TechieGroups

KOREAN GADGET MAKER Samsung will push Bada next year and is aiming to load the operating system (OS) on 17 per cent of its devices, a Samsung executive told The INQUIRER.

Keith O’ Brien, head of content at Samsung mobile claimed that Samsung has 33 per cent of the UK mobile phone market and smartphone market share of 25 per cent at the end of week 40.

He said, “Next year we expect there to be some changes. 2011 has been about Android and next year, Android will have 66 per cent of Samsung device share and Bada and Windows will have 17 per cent each.”

O’Brien said that Samsung’s strategy is to go for as wide a reach as possible, adding, “Each [OS] gives you a choice. Bada is perfect as it is created in tandem and Bada for us represents a strategy we have always had.”

He admitted, though, “It’s been an Android year and Android has dominated sales.” O’Brien added, “Next year, the market will increase significantly and the size of the smartphone market will increase, with all three platforms growing at the same time.”

Responding to a question from The INQUIRER, O’Brien also gave us Samsung’s stance on Google’s ambitions to buy Motorola, saying, “We endorse and support the Google Motorola deal. We support all OSs and Google has stated that as being a hardware and software maker will improve Android.”

O’Brien hinted that Samsung is also working on further integrating all of its electronics devices through content, with Bada seen as the perfect OS as it belongs to the electronics firm.

He said, “There will be more integration on devices to come. We as an electronics company need to capitalise on all of the products. If you engage with a Samsung product you are able to navigate these [products].”

A Samsung Movies film service will be available when the Wave III smartphone launches, allowing users to rent or buy movies on their device. A Samsung music service is also up and running.

Samsung isn’t the only one looking to further integrate its devices, as LG has been vocal about having similar aims. Sony also has some device integration, helped by its gaming credentials.

One thing we are sure of, however. Bada will need some pretty strong marketing support if it’s going to take off in a market dominated by IOS and Android. µ

KOREAN ELECTRONICS GIANT Samsung is seeking depositions from Apple’s top product designers in its legal battle against the firm.

Apple and Samsung have been in a bitter and widespread patent battle with lawsuits and countersuits going on in courts all over the world. Now Samsung’s US lawyers are seeking depositions from Apple’s top product designers Jonathan Ive, Douglas Satzger, Shin Nishibori and Christopher Stringer.

While Ive’s role within Apple is well known, the other three designers all had significant input into some of Apple’s most popular products, with Nishibori and Stringer appearing on several Apple patent applications. Interestingly, Satzger was last seen leaving Apple to work for Palm, though there is no word on whether he is currently working for HP, which bought Palm.

Samsung had originally planned for these depositions to happen in mid-October but filed another motion to delay, citing unavailability by Satzger, Nishibori, Ive and Stringer.

Samsung’s request for depositions concerns only the US case between Apple and Samsung, which was originally filed in April 2011 and is expected to reach trial in July 2012. It will be interesting to see if Samsung manages to get Apple’s creative gurus to somehow help its case. After all, it’s highly unlikely that Ive and the others will say that the Iphone and Ipad were not products of their own creative minds. µ

SMARTPHONE HOPEFUL Microsoft is trying to halve its Windows Phone device costs as it tries to drive up sales.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 operating system has, so far, been an embarrassment for the firm. Since launching it a year ago the company has publicly admitted that sales have been lower than expected, and now the firm is telling potential customers that the cost of making Windows Phone devices will fall by 50 per cent over the next year.

Andy Lees, head of Microsoft’s Windows Phone division told Bloomberg that devices running Windows Phone could be produced for less than 0, with Microsoft’s main focus being to increase the number of devices sold rather than gross profit margin.

Lees said, “We are supporting componentry that will allow us to go below 0,” which sounds great until you realise Apple’s Iphone 4S already costs less than 0 to make.

Interestingly, Microsoft’s desire to drive down prices will mean that it will make less money from handsets. The firm’s royalty structure means that it gets a percentage of the manufacturing cost of a handset rather than a fixed fee.

Microsoft has maintained a single chip vendor specification and Lees said that there is no plan to move away from Qualcomm for Windows Phone 7 or Windows Phone 7.5. There’s no word on whether this will change for Windows Phone 8.

