ICT
Samsung eyes 10 m mark for Galaxy S3 by end of July
South Korea's Samsung Electronics, the world's largest smartphone
maker, said Monday it expects to have sold 10 million of its newest
Galaxy S3 model by the end of July, two months after its launch.J.K.
Shin, head of the mobile communications division, said robust sales of
the model would help Samsung's mobile business post a second-quarter
profit bigger than the first three months.
“We're getting more positive reviews for Galaxy S3 than the previous
Galaxy S1 and S2 since the release in Europe, the Middle East and
Southeast Asia beginning May 29,” Shin said at an event to mark the
phone's domestic release on Monday.
He estimated that global sales of the new phone -- currently
available in 147 countries -- would surpass 10 million next month,
including about a million to be sold at home.
“We're doing fairly well in emerging-economy markets... I think our
second-quarter earnings will be better than the first quarter's, despite
the difficult economic situation in Europe,” Shin said.
The company, the world's biggest technology firm by revenue, posted a
record net profit for all its divisions of 5.05 trillion won ($4.44
billion) in the first quarter, thanks largely to strong smartphone
sales.
The third version of the Galaxy S series offers face-recognition
technology and improved voice-activated controls as well as a more
powerful processor that lets users watch video and write emails
simultaneously.
It also has a 4.8-inch (12.2-centimetre) screen that is 22 percent
larger than the S2, while it can detect eye movements and override the
automatic shutdown if the user is looking at the screen. Samsung shipped
44.5 million smartphones in the first quarter, exceeding the 35.1
million of US arch-rival Apple, according to market researcher Strategy
Analytics in April.
Samsung, embroiled in patent lawsuits in 10 nations with Apple, is
pinning its hopes on the S3 to further erode its rivals' market share
before the expected new version of Apple's iPhone 5 this year. In a rare
victory for the Korean firm, a Dutch court last week ruled in favour of
Samsung and ordered the US giant to pay unspecified damages for patent
infringement.
AFP
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