Samsung Electronics Corp yesterday announced Taiwanese consumers could start pre-ordering the company’s new flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone from today, a little over a month after the company unveiled the Android-based product in New York.
Samsung has priced its new 5-inch, 16 gigabyte model at NT$21,900. Consumers can own the phone at zero cost by paying minimum monthly subscription fees ranging from NT$2,199 to NT$2,540 to local telecom carriers under a two-year contract.
The company plans to start selling the S4 in 155 countries on April 27 by collaborating with 327 telecom carriers around the world.
The new Galaxy S4 is an extension of Samsung’s Galaxy Android smartphone series that has underpinned the company’s dominance in the mobile phone market.
“Samsung Galaxy S4 features its ultra-sensory intelligence technology and advanced software and hardware. We are very confident that our new product, with promotion by telecoms carriers and other sales channels, will become consumers’ best choice this year,” said Andy Tu (杜偉昱), general manager of the Samsung Taiwan mobile communication team.
Meanwhile, the Fair Trade Commission is investigating whether Samsung hired people to spread negative reviews online about its rivals’ products, including HTC Corp’s (宏達電) new flagship product, the HTC One.
Tu played down the investigation’s impact on sales and said the company would focus on “experience marketing” to promote its new product.
Samsung was the world’s largest handset vendor last year, shipping 384.63 million mobile phones, with a market share of 22 percent, followed by Nokia’s 19.1 percent and Apple’s 7.5 percent, according to Gartner Inc’s statistics.
TAKING STOCK: A Taiwanese cookware firm in Vietnam urged customers to assess inventory or place orders early so shipments can reach the US while tariffs are paused Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam are exploring alternatives after the White House imposed a 46 percent import duty on Vietnamese goods, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on the US’ trading partners. Lo Shih-liang (羅世良), chairman of Brico Industry Co (裕茂工業), a Taiwanese company that manufactures cast iron cookware and stove components in Vietnam, said that more than 40 percent of his business was tied to the US market, describing the constant US policy shifts as an emotional roller coaster. “I work during the day and stay up all night watching the news. I’ve been following US news until 3am
UNCERTAINTY: Innolux activated a stringent supply chain management mechanism, as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure optimal inventory levels for customers Flat-panel display makers AUO Corp (友達) and Innolux Corp (群創) yesterday said that about 12 to 20 percent of their display business is at risk of potential US tariffs and that they would relocate production or shipment destinations to mitigate the levies’ effects. US tariffs would have a direct impact of US$200 million on AUO’s revenue, company chairman Paul Peng (彭雙浪) told reporters on the sidelines of the Touch Taiwan trade show in Taipei yesterday. That would make up about 12 percent of the company’s overall revenue. To cope with the tariff uncertainty, AUO plans to allocate its production to manufacturing facilities in
COLLABORATION: Given Taiwan’s key position in global supply chains, the US firm is discussing strategies with local partners and clients to deal with global uncertainties Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) yesterday said it is meeting with local ecosystem partners, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), to discuss strategies, including long-term manufacturing, to navigate uncertainties such as US tariffs, as Taiwan occupies an important position in global supply chains. AMD chief executive officer Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) told reporters that Taiwan is an important part of the chip designer’s ecosystem and she is discussing with partners and customers in Taiwan to forge strong collaborations on different areas during this critical period. AMD has just become the first artificial-intelligence (AI) server chip customer of TSMC to utilize its advanced
Six years ago, LVMH’s billionaire CEO Bernard Arnault and US President Donald Trump cut the blue ribbon on a factory in rural Texas that would make designer handbags for Louis Vuitton, one of the world’s best-known luxury brands. However, since the high-profile opening, the factory has faced a host of problems limiting production, 11 former Louis Vuitton employees said. The site has consistently ranked among the worst-performing for Louis Vuitton globally, “significantly” underperforming other facilities, said three former Louis Vuitton workers and a senior industry source, who cited internal rankings shared with staff. The plant’s problems — which have not
RSS