Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares tumbled 4.22% on Wednesday, September 3 after its rival Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) unveiled the Galaxy Note 4 phablet. It sends a clear signal that investors are concerned the Galaxy Note 4 may hamper the sales of iPhone 6, scheduled to be launched on September 9. In fact, Samsung badly wants to take a bite out of Apple.
Galaxy Note 4 has little to excite new users
The Galaxy Note 4 is packed with a crisper 5.7-inch Quad HD display and metal frame. Despite its bigger screen, the phone has a pixel density of well over 500, much higher than the 330ppi in iPhone 5S. It has 3GB RAM, the latest Android 4.4 OS, 16-megapixel main camera and 3.7-megapixel front camera.
Samsung has improved the S Pen stylus to blur the distinction between a smartphone and a laptop. The Korean company has added an innovative functionality in the stylus, which makes it easy to highlight texts or images. As expected, the Galaxy Note 4 has a heart rate sensor, a fingerprint scanner and 3220mAh battery. The Galaxy Note 4 will charge faster, taking just about half and hour to charge from zero to 50%. Samsung claims the new phablet has a stronger battery life even with the much higher-resolution screen.
The Galaxy Note 4 is jam-packed with dozens of new features, but there is little in the device to excite new users, say analysts. Forrester analyst Thomas Husson said Note 4 is just an incremental upgrade. The note 4 is missing a total experience that Samsung needs to deliver to differentiate its phone in the “interchangeable Android ecosystem.”
iPhone 6 the most anticipated Apple smartphone ever
On the other hand, fans are going crazy for Apple’s iPhone 6 well before its release. According to a survey conducted by ChangeWave Research on 4109 U.S. consumers, shows that the iPhone 6 is the most anticipated Apple device ever. Consumer interest is much higher than that of the iPhone 5S. Fans are already setting up camp in front of the company’s Fifth Avenue store in New York for the iPhone 6.
After testing various screen sizes, Apple settled at 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes for the two variants of the iPhone 6. With larger displays, Apple’s new device will compete directly against the big screen Android and Windows Phone smartphones. Leaked schematics suggest that the 4.7-inch model will be 6.9mm thick, and its big brother will have a thickness of 7.1mm. The phones will have thick antenna bands, pill-shaped volume buttons, and the iPad style corners.
iPhone 6 coming with scratch-proof sapphire display
Apple has moved the power button to the right side of the iPhone 6. These are just minor design changes. But the iPhone 6 will also bring radical new features that will set a new benchmark in the smartphone industry. Cupertino’s new phone will have a scratch-resistant sapphire display that will provide rigidity. Apple currently uses the sapphire crystal for smaller components such as the home button and camera lens.
The iPhone 6 will have NFC support, upgraded A8 processor, 1GB RAM, and 10-megapixel main camera with Optical Image Stabilization. The A8 processor will be smaller and more energy efficient. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the 4.7-inch model will have a resolution of 1334 x 750 (326 ppi) and the 5.5-inch variant will come with 1920 x 1080 (401 ppi).
Apple improving the stickiness of its ecosystem
One of the biggest highlights of the iPhone 6 will be its health & fitness tracking capabilities and home automation. The iOS 8 will have an app called HealthKit to monitor and store crucial health data such as miles walked, calories burned, blood pressure, glucose level, hydration level, heart rate, and more. What’s more, Apple has partnered with various healthcare providers including Mayo Clinic to aggregate users’ health data and make HealthKit the central platform for storage of health-related data.
Recent reports suggest that Apple has signed deals with MasterCard, Visa and American Express to launch its own mobile payments platform. The iPhone 6 will also reportedly have wireless charging technology. Besides bringing new features and services, Apple is focused on increasing the stickiness of its ecosystem, which make it difficult for users to move to Android.
