[Galaxy S 4 General] puremind:
Not so long ago Apple was in the same position that Samsung is in now. A comfortable position. Apple refused to increase display size and then had to do it to meet market demand or they would have seen their market share decrease rapidly.

By purchasing the phones that we want more of, we make other brands deliver more phones that we want. At least in capitalist economies this is how it works. So I will continue to put pressure on Samsung revenues and continue to criticize for what they do not give.

I don't think that Samsung can ignore the press reception, or the cumulated effect of users like me that make a conscious choice not to buy Galaxy devices until they have met those expectations. I don't think I will be the only one to welcome the alternative that is given to me by HTC. There will be others bemoaning exactly the same things.

When Apple introduced their MacBooks, it was the norm to think that an ugly polycarbonate laptop without style and with a 200:1 contrast can win in the market. Some have adapted (e.g. Asus) and are winning, while others have totally missed the point.

Increasingly customers are putting pressure on manufacturers through their purchasing decisions. I have never been an Apple fan, because they failed so much on the internals of the phone, constantly lagging behind the market, but I give them credit for completely reshaping the mobile device industry. From one phone initially, they have contaminated the whole industry and completely changed the standards by which we judge mobile devicess.

Samsung will have to adapt or find that their previous performance-related competitive advantage has melted away and that they need to fight on the design front too.

This year, they were taken by surprise by HTC (and not only them). The coming months will show us whether their will fall prey to their own greed or whether they will adapt to the new environment. As long as design was the preserve of Apple, they didn't have to worry too much about the Android faction, but now here they are face to face with an Android competitor that matches and in some areas surpassed them in terms of performance, while also offering something that they don't on the design front.

The HTC One is game changing. And we should all be happy about it! It is not perfect, but it is a viable alternative to the S4.

---------- Post added at 12:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:03 PM ----------

Yes, it is a bit harsh, the way HTC is telling users "if you don't have money to buy a phone every year, you shouldn't bother with our phone, we only produce for the premium market segment".

It kind of makes you feel like **** when you can't afford to change your phone every year. But that's the way it is. HTC clearly said they target the more premium market segment of users that "want the best technology wrapped in mouth-watering design" and they do not seek to "appeal to the masses" like Samsung "appears to do".

Apple has done the same before and still they keep being successful. So maybe batteries do not wane as fast as you suggest (HTC One has battery protection because Fast Charge is disabled to protect your investment, so it will not deteriorate as fast) or those "premium" users really do buy the latest phone every year...?

The iPhone 5 is still selling strong in spite of being outdated and no removable battery, so maybe not everyone needs it.

---------- Post added at 12:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 PM ----------

Yes, it is not only the style that is subpar, it is also the fact that the design almost didn't change versus the previous generation. I think that's what is disappointing more than anything else. If they had at least innovated and proposed something different, even if it used plastic, I think the market would have acclaimed them?

Nokia reinvented themselves, HTC has made leaps into the future, Sony has a waterproof glass construction, even LG made huge improvements. Amongst the top brands, only Samsung failed to generate excitement about their new (old) design.

---------- Post added at 12:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:38 PM ----------

To be fair, I think the amount of space lost on the HTC One is about the same, but this is starting from 32GB and on a device that costs 5-10% less.

---------- Post added at 12:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 PM ----------

As I said, after only 2 weeks, the quality has picked up. The new units do not exhibit any of the early flaws. And even then, those flaws were very minor and nothing you would notice if you don't know where to look.

Have you followed the HTC Serials thread? You can see the evolution by date of production there.

Glass and plastic had an equal amount of issues (S3 and iPhone 5), and still many people were happy with the build quality in the end.