Apple VS Samsung: who could triumph the battle in term of brand?

Why do people wish to earn more money in the era of innovative technology? Money is an important element that lets people pursue the enjoyment of materialism. Nowadays, many people like to buy Smartphone, tablet and laptop to fulfill their own personal desires. Although these products are necessities to them, they prefer to buy the most famous brands such as Apple, Samsung and High Tech Computer (HTC) products. This is because it makes them feel that they are in sense of the top trends. Also, they will feel proud of themselves as being a part of the world of materialism. For example, holding an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy in front of their friends will give them more confidence and satisfaction.

            In the information technology (IT) industry, the biggest and most valuable brands for electronic products are Apple and Samsung. Apple is an American transnational corporation based in Cupertino, California (CNNMoney 2012). It manufactures and sells computer software and hardware, personal computers as well as mobile communication devices. Such popular hardware products include iPhone Smartphones, iPod music players, iPad tablets and the Mac line of desktop and laptop. Its software applications consist of the iOS and OS X operating systems, Safari web browser, iCloud, iTunes, iLife and iWork productivity professional suite (Reuters 2013). On the contrary, Samsung is one of the largest multinational conglomerates based in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung Electronics is a well-known subsidiary as it is the largest IT Company in the world. Samsung Electronics engages in information technology & mobile communications (IM) businesses as well as semiconductor and liquid crystal display (LCD) businesses. Its IM businesses are involved in the field of Smartphone, computer, printer and network system while its semiconductor and LCD businesses engage in the field of system large scale integrated circuits (LSIs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and others (Reuters 2013).

            Nowadays, Smartphone has a lot of advantageous features to us. It takes the role of a computer as it is used in sharing information, shopping, sending and receiving emails and many other features. Do you prefer an Apple or Samsung Smartphone? Basically, you will definitely choose the particular Smartphone which depends on its renowned brand. The Brand Key national survey for Smartphone has shown that Apple ranked No. 1 in the Smartphone category, and then followed by Samsung based on their mobile devices’ design and performance (Al-azzawi & NzubeEzeh 2012). Hence, I believe that the market value of Apple is higher than Samsung as it produces excellent performance on its system as well as boasting a trendy and attractable design. Also, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) has clarified the retention rate of Apple consumer to be 42%, but Samsung’s consumer retention rate is only 38% in 2013 (Jones 2013). It clearly reveals that Apple consumers have higher satisfaction and loyalty on its product as it presents a reliable and trustworthy image for the public.

            In addition, Apple is a company that owns strong brand awareness. This is because its logo design looks simple and smart which makes the brand easier to be remembered by the public. Pomoni (cited in Al-azzawi & NzubeEzeh 2012, p. 29) states that it is also estimated that nearly 90% of consumers are aware of the Apple brand as its logo is placed in an effective and visible position. In contrast, Samsung’s logo creates a sense of dynamic tension as its brand’s name “SAMSUNG” flashes out from its figure (Al-azzawi & NzubeEzeh2012). As compared to Apple, the logo’s shape of an apple is deeply connected to its name. However, Samsung’s logo is only portrayed in the word form. In my opinion, Apple provides an image that lets its users to visualize, yet Samsung offers a type font which may be more difficult to get the public’s attention. This is because people will better remember an image over a word. The colour choice of a logo is also an important way for public to remember the brand. The silver colour of Apple’s logo presents the sense of high class and trendiness than the blue of Samsung’s logo. Thus, Apple gains more brand awareness than Samsung as its logo is overall, a simpler recognition to the public. Furthermore, according to a study of the Top 100 brands by Interbrand Corp, Apple is the top global brand in 2013 (Molina 2013). It has defeated Coca-Cola, which held on to the No.1 brand in the past 13 years. Samsung only ranked No. 8, which is seven spots below Apple. However, the Smartphone sales of Samsung have increased 63 million in 2012 as nearly double Apple’s Smartphone sales (Shaughnessy 2013). Although the market share of Apple is less than Samsung, Apple still has its own potential strength to become the leader of the brand as it surpassed the biggest brand Coca-Cola. It is a good future for Apple as the leading line in the world. Hence, Samsung will face challenges from Apple in a long run.

            Other than that, Apple is better than Samsung because of its functionality of mobile operating system. Apple uses iOS whereas Samsung uses Android. Apple has its own Internet browser such as the Safari that is better than Samsung, which uses Google Chrome. This is because Safari only shows the article’s text and images while removing all redundant content from a web page which is more legible (PhoneArena.com 2013). Also, Apple’s iOS upgrade is available for all iOS mobile devices except for certain features such as the Siri, which is only available for iPhone 4S and above, but not older versions of iPhone. However, Samsung relies on Google’s Android that is not as convenient and useful as Apple. Although Google updates Android regularly, some consumers may not receive the updates on their phones. Even if they receive the updated version, it normally takes a few months after its release to update their phones (diffen 2013). In other words, the waiting period for Android’s software upgrade is quite long as compared to iOS upgrade, which is much more immediate and efficient. If you are one of the people who get tired waiting for its software upgrade even though it has been launched several months back, then this is one reason that public prefer Apple over Samsung.

