Sam Oliver
Samsung recently inked a deal with Swiss Federal Railways, the same organization that accused Apple of copying one of its iconic clock designs, leading some to speculate that Samsung may have sought the contract solely to make a dig at Apple.
Earlier this month, Samsung revealed that it had reached a deal with Swiss Federal Railways to supply 30,000 phones and tablets to the organization also known as the SBB.
But back in 2012, after the debut of iOS 6, the same state-owned rail company had a public spat with Apple, in which the SBB accused the iPhone maker of stealing its iconic clock face design created in 1944 by Swiss engineer Hans Hilfiker. The clock remains the property of SBB, and is still used in the Swiss operation's train stations, and the clock design Apple had used in iOS 6 bore a striking resemblance.
Apple eventually paid $21 million to the SBB in late 2012 to license the clock design. And it's because of that dispute and subsequent payment that Bloomberg suggested this week that Samsung's new deal with the SBB was a way for the South Korean electronics maker to "stick it" to Apple.
Adding to their suspicion is the fact that Samsung made the announcement just as the company's highly publicized patent infringement trial with Apple is getting underway. Neither Samsung nor Apple would comment on the matter, but a spokesperson for Swiss Railways told Bloomberg that Samsung made the best offer.
The SBB plans to use the Samsung Galaxy lineup of tablets and phones for employee communications, ticket purchasing and other services as part of the contract.
Charles Martin
Christine McKee
Oliver Haslam
William Gallagher
75 Comments
Ahh - as far as "sticking it" to Apple, I think this is kind of a weak effort. Making a better phone than Apple without copying their tech would be much more effective.
I haven't travelled on any Swiss Railways yet, but it's only natural to conclude that customers from now on will experience more delays, interrupted service and maybe even a few derailments, since saving a few pennies is their main priority.
I can understand certain people choosing Samsung, such as people on welfare, and people who don't have bank accounts, but there is no excuse for any business to be choosing Samsung. That tells me all that I need to know about that business.
It's like when I walk into a restaurant, I expect them to serve coke, as in coca cola, the real deal. I don't care if they made some deal with Pepsi that saved them money and they don't serve coke. I won't be coming back to that restaurant.
It's the same thing with tablets, I expect to only see iPads, the real deal. I don't care if they got some cheap junk from Samsung instead. They won't be getting my business.
Eayyy! I gotchr' rounded corners right here! Eayyyy...
Swiss Federal Railways RIP!
How is this sticking it to Apple? Sounds more like they are sticking it to SBB. Or simply put, that SBB is getting what they pay for.