Apple is secretly planning to troll Samsung with a new (and awkwardly positioned) Apple Store in South Korea, apparently.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has made inquiries about opening its first ever retail store in South Korea, Samsung’s home turf. Worse still, Apple has reportedly considered sites directly across the street from Samsung’s headquarters in the capital of Seoul. Apple is also said to be looking at locations near Samsung’s three-story flagship store in the posh Gangnam (yes, that Gangnam) neighbourhood.
Speaking to the WSJ, an Apple spokesperson said: “We have made no announcements about a store there.”
Apple has struggled to break into the South Korea market, with most of its sales being reliant on third-party retailers. The country is dominated by local giants Samsung and LG, who hold a combined 80% share of the smartphone market.
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But with its booming tech scene, South Korea is a prime territory for Apple’s continued push into Asia. Apple has made much of its recent efforts in China, with the company now owning 36 official stores across the mainland. The Californian giant also has six stores in Hong Kong, and seven in Japan.
Apple recently unveiled its new flagship handsets for the year, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. But rival Samsung remains mired in controversy thanks to the ongoing Galaxy Note 7 recall, which was announced earlier this month in response to user reports of handsets catching fire. An internal investigation by Samsung uncovered a serious battery flaw that caused some Galaxy Note 7 units to generate excess heat, sparking a global recall of the month-old smartphone.
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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.