By Kim Yoo-chul
The iPhone 4S has landed in Korea, the land of Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy smartphones.
The last product introduced while Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs was alive received an enthusiastic initial response.
KT as well as SKT, Korea’s top carriers, hosted events to celebrate its arrival, while thousands of people lined up to buy the latest version of the iPhone.
Preorders for the phone reached half a million, reflecting its popularity.
This time, however, Samsung doesn’t appear to have been caught off guard as it was when the iPhone 4 was introduced.
More than 4.2 million Samsung Galaxy S IIs have so far been sold since its introduction a few months ago. Local retailers said 20,000 Galaxy S IIs were being sold on a daily basis.
Some 2.5 million iPhone 4s, the precursor to the iPhone 4S, were sold according to data from KT and SK Telecom.
The Korean debut of the iPhone 4S comes as carriers and major handset manufacturers including LG are spending large amounts on advanced smartphones that support Long Term Evolution (LTE), which is regarded as the next-generation mobile technology that will eventually replace the current 3G-based one.
“The iPhone 4S may produce revenue growth, as LTE hasn’t fully taken off. But one key point is that local outlets are giving much more subsidies to LTE phone customers — support by carriers and manufacturers — and I think that will dampen consumer demand for the phone,” said Kim Chang-hyun, a manager who runs a phone-selling outlet near Samsung Electronics headquarters.
Samsung Galaxy S II LTE smartphones are leading the race for LTE-equipped devices, followed by LG Electronics, Pantech and even Taiwan’s HTC.
“Koreans are very sensitive about hardware specifications such as data-downloading speed. Since LTE smartphones are far better than 3G-based phones in data speed, the iPhone 4S, which doesn’t support LTE tech, won’t make a huge impact,” Kim said.
Siri is the exclusive addition to the iPhone 4S, while Apple hasn’t changed the surface design of the phone.
Apple released a software update for its iOS 5 operating system after some consumers complained of battery problems in the new iPhone.
Kim Ji-won, a spokeswoman for SK Telecom, declined to comment on its internal target for the iPhone 4S, while KT spokeswoman Kim Yoon-jeong followed suit citing the sensitivity of the issue.
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics has dropped its earlier plan to sue Apple in a local court for a complete sales ban on the new phone.
“Samsung’s legal team is still reviewing the possibility. But chances are quite low that Samsung will sue Apple in local court over patent infringements,” said a senior Samsung executive.
In an event to unveil a Samsung-Google Nexus phone last month, Samsung’s mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun said Samsung will extend its patent battle with Apple even in South Korea.