ITNewsAfrica sat down for a chat with Paulo Ferreira, Product Manager for Mobile at Samsung South Africa, to find out more about Samsung’s mobile business plan.
The Samsung Galaxy S II has also only just been released in South Africa, and with the device fast becoming very popular internationally, we wanted to know more its features, the newly-launched Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the friction between Samsung and Apple.
* The Samsung Galaxy S II is doing very well internationally. How does it rank in SA?
The Samsung Galaxy S II, having only recently launched, has received strong reviews in the media space and has most certainly made a large impression in its segment within the market.
There has been a strong uptake of the product and we are sure that given its positioning and functionality this will continue to be the case into the near future. We undertook the launch into South Africa this week and the feedback has been fantastic.
* Can you confirm if Samsung will release a Samsung Galaxy 3D?
Samsung are committed to and are constantly driving innovation in the mobile technology space, however, there is nothing to announce around this at this stage.
* With tablets being very popular, how is the Galaxy Tab doing?
The Galaxy Tab which entered the market locally last year has been well received and Samsung have recognised the tremendous growth potential in this newly created market, where the price reduction of the Tab was a powerful proof point of Samsung’s commitment to bring new and innovative mobile experiences to local consumers.
Having said this, we are extremely excited to launch the Galaxy Tab 10.1 which measures just 8.6 millimeters in thickness, making it the thinnest mobile tablet currently available in the world.
We have combined our innovations in design and display with an intuitive user experience, creating a new class of products that will lead the tablet market. In fact, through our existing partnerships with the local operators, Samsung have already established a strong lead in the local tablet market to date.
* What do you make of the friction between Samsung and Apple?
This is a very competitive market and there is no doubt that both Apple and Samsung are leading brands locally and as such, this type of competitive friction is expected.
The local mobile division of Samsung has a large investment in the developer community across Africa – proof that Samsung is indeed committed to Africa, where the brand is providing the local consumer with the innovative and leading technologies that they are looking for.
Samsung will however, continue to actively defend our intellectual property in order to serve our customers and to ensure our continued innovation and leadership in the mobile communication business.
Charlie Fripp – Consumer Tech editor
