Gains vs. Losses
Samsung Electronics is bewildered over the launch of the next-generation premium smartphone Galaxy S8. As the Galaxy S8 is the first product that Samsung Electronics wants to recover its reputation since the halt of production and sales of the Galaxy Note 7, the global smartphone giant is brooding more over how to make a successful comeback from the flop of the Galaxy Note 7
According to the smartphone industry on November 8, market experts are divided over when to launch the Galaxy S8 – an early launch or the postponement of the launch. In the first place, it was forecast inside and outside the market that the Galaxy S8 will be launched earlier than usual. Some experts said that the Galaxy S8 will be released earlier due to fill up a big vacuum in sales of premium smartphones caused by the Galaxy Note 7 discontinuance in the second half of this year. Currently, the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge are being sold, replacing the Galaxy Note 7. But they have limitations in catching up with rivals’ new products such as the iPhone 7 in the second half of the year, which backs a possibility of the early release of the Galaxy S8.
But this month, a weight has been given to a prediction that the launch of the new smartphone can be put off. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and other foreign news media reported that Samsung may postpone the release of the Galaxy S8 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Spain in February to April of next year. Meantime, Samsung has unveiled the premium Galaxy S series at the MWC every February.
Most of all, analysis says that if a new product is released without clearly identifying what caused the Galaxy Note 7 to erupt into flames, it will be hard for Samsung Electronics to earn consumer trust in the new product. As it takes longer than expected to find out the cause of the fire, some experts say that and it is likely that Samsung Electronics will be able to make an announcement about the cause of the fire not by the end of this year but next year.
They say that Samsung Electronics should do everything it can do to find out what triggered the fire to ensure the safety of the Galaxy S8. Other experts analyze that Samsung Electronics will invest more time to verify the quality of Galaxy S7 to bring back consumers who turned their backs on Samsung Electronics due to the shutdown of the Galaxy Notebook 7. Samsung Electronics said that the company was adding differentiated features to its Galaxy S8 including the first AI personal assistant function through the acquisition of VIV Labs, a US artificial intelligence technology venture start-up.
On the other hand, it is said that it will not be easy for Samsung Electronics to skip the introduction of the Galaxy S8 at the MWC even if Samsung postpones its release. “The MWC is literally the biggest mobile technology event and an opportunity to maximize focuses on new products,” an industry representative said. “It is highly likely that Samsung Electronics will take the wrap off the Galaxy S8 or at least its prototype at the MWC and put off its release to the market or change its launch schedule.”