back to article Customers dumping Samsung phones in wake of Apple suit

Apple CEO Tim Cook might be pleased with the verdict in his company's recent patent legislation against Samsung, but Samsung customers are definitely not, according to the market watchers at mobile phone trade-in firm Gazelle. "Consumers seem to be jumping ship," Anthony Scarsella, Gazelle's "chief gadget officer," told …

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  1. chipxtreme
    FAIL

    Doesn't state which Samsung phones they are trading in. Chances are they are just trading in old Galaxy S 1's or even 2's to replace them with Galaxy S III's. Only a fanboi would suggest they are jumping to the dark side because of a biased court judgement.

    1. Arctic fox
      Headmaster

      If there is anything in this at all then I think that the explanation may lie in this......

      " and customers might fear that Samsung will be even less likely to issue updates for models that it isn't allowed to sell anymore."

      It would not be entirely irrational for customers to fear that they would get very little support for their phones if they are amongst the ones that are banned. Having said that of course there is a considerable head of steam developing behind the GSIII (not to be banned AFAIK) and a fair amount of this may be customers coming to the end of their current contracts and/or simply wanting the latest and greatest in the Galaxy series.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: If there is anything in this at all then I think that the explanation may lie in this......

        "It would not be entirely irrational for customers to fear that they would get very little support for their phones if they are amongst the ones that are banned"

        Are these Galaxy S mobiles any of the banned ones?

        1. Arctic fox
          Headmaster

          Re: "Are these Galaxy S mobiles any of the banned ones?"

          Indeed they are. However it is just possible that some customers fear that future support may be lacking. However, another motivation for some customers may be the following. We know that many customers partially finance their next upgrade by selling their current phone. Given that the GSIII has made quite a splash we would expect to some extent a surge in earlier Galaxies coming on to e-bay. If this was also reinforced by some customers fearing that if they do not sell now they won't get as good a price at a later date one can see how the judgement against Samsung might play into this*. Having said that of course none of this IMHO suggests that punters are abandoning Samsung's flagship product, just that they are maybe upgrading earlier than they otherwise might have done.

          *It might also be the case that give that the sales of the GSII in the States have been the largest of the Galaxy series so far, then the the apparently unusually high number of sales on e-bay are a function of Samsung's success in the States (larger customer base now) and that those sales are indeed largely provoked by the launch of the GSIII. Comparative statistics is a dangerous game!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Trollface

      Other Side!

      Only a fanboi would suggest that the court judgement was biased...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Court judgement

        There hasn't yet been a court judgement. What we've had so far is the jury verdict. Samsung has filed a motion to stay judgment until after all the post-trial motions are completed. See groklaw.net for details.

      2. Bob. Hitchen
        Thumb Down

        Re: Other Side!

        I'm not a fan of either since I own neither a smartphone or a pad. and build my own PCs. The phones I have are cheap and cheerful and go a long time between charges. Of course this case was biased why do you think the judge put the date back? It's called damage limitation both for herself and pressure from above to try to work out a deal before the inevitable consequences of revenge for US protectionism.

      3. Mectron

        Re: Other Side!

        Apple bough the judgement. Apple cannot compete on any levels. so i need to PREVENT competition in order to sell his junk.

    3. Silverburn
      Holmes

      It should probably be noted that the detail of the banned devices - and even the trial and verdict itself - has probably complete bypassed Joe Punter. And even if they did, they'd realise that any possible ban will affect new sales - their handset won't be confiscated or anything as dramatic as that.

      As other have pertained to - this is probably just a blip in the normal "trade in the old before buying the new shiny" activity.

    4. Shagbag

      Just read an article saying Samsung Phones in the US were selling out

      I amazed (said with a sarcastic tone) El Reg didn't publish that one.

      1. Shagbag
        Thumb Up

        Link to that article

        http://www.forbes.com/sites/benzingainsights/2012/08/28/did-apple-just-help-samsung-sell-a-ton-of-smartphones/

        touche El Reg. Stick that up your pro-Apple editorial bias.

        1. Christopher Rogers
          Meh

          Re: Link to that article

          I just can't help but think that for all the hype, the market is very much "as you are". Iphone sales drop before a new product launch (and the iphone 5 is the most anticipated in a long time) and the SGS3 is a brilliant device that has had some good marketing and plenty of positive reviews and has really turned the screw on its Android rivals.

          So really, there's nothing to see here to be honest.