Recently, Apple has launched the latest mobile iOS7. According to the user experience report, iOS 7 has outperformed Android in terms of efficiency, cognitive load, customization and experience fiction. iOS 7 gained a well score of 73.25% while Android received a score of 57.25% in user experience report (Bean 2013). Also, iOS 7 has some unique features that attract public attention. iOS 7 does not restrict its users in the number of apps in a folder as compared to Android 4.3 which canonly place a maximum of 16 apps per folder. In my own view, this is clearly more convenient especially for businessmen as they can put as many documents as they want in a folder. Also, the iOS 7 automatically adjusts the text colour on screen according to the choice of wallpaper. For instance, if the wallpaper is dark coloured, the text will appear brighter. In contrast, Android 4.3 has a shadow under the apps’ names, making the text less legible as compared to iOS 7 (PhoneArena.com 2013). Therefore, I think that iOS 7 is a strong tool that enhances the image of Apple. Further to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), Apple has successfully switched 20% of Android users to its brand but Samsung only managed to convert 7% of iOS users (Jones 2013). This clearly signifies how Apple brand is becoming more popular among the public.

If there is one thing that will make your businesses successful in the long run, it is to create a premium brand that is unique for public. Apple does a better job as it has created a well-known brand that embodies innovative technology and high price products (Marketing Minds cited in Al-azzawi & NzubeEzeh 2012, p. 34). The Apple brand personality is a stylish company which offers a heartfelt connection with its consumers as well as integrates their aspirations into a liberty lifestyle. In the other way, Samsung places its devices as designed for human and accomplish anything you need (Culturaltraction 2013). So, both of the brands are to improve human’s lifestyle in a technology way.  However, the different branding strategies used by Apple and Samsung are the main elements that help them step into success. Apple uses the branding strategy as less is precious whereas Samsung uses the branding strategy as more is to flood the zone (Farber 2013). Apple offers limited range of mobile devices at a higher price. For example, it is only available in black and white iPhone with similar design and pricing. Nonetheless, Samsung provides a broader range of mobile devices in term of features, colours, design and prices for customers. For instance, there are Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Mega and others in order to target different range of customers. Generally, I believe people will choose iPhone as Apple only offers limited version of Smartphone in a top price. It makes the iPhone appear very high class and valuable than other brands. However, Samsung’s strategy has made its brand less prestigious as it provides too many choices of Smartphone. People do not know which types of Smartphone are suitable for them. Although Apple has released the latest version of iPhone 5c to target cost-conscious buyers, the price is still considered high as compared to other brands. Hence, Apple uses a smart strategy as it only focuses on a limited style of Smartphone at a higher price. This is considered a real successful branding because Apple has created strong brand awareness among the public.

Conclusively, Apple is one of the most powerful brands in the IT industry. Although Apple faces a strong competitor such as Samsung, it has the ability to defend its position. Furthermore, Apple has strong brand awareness and enhancement due to its efficient mobile operating system (iOS) and well marketing strategy as compared to Samsung. Also, the stock price for Apple was a bullish trend from July until October in 2013 (Finance.Yahoo.com 2013). Thus, I believe that the stock price for Apple will rise gradually as it started to become the leader of the best worldwide brand.

  

References

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CNNMoney 2012, Apple Inc: Company Description, viewed 5 October 2013, <http://money.cnn.com/quote/profile/profile.html?symb=AAPL>.

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Jones, C 2013, Apple VS. Samsung: Who could Win the Smartphone War?, Forbes, viewed 6 October 2013, <http://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2013/08/20/apple-and-samsung-who-could-win-the-smartphone-war/>.

Molina, B 2013, Apple dethrones Coca Cola as top global brand, USA Today, viewed 5 October 2013, <http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/09/30/apple-best-global-brand/2894841/>.

PhoneArena.com 2013, Clash of the Titans: iOS VS Android 4.3 Comparison, viewed 6 October 2013, <http://www.phonearena.com/news/Clash-of-the-titans-iOS-7-vs-Android-4.3-comparison_id47582>.

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Shaughnessy 2013, Samsung rises to nearly double Apple’s Smartphone sales, Forbes, viewed 8 October 2013, <http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2013/04/26/samsung-rises-to-nearly-double-apples-smartphone-sales/>.