Apple’s marketing chief, Phil Schiller has trashed the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Android OS in a rare interview, in the same week as the Samsung Galaxy S4 launch.
Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, said the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be using “an OS that is nearly a year old” in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. He revealed that Apple’s own research showed that four times as many iPhone users chose to switch to iOS than leave for an Android handset in the last quarter of last year.
He explained his belief that Android as a platform is fragmented, “plain and simple”, unable to offer the same experience as with iOS devices.
“Android is often given as a free replacement for a feature phone and the experience isn’t as good as an iPhone,” said Schiller. “When you take an Android device out of the box, you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with. They don’t work seamless together.”
Due to the fact that Android is presented through so many different other companies, Schiller has the opinion that the OS suffers. Apple is responsible for creating the whole iOS experience, from the operating system itself, all the way down to the mobile hardware.
However, the Apple iPhone represented 19 per cent of global smartphone shipments in 2012, whereas Android dominated the market with 70 per cent of sales, according to IDC. Therefore, it could be seen, especially on the eve of the Samsung Galaxy S4 launch, that Schiller is getting a little defensive about Apple’s position in the market.
Long known as the innovator in smartphones as well as other technology, Apple has recently experience a slow in growth and saw its share prices tumble from $702.10 (£468.38) in September to $428.35 (£285.76) on Wednesday.
The long-awaited Samsung Galaxy S4 will be unveiled this evening at a dedicated Samsung Unpacked event. You can watch the Samsung Galaxy S4 release live stream with us from 11pm UK time.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
