As a show of respect for Steve Jobs and the release of the 4S, "For Steve" edition iphone. Samsung has decided to lower their price of the SGS II to only $2. Good marketing strategy?
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/samsung-ambushes-apples-iphone-4s-launch-in-sydney-20111012-1lk0d.html
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/samsung-ambushes-apples-iphone-4s-launch-in-sydney-20111012-1lk0d.html
Samsung ambushes Apple's iPhone 4S launch in Sydney
October 12, 2011 - 11:57AM
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On the right Apple's flagship store can be seen just metres away from Samsung's temporary "pop up" store. Photo: Thomas Mosca
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Samsung has ambushed the launch of the iPhone 4S by offering $2 smartphones in a temporary shop just metres away from the official Sydney Apple store.
A queue - longer than that outside Apple's store - was seen outside the Samsung "pop up" store at 8am this morning, with those in line hoping to get their hands on a new Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone for the nominal price of $2. Some waiting in line had been there since Monday, with the store only letting the first 10 in line each day receive the $2 phone.
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Samsung's temporary "pop up" store on George Street. Photo: Samsung
It comes just days after Samsung said it halted the unveiling of a new Google Android phone as a sign of respect for those mourning the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs.
The South Korean company has this week rented a store just two doors down from the Sydney Apple store to promote the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone and its new online music subscription service, Music Hub. The iPhone 4S, Apple's latest revision of its smartphone, goes on sale Friday at 8am.
Samsung is one of Apple's strongest competitors, with its Galaxy S II smartphone making inroads against the iPhone 4. Samsung's tablets are also receiving favourable reviews despite attempts by Apple to use the courts to prevent the tablets from going to market.
John Kim, 19, and Russell Lee, 20. John plans to sell his $2 Galaxy S II and Russell plans to keep his. Photo: Ben Grubb
Samsung has also filed suit in both France and Italy in an attempt to block the iPhone 4S from launching but hasn't yet filed a similar suit in Australia.
It's not the first time the smartphone wars have extended into guerrilla marketing tactics. At an HTC event last year Nokia representatives were outside HTC's launch venue in London and the Finnish phone maker even handed out HTC press conference "survival kits" to journalists.
An embargoed version of Samsung's Music Hub release that went out to select media on September 30 did not include the fact that Samsung would rent the "pop up" store on George Street. A general media release sent on the night of the Music Hub launch last Thursday - the day Steve Jobs died and just one day after the announcement of the iPhone 4S - did, however, include the fact.
People waiting outside Samsung's store on Monday. Photo: Samsung
Apple's flagship store in Sydney currently has Sydney school students Tom Mosca and Wil Batterham, both 15, lined up ahead of Friday's iPhone 4S launch. They arrived at 10.30am yesterday.
They said they'd had many people approach them trying to convince them to line up in the Samsung line instead of the Apple line. "There's this guy who has come up to us trying to convince us to buy the Samsung Galaxy S II two days in a row now," said Tom. "And he's an idiot."
"The amount of people asking what we are lining up for is absolutely astonishing," said Wil.
Tom Mosa and Wil Batterham, both 15. Photo: Ben Grubb
Two people Fairfax Media spoke to in Samsung's line - brother and sister John and Jessica Kim from Lidcombe and Burwood respectively - said they would sell their $2 Samsung Galaxy S II smartphones to go on a trip to India. John used an iPhone and would be sticking with it, and Jessica an Optus MyTab, which she used as a phone and tablet.
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