        2. Euchrid

          Re: Link to that article

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_Law_of_Headlines

        3. Mark .

          Re: Link to that article

          And with that article, we see where the media go next with their attempts to make Apple look relevant. The stages have been:

          "Iphone is number one!" (conveniently ignoring Nokia/Symbian)

          "Iphone outsells Android!" (still ignoring Nokia/Symbian)

          "Okay, so Android way outsells Iphone, but Apple are still the number one company!" (using an ill-defined "smartphone" definition to compare sales, and ignoring Nokia)

          "Okay, so now Samsung outsell Apple even on just their 'smartphones', but the Iphone is still the best selling model!" (ignoring that comparing single models isn't fair, when Apple only have one per generation, and others have loads)

          Now we have reached a stage where even just one single Android model, out of thousands, outsells the Iphone. (As an aside, given that this is also just the US, previously one of Apple's strongholds, that's also quite impressive for Samsung.) What do the media do now?:

          "But, but ... demand for the next Iphone 5 that hasn't even been announced is through the roof!"

          Not sure how demand is measured or is relevant when it hasn't been announced. Media hype may be through the roof, but media bias is nothing to be proud of. They've been harping on about "Iphone 5" for about 18 months now. Give it a rest, already!

          1. Gil Grissum
            Pint

            Re: Link to that article

            It will be interesting to see how disappointed punters are when they "iPhone 5" or whatever it's called, looks pretty much like the iPhone they already have, as well as the iOS 6 interface and the only noticeable difference being some new Siri tricks and Apple Maps. We'll see how many do not stand in line for that.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Or just maybe...

      This was a cheap way for a company to get plenty of free marketing by using the hype of the court case to create a newsworthy story and happens to tell people that you can buy cheap Samsung phones from them?

      No, surely not - colour me cynical.

    6. Peter Storm

      "Chances are they are just trading in"

      Or perhaps they're buying different phones now they've discovered just how cheap and crappy Samsung phones are.

  2. zen1

    well bully for apple

    While I can't rip Apple for the iPhone, they could corner the entire smart phone market and I still wouldn't waste a penny on their products.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Lost me on that one.

    I can't imagine why someone would feel the need to dump it immediately. Most people who have these things have more money than brains and fell they "must" have the latest and greatest gadgets.

    Hmmmm, maybe I just explained it.

    1. iucidium
      Holmes

      Blame the FUD of the world's (mainly American) 'tech press'

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A reason?

    Without know what they're dumping them for, it's hard to say. But if I loved my Samsung (hypothetical, I have a corporate blackberry), and was thinking of upgrading, I'd be also thinking 'maybe I should do it now before the judge slaps an injunction on all future sales'.

    Is this happening? Probably. How much? Who knows?

  5. PaulR79
    Facepalm

    Really?

    This smells like a big load of FUD. Why would a phone owner rush to sell a phone based on the possibility that it might be withdrawn from sale due to a lawsuit? Is it not more likely that people are coming to the end of their contracts and selling so they can get the newest version, the Galaxy S3? Will we see a similar news story a few days after a new iPhone lands stating how they're dumping their precious Apple phones?

  6. Irongut

    Alternatively

    Customers are rushing to offload old Samsung smartphones like the S and S2 so they can buy an S3 before Apple has them removed from shelves.

    Completely different conclusion but fits the so called facts as well as the one offered in the article.

    1. paulc
      Mushroom

      Re: Alternatively

      "Customers are rushing to offload old Samsung smartphones like the S and S2 so they can buy an S3 before Apple has them removed from shelves."

      The S3 is not subject to the court order and is completely non-infringing... the patents that are being "infringed" are completely bogus anyway and hopefully will be tossed out in the do-over... especially when the prior art that Samsung was prevented from showing is actually permitted.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Alternatively

        Thread poster said: "...before Apple has them removed from shelves"

        i.e. in case Apple decide to go after the Galaxy SIII and have their new BFF Judge Koh or the ITC injunction it.

        Apple still have plenty of more ammuniction (!) At one point, for example, Apple claimed that Google was infringing one of its patents on the process of unlocking a phone by swiping the screen. "Apple's argument that a tap is a zero-length swipe,"

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Android phones losing resale value

    There .. headline fixed ...

    "Since the $1.05 billion verdict Friday .. customers of Samsung have been dumping their Android products on at least one major resale site", link

    What did Samsung say when you contacted them for a comment on this factoid?

