Another day, another Samsung employee throwing dirt on the rumored Apple television. If you recall, a certain Samsung suit called Steve Jobs’ dream for the iTV “nothing new,” indicating that Samsung is already playing the game and playing it to win.
This time, a Samsung product manager is back to let us all know why Apple’s unannounced TV won’t be able to compete with what the South Korean company already has on the market. How comforting.
Here’s what a Samsung AV product manager by the name of Chris Moseley had to tell Pocket-lint:
“We’ve not seen what they’ve [Apple] done but what we can say is that they don’t have 10,000 people in R&D in the vision category,” he said.
“They don’t have the best scaling engine in the world and they don’t have world renowned picture quality that has been awarded more than anyone else.
“TVs are ultimately about picture quality. Ultimately. How smart they are…great, but let’s face it that’s a secondary consideration. The ultimate is about picture quality and there is no way that anyone, new or old, can come along this year or next year and beat us on picture quality.
“So, from that perspective, it’s not a great concern but it remains to be seen what they’re going to come out with, if anything.”
With Apple’s imminent entry into the TV market on the horizon, competitors are starting to sweat. Things have been rather quiet on the supply chain overseas, so it’s hard to foresee what exactly Apple plans to do. One thing’s for sure, whenever Apple does go into the TV market, it will go guns a-blazing.
As I’ve said before, this is a classic example of how other technology companies don’t understand how Apple works. RIM didn’t understand it (and still doesn’t, apparently) with the iPhone in 2007. Microsoft has never understood it with the PC market.
To think that picture quality will determine the success of the iTV is absurd. Sure, the lifeless, internet-unplugged TVs we use now are reliant on the quality of their displays to set themselves apart, but that’s not the future. When Apple does take the TV industry by storm, it will do what it did with the iPhone: turn everything on its head. The average Joe will want what Apple is selling because it will make the living room experience something different — something more than what we’re used to. It won’t matter if Samsung has the better picture quality technology, just like it doesn’t technically matter that Android had voice recognition first. Apple will have the quality experience. Experience trumps specs every time.
To channel Chris Moseley, rest assured, dear consumers. Samsung has you covered. There’s no way that Apple will be able to touch The Wonder of Samsung Smart TVs. No way at all.
[teaser-top]Yeah, right.[/teaser-top]
[teaser-featured]Yeah, right.[/teaser-featured]
Alex Heath is a journalist who works for Tech Insider. He’s the former co-host of The CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like “ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation.” He lives in Lexington, Kentucky. If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Follow him on Twitter.
37 responses to “Apparently Apple Won’t Beat Samsung In The TV Market”
Apparently Apple won’t revolutionize the music indust… Oh wait.
Apparently the iPad will fai.. Oh wait
Apparently the iPhone won’t revolutionize the… Oh wait
That is funny comming from Samsung. I don’t buy video equipment from Samsung specifically because their image quality is inferior to Sony and Pioneer – the two brands I turn to first. I will wait to see what Apple comes out with before making judgement calls. Samsung’s product manager sounds like someone who is in a panic.
exactly. :)
I’ve been strong supporters of both Sony and Samsung for several years now. They’ve both made some great displays recently and I *really* like the picture of my current Sony but holy hell does their content navigation suck. It’s embarrassingly bad. No joke.
I’ve tried DLNA server set-ups but it’s frustrating at best. Trying to get 1080p streams to show up on the Sony interface is hopeless. What has consistently worked is formatting for my Apple TV (via Handbrake), and serving it up via iTunes. Click, click, done.
If Apple can save me the time I’ll gladly sign on the dotted.
Agree. He is very defensive about something that doesnt exist?!. Scared alright.
I think you’ve just revealed the diffrentiating factor for Apple TV. hehe :-0
when i was buying a tv i researched all the brands, everything i found about samsung was info about their panels and splotches and light leaks the list goes on. well you can’t really tell unless you go see them in person, went to best buy and looked at all the brands, sharp and sony where way before samsung….so to me that quote from them doesnt hold much water.
Considering none of the screens on any Apple product is actually made by Apple, no, Apple does not have 10,000 people working on an LCD panel but Sony and Sharp does…alas!
Sounds scared.
No, he is wrong. Every electronic product on the market is about “ease of use”. A feature no TV on the market can lay claim to.
Samsung is still thinking with the wrong side of the brain and will ultimately lose this battle as well.
I have an iPhone. Although I don’t use it to make calls so much, I have a phone for when I need it. But I do surf, check mail, get meeting reminders, listen to music and even play games with it, all simple and easy.
