While some U.S. tech media reports have portrayed Samsung's benchmark fraud as a minor embarrassment related to numbers "nobody cares about," faking benchmarks is a big business in Asia, particularly among White Box Tablets, a market segment the U.S. tech media does consider relevant when talking about Apple's iPad market share of "shipments."
Cheating test scores and misrepresenting device capabilities are rampant at Samsung, but are also being used by virtually every other Android licensee apart from Google itself, research shows.
Samsung's recently released Galaxy Gear smart watch may be the product of a rushed development effort spurred on by rumors that Apple was preparing to enter the wearable technology segment in a big way.
An early review of Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 noted that it "scores really, really well in benchmark tests," but also explained that edge is achieved through some phony doping that kicks in a steroid boost only when running synthetic benchmark apps.
A rumor out of the Far East on Sunday claims Apple has once again retained Samsung's services to build a next-generation processor dubbed the "A8," though a majority of production will reportedly be handled by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
In a post to its official global blog on Friday, Samsung addressed critics' claims that it aped Apple's iPhone 5s by releasing a gold Galaxy S4, rattling off a list of eight similarly colored legacy models dating back to 2004.
Customers are up in arms as news comes that the SIM-unlocked version of Samsung's latest Note "phablet" features DVD-style region locking, meaning that frequent intercontinental travelers must pay carrier roaming rates to use their devices on a cellular network overseas.
Just days after Apple's new gold iPhone 5s went on sale, Samsung has announced the new Galaxy S4 "Gold Edition," though the back of the device retains the same plastic design as other models.
Following the public release of iOS 7, Apple's newest operating system is thrown into the fire against its strongest competitors in a battery of user experience tests, and coming out on top against Samsung's customized Android build and Microsoft's Windows Phone.
Samsung's commercials may make fun of Apple fans waiting in lines for the next iDevice, but the South Korean tech giant may not be above trying to figure out just what drives those fans to queue up hours and days in advance.
Apple's shift to 64-bit mobile devices in iOS 7 came as a surprise, but the company's information outlined for developers indicates that the shift to 64-bit mobile apps will bring significant benefits in the short term, something Google's Android appears challenged to replicate even in the long term.
Apple has long been expected to move its A-series chip production from Samsung to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. This wasn't expected to happen before next year, but mounting evidence suggests TSMC may already be building the unprecedented 64-bit A7 inside the iPhone 5s.
After Apple announced that the A7 chip in its iPhone 5s will be the first 64-bit smartphone processor on the market, Samsung quickly revealed that its next-generation Galaxy handsets will also go 64-bit.
Apple's iOS device unveilings are typically the top talk of whatever day they occur on — and sometimes the day after that — but that didn't stop a number of the company's competitors from trying to steal the spotlight from the iPhone 5s and 5c with some strategically-placed ads.
Apple isn't the only major electronics maker to accuse Samsung of copying, as vacuum manufacturer Dyson has filed a new patent infringement suit against the South Korean company.
Regulators in the European Union are calling for Samsung to offer greater concessions in order to head off a fine over antitrust violations in its ongoing patent disputes with Apple.
Samsung and Sony have already thrown their hats into the wearable tech ring, and Apple is expected to do so in the next year, but now word emerges that silicon giant Intel is also plotting a move into wearable devices and has made a couple of recent hires that indicate it is considering the wrist as prime real estate.
Samsung is organizing a "strategic conference" with 400 investors and analysts, in order to "fight a gnawing suspicion that its heyday may have come and gone."
Samsung spared no expense hyping the unveiling of its Galaxy Note 3 smartphone and Galaxy Gear smart watch in New York City on Wednesday, utilizing prime real estate in Times Square for a live music performance, a video stream of its keynote presentation, and an opportunity for pedestrians to be among the first to try out its latest gadgets.
On Wednesday in Berlin, Apple rival Samsung announced three new Android-powered devices that will become part of its mobile arsenal: smartphone and tablet versions of its Galaxy Note series and a much-anticipated smart watch marking the company's biggest step into the wearable computing segment.
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Daniel Eran Dilger
Kevin Bostic
AppleInsider Staff
Mikey Campbell
Shane Cole
Neil Hughes