    `The court decision, they point out, is creating a lot of uncertainty about Android upgrades .. “This will continue to hurt Android resale values,”', link

  8. Neil 7
    Thumb Down

    I call "Bullshit" on this one

    A much more plausible reason for this trade-in company claiming Samsung customers are unloading their Samsung phones in higher numbers is so that they can justify why they have started screwing Samsung customers on the trade-in value of their Samsung phones.

    There probably is absolutely no change in the numbers trading in old Samsung devices, but this FUD gives the trade-in company a plausible excuse with which to make a bit more profit.

    __________________________

    Samsung Owner: "Why are you giving me 10% less this week than you were offering last week?"

    Trade-In Company: "I'm sure you've seen the news, where Samsung lost the court case with Apple...so many Samsung customers have since got rid of their phones that it has flooded the market"

    Samsung Owner: "YEAH, RIGHT! BULLSHIT!"

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I call "Bullshit" on this one

      Indeed. Why would you cut yourself off from a product you already own because you're afraid someone else might not provide enhancements later?

      There's no indication support would be withdrawn in any meaningful way. We aren't really expecting JellyBean on a Galaxy S. The worst case is a download server in Europe. How much interaction with Samsung does the typical phone user have?

      1. Johnnydub
        Thumb Up

        Re: I call "Bullshit" on this one

        "We aren't really expecting JellyBean on a Galaxy S" - well the good news is that the JellyBean upgrade is on it's way...

        "How much interaction with Samsung does the typical phone user have?" - well I had quite a lot as the early Kies / Gal SII software interaction was rubbish. Thankfully the upgrade to ICS fixed this...

  9. phr0g
    Paris Hilton

    Possibly

    and I mean "possibly".

    Well. A large proportion of smartphone users, especially iPhone users buy more for fashion and to be seen to be cool.

    In recent times Samsung has started to seen to be cool, possibly in a geek chic kind of way amongst the shallower members of the public.

    Now, In Merica, losing is seen as something only losers do. two plus two etc?

    Probably complete dren, but just an idea.

    Paris...typical airhead likes shiny precious things.

  10. Wedge
    Meh

    Or..

    People are getting rid of old Samsung and buying new ones? Hell all I've been hearing lately from people is boycott Apple and being pro Samsung.

    The only logic I could see from the increase is people wanting to offload their phones before the new iPhone is announced, which would impact the iPhone much more that Samsung. It's still a few weeks away and probably wouldn't impact Samsung prices as much.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Or..

      "Hell all I've been hearing lately from people is boycott Apple and being pro Samsung."

      Considering that the calls for a boycott of Apple are from Android supports and Samsung users, the significance of what you've been hearing seems very slight.

  11. Just a Framer
    Childcatcher

    SAMSUNG!! apple....

    Because of the pyrrhic victory of apple against Samsung, I went out yesterday and bought 8 samsung tab for my employees. NO ipoop in this office.

    Funny, every time one of our employee tried to install some apple program on his/her laptop,( Early days of the pad) I had to spend a couple of hours re-fixing the systems!!! Might it be that apple hates Microsoft so much that they supply software that interferes with windows?? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

    apple is trying to kill competition so that it can have the market to itself and charge a fortune for nothing. History has shown plenty of times that it's a floored approach. Moves are already afoot to put a time limit on the kind of patents apple has been fighting on.... History will show that apple won a battle and then lost the war.....

    1. toadwarrior

      Re: SAMSUNG!! apple....

      You sound like an idiot and fanboy so I can certain see you only hiring other idiots. It would explain why you have so many problems with something my computer illiterate relatives have no problem with.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: SAMSUNG!! apple....

      "History has shown plenty of times that it's a floored approach."

      I got a good laugh out of this, thanks! (Although it's not that the rest of your post was far behind it.)

    3. Peter Storm

      Re: SAMSUNG!! apple....

      WTF is "floored approach" when it's at home.

      And yes, I agree with the last reply. You do seem like a complete idiot.

  12. nuked
    Facepalm

    I don't own either brand's products...

    ... and probably never will.

    It does however seem that Samsung's mistake was NOT stealing a lot more ideas from a much wider range of victims. Indeed, this is how the iPhone was build - a fact promoted by Steve Jobs.

    What an interesting world we live in. The stealing of a handful of ideas from one company costs your company in the region of $10 billion. Stealing the same handful of ideas, and 100 others from elsewhere, will probably cot you nothing, as no court in the world can determine which one (or few) made your product profitable.

