Samsung and Apple have a tenuous “frenemy” relationship (mostly meeting in court) over handsets and tablets, but now the two companies could compete in a third market: notebooks. The South Korean PC maker has its eye on snapping-up HP’s computer manufacturing, propelling Samsung to No. 1.
The company has already held talks with Taiwan-based PC suppliers Quanta, Compal and Pegatron “to evaluate the possibility of outsourcing notebook orders,” reports industry publication DigiTimes. Samsung is set to ship 10 million PCs this year with an added 40 million units if the company can attract HP buyers.
One problem in this scenario is Apple, which has 10 percent or 21 percent of the notebook market, depending on whether you count iPads as a PC. As we’ve reported, Apple is selling Macs despite flat demand for PCs.
The other obstacle Samsung faces is the PC market already balances on razor-thin margins. Once consumers smell blood in the water and HP unloads its PC inventory, we’re likely to see “fierce price competition” during the fourth quarter.
Although Samsung has a great supply chain, Apple’s is even more legendary, providing the buffer to turn in high margins and a low “bill of material.” Add that Mac demand is up and PC sales are flat, along with the legal clubbing the Korean company is taking, there’s only one real response to Samsung’s hope to become No. 1: dream on.
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
10 responses to “Samsung Wants to Replace HP As No. 1 PC Maker… If Apple Doesn’t Get There First”
\ I päid $21.41 for an íPad 2.64GB and my boyfriend loves his Panasoníc Lumíx GF 1 Cámera that we got for $38.79 there arriving tomorrow by UP S.I will never pay such expensive retail príces in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LCD T V to my boss for $657 which only cost me $62.81 to buy.
Here is the website we use to get it all from, bit.ly/BidShop
Samsung has had PCs for years. I can remember Samsung 386s. I could be wrong, but I really don’t see them being that competitive in the US PC market. Of course their name recognition is a lot better now, so who knows.
I just paíd $20.87 for an íPad 2.64GB and my boyfriend loves his Panasoníc Lumíx GF 1 Cámera that we got for $38.79 there arriving tomorrow by UP S.I will never pay such expensive retail príces in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LCD T V to my boss for $657 which only cost me $62.81 to buy.
Here is the website we use to get it all from : http://BidsBit.com
So what?
I guess in few years they will buy Microsoft of Google.
If you like to “fight” with Android zealots and with just stupid journalists, like BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones, go to BBC’s Is Apple winning too often? – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/tech… – and joint the conversation.
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Haven’t liked a thing Built by Samsung aside from their display technology.
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