I have a TV. Although I don’t use it to watch TV so much. Unfortunately, there’s not much more I can do with it. And it sure ain’t simple and easy.
Moseley’s puffery makes about as much sense as saying “call quality is what sells phones.” This is going to be fun to watch.
At the end of the day, people watch TV for the image, not the interactivity.
Apple doesnt bring anything new to the table. Perhaps may a better user interface and maybe content to go along with it.
But I believe the author is wrong on this one.
“
I don’t buy video equipment from Samsung “
Who do you think makes lots displays for Apple ?????
People are doing “only” that because there’s not much you can do right now. Let’s wait and see…
WoW I really want a samsung – so I went to their product page
http://www.samsung.com/us/vide…
and seleckted Wifi as the only Criteria – and it then shows 0 produckts – if you cant even make a simple sorting funcktion on a webpage – im not sure i want you to make the software in my TV.. think ill wait for Apple.
http://www.nepa.dk/wifi.PNG
– and people mostly use phones for calling, huh?
True, except Sony just opted out of LCD manufacturing
But it wasn’t design or enginered by them, the brains are from apple and the manufacturing proccess is samsung
love this comment, couldn’t put it better myself. Apple products are leading the market, why wouldn’t they be able to take on Samsung in the TV market.
that’s what keeps me hooked on Apple products–simple OS and each device work nicely with other gadgets in their ecosystem. i’m not saying everything works all the time but i think most of us would agree with, “it just works”.
If Samsung has the best picture quality, why do every ad agencies and medical research facilities in the world still use an apple monitor? hello
I agree as well. Apple entering the TV market should be a welcomed entrant. If anyone can improve the TV/living room experience it will be Apple. If they fail, oh well at least they made an attempt.
Apple understands Sun Tzu. “Watch the fires burning across the river?” Check. “Sacrifice the plum tree to preserve the peach tree?” Check. “Borrow a corpse to resurrect the soul?” Check. And on and on.
What does Samsung have? “Create something from nothing.” And they fail completely when it comes to knowing both themselves AND their “enemy” Apple. Big win there, Samsung.
Samsung is arrogant. If they think they’ve got it made, the better for Apple. Never rest, we will see something astonishing from Apple, I am betting.
It’s absurd for Samsung to knock the iTV’s picture quality. First of all, how can they knock an aspect of a product that does not yet exist (at least to consumers or developers)? And have they not seen the displays of the iPhone 4(S), the iPad and the MacBook Pro?! …it’s absolutely stunning! No Samsung television, notebook or any other product has come close in my opinion to the quality of Apple products (display-wise) – and I don’t think the iTV will be any different.
Run Samsung, run and hide.
But will they do it by creating a TV set. I”m thinking no. They will improve the little black box so folks can use it with any tv and then perhaps improve their cinema display line up so that it has HDMI etc and can be used as a tv for things like the Apple TV, a blu-ray player etc. Which will put the cinema in cinema display but at the same time keep the display for those that think a 27 inch model is too small.
Have you ever watched any video on the current Apple Cinema Display. Aside from the need to beware of the lighting to avoid glare it’s rather good. As good as many tv sets I’d say. If it came in a 36-40 inch model I think both the pro computer users would consider a purchase as well as those that haven’t yet gotten a HDTV. Especially if the price came down to say more like $699 for the 27 inch, maybe $999 for that 40 inch.
And as a dummy monitor they could avoid any patent issues over tv tuner tech etc
Well, here comes typical Apple distortion. I vividly remember Forbes covering Apple’s move into the music business with Steve Jobs and Sheryl Crow on their cover page.
As for Ipad, Steve Jobs got reportedly depressed over the poor initial sales of iPad.
This fanboyism never ends, does it?
because honey, Apple doesn’t have any expertise when it comes to TV. Furthermore, the industry is already cut-throat (technology wise and profit wise), – unlike mobile phone (huge demand) or music business (largely protected by the music paranoid industry copyright and their lobbyists).
Apple won’t be making any TV screens.
Apple is a product integration / market company.
Apple doesn’t have much brain when it comes to display tech . Apple puts together components / technologies innovated / invented by companies like Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, etc.. they are the ones spending money and time inventing new technologies.
Apple monitors are made by LG and Samsung.
Furthermore, Apple iPhone is 25% Samsung (its display manufactured by LG again).
He’s just stating a fact.. Apple is not in display business. Period. Apple is probably looking at developing user friendly set top box that enhances / simplifies user experience, but there is nothing Apple can do to improve TV viewing experience.
Apple is not a technology company – it’s a marketing / product integration company.
‘poor iPad sales’
15 million for the first gen alone buy the time of the iPad 2 anouncment? Yeah very poor?