    *sigh*

  13. squilookle
    Trollface

    I can't imagine many people dumping the phone immediately. I suppose there are some that would, partly because of fear of lack of upgrades and support, as the article mentioned, and I suppose there will be a few individuals that now think Samsung have done something immoral and so don't want to own their device anymore.

    More than anything though, (unless other resellers come out and give information that supports this) the most likely explanation as far as I can see is that this Gazelle outfit is trolling for publicity.

    Until a few others come out and say the same thing, I'll take this with a pinch of salt.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Incomplete Title

    American Customers Should Be dumping Samsung phones in wake of Apple Suit - Says American Company With Vested Interest In Making Extra Money Out Of It- there, fixed that.

    Yet more Sun/News Of The World style sensationalist crap from The Stars And Stripes Forever Register.

    How the mighty fall when they land in Uncle Sam's pocket!

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Is it me...

    ... or are El-Reg starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel when it comes to "news".... I'm finding less and less articles interest me because they seem to be either simple re-hashes of stories from other sites with unsubstantiated links (People are dumping Samsung phones because of the court case... .I mean come on,....) or are just re-hashes of press releases (the Apple/Linux "trojan" story)..

  16. toadwarrior
    Trollface

    good thing samsung has saw the light

    Samsung are releasing a windows phone soon. Looks like realised android is a lost cause. But who would be surprised that an advertising company's OS isn't that good or original. The fact it values invading privacy over protecting developers from piracy say it all really.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: good thing samsung has saw the light

      Samsung have most certainly NOT left the Android cause, as you would know if you had anything to do with them. They produce a shit load of product, developed with a scatter gun approach (make lots, see what sells). It's just the SS way to add Windows to their product line to cover all the bases.

      Android, BTW, is pretty good. ICS certainly is good, and JB is even better. Original? No phone OS's are particularly original. There hasn't been any OS innovation for years. Major improvements on the GUI on top of the OS are also pretty rare.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Of course

    Some only realised now they had a copy of the real thing. Probably fooled by corrupt phone salesmen.

    Can't wait for the "but the difference is obvious" comments from tech guys who read about phones every day.

  18. Shane 4

    BS

    I smell BS!

    Just about ready to dump this old 3GS for a Galaxy note 2 when it's released, Apple screens are a bit too small for me even the iphone 5 doesn't look promising.

  19. Joe K
    Meh

    And in todays news....

    "A Little known company issues a made-up statement of bullshit to get some free publicity from amateur websites. That trick is older than i am, Joanne *chuckles*.

    More news....after this."

  20. NX1977
    Holmes

    Bull or has apple all over it?

    Either this firm is cashing in before they're left with Samsung trade ins they're blocked from selling

    Or

    Given this is a day after Koh pencilled in the product banning case for December rather than the september Apple wanted, you have to wonder if there is a connection to help inflict immediate damage via the media propaganda machine......

  21. Patent my ass
    WTF?

    What about Google?

    Google has just launched a law suit against Apple for using the Motorola patents in the iPhone and iPad devices. There is no doubt about Apple's guilt in this as they readily admitted using Motorola patents in their devices without paying because Jobs reckoned Motorola were charging too much.

    Apple's only defence will be around patent pricing, which will almost certainly fail and could lead to a total US wide ban on iPhone and iPad sales, if Google were that way inclined. This will affect every single iPad and iPhone version currently released, and possibly include the iPhone 5.

    This is largely the reason Google bought the loss making Motorola Mobility business, it's debts as a tax write off and it's portfolio of well defined patents.

    Patently, this is all good for us customers because...?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What about Google?

      I would LOVE to see the iPhone & iPad banned in the US, their stupid patents revoked, and Apple forced to pay royalties to get back on the market....

    2. TeeCee Gold badge

      Re: What about Google?

      One problem. It's going to be a hard sell to the inevitable opposition lineup of Judge Lucy Fangrrl and a jury of iSheep.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Daft yanks. Ain't happening in sane countries.

    Typical Reg to pitch the story the way it has.

    I'm begining to realise, you've got the take alot of the reg hacks stories with a HUGE pinch of salt.

    And, I don't believe for 1 second people are moving to the dark side in fear of their older handset not being "supported". What support does one need?

    You buy a phone and insure it for loss/damage. You use it, Done! I've NEVER EVER needed any other type of "support". The whole notion must be a fannyboi thing, those that need to be held and kept feeling all loved up and secure??

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