While Microsoft might suffer a financial hit if manufacturing costs of Windows Phone handsets decrease, what the firm really needs is the ability to say it has sold tens of millions of devices. The problem is that smartphone makers might not be too impressed with a sub 0 target for putting together a Windows Phone device. µ

MAKER OF EXPENSIVE PRINTER INK HP has added to confusion about what it will do with its PC business by now saying that it wants spin off the unit.

According to Reuters, HP is working on understanding the larger implications of separating the PC business from rest of the company.

An HP spokeswoman said, “We prefer a spin-off as a separate company and the working hypotheses is that a spin-off will be in the best interests of HP’s shareholders, customers and employees.

“However, we have to complete the diligence process and validate this assumption, including fully understanding the dis-synergies in separating the PSG business from HP.”

Last Thursday, HP strongly denied saying that it planned to quit its PC business, despite having said the previous week that it planned to spin it off or sell it.

We debated whether spinning something off is the same thing as quitting it and, since we assume that means give it to someone else, we assumed that they meant more or less one and the same.

But Paul Hunter, MD for the HP PC business in the UK and Ireland told us in no uncertain terms that we were wrong.

“I’d like to firstly clear up any misunderstanding that has arisen from the earnings announcement around the future of the Personal Systems Group,” he said in a letter to our editor.

“There have been a number of incorrect stories saying that HP is quitting the PC business. Let me be absolutely clear in saying that at no stage has HP said it is quitting the PC business. Three options are being investigated, and whether the company is spun off, sold or kept in the HP portfolio, the team in the UK remains committed to creating and supporting great products and services.”

HP said the whole process could take 12 months to 18 months, but a final decision about its PC unit is expected by the end of this calendar year. We won’t be holding our breath. µ

MAKER OF EXPENSIVE PRINTER INK HP went wild on the announcement front last night and revealed that it will buy enterprise search firm Autonomy, drop WebOS and look to sell off its PC business.

These announcements, we think, are so huge that HP should have hired a barge, bought a load of fireworks and travelled the waterways of the country shouting about them.

It did not though, and perhaps this was because these massive changes were always on the cards. HP CEO Leo Apotheker came from the German software firm SAP and might rather not deal with hardware, or unpredictable tablet software like WebOS, and be much more comfortable with boring, safe and high margin enterprise software.

In fact, in the conference call announcing these changes, Apotheker stamped his name on the decisions. “I am taking ownership for these decisions and investments,” he said.

“Our TouchPad has not been gaining enough traction in the marketplace. We have made the difficult but necessary decision to shut down the WebOS hardware operations.”

Although this bit of news makes HPs purchase of Palm for its smartphone and tablet designs look like a waste of money, the company presumably expects to get more bang for its buck from Autonomy, for which it will pay £7.1bn.

The intended shift out of HP’s traditional PC business and the lurch away from competing in tablets and smartphones are acknowledgements of how much impact the latter has had on the former’s sales. Apparently unable to compete profitably in either area, it seems that HP has decided to bow out gracefully.

“Today is about transforming HP for the future,” Apotheker said. “The tablet effect is real… Continuing to execute our current device approach in the market space is no longer in the interest of HP.”

Michael Dell, who we can imagine is also not ‘in the interest of HP’ greeted the news with a couple of stingers on his Twitter account.

“If HP spins off their PC business….maybe they will call it Compaq?”, he said, and then, “HP…. They are calling it a separation but it feels like a divorce”. µ

WHAT BETTER WAY to spend a sunny Friday afternoon than taking part in a very brief INQUIRER survey and getting in on the chance of winning a smartphone of your choice*?

Here at The INQUIRER we’re thinking of making a few changes to the web site and adding some new features, and we’d love to hear your views. Please tell us what you like – and don’t like – about our current web site and coverage, and if there are any new areas or technologies that we should start covering or any ways that we can better serve you.

To say thank you for filling out our very quick survey of only five questions, we’ll enter you into our drawer to win a SIM-free smartphone up to the value of £500. Then you can get back to the sun and a well-earned weekend beer. µ

*SIM-free smartphone up to the value of £500, mobile operator contract not included.