation ceiling is a glass one that we break through every time we bring a new device to the market. I guess people will have to just wait for the next Galaxy device to see if we really have reached such a ceiling, and I think they will find that we certainly have not."
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