The mobile computing platform is torn into two generations. Pre 2007 and post 2007. Until the year 2007, world was running on Nokia's simple yet elegant phones. There was literally zero competition from any segment. And it placed Nokia as the reigning champ for years.
When Steve Jobs got tired of marketing iMacs and MacBook to the general public who was still holding on to their precious Windows which at the end of the day got the job done. The idea of venturing into the mobile industry was nothing short of a courageous move. For a company which made its name thanks to the big powerful Macs, the idea of going big in a world of smaller things was truly a risky business.
They say when you think, think big. And that's exactly what Jobs did. The result is for all of us to see first hand. The iPhone showcase was a momentous occasion for the mobile industry. The MacDaddy got it right. Public was ecstatic. The world was awestruck. And just like that, we forgot all about the Nokias and the Samsungs. Production went underway, stores got filled with preorders, iStore queues got longer, mass frenzy was in effect, shelves were emptied before they were filled, production went into overdrive and the product sold into millions overnight. If there was an overnight success story this would be one. Although years of planning went into the same. Bigger things were awaiting the launch.
With success comes criticism. Even though public loved the new iPhones, they did get criticized for not implementing some very basic features. Thongs like these don't really affect people who were too mesmerised by the sleek world of iPhone.
All was not too well with Apple though, when Google released its Android OS for mobile platform. And Samsung, immediately recognized its business potential. Since touchscreens were a thing of the present and future, Samsung literally went into overdrive and released millions of so called "iPhone inspired" models. These phones sold like hot cakes owing to low prices and competitive features. Android ads were a hit with the public. For the first time, the hardware of the phone was not the topic of discussion but the OS. Android became an overnight celebrity. From cheap knockoffs of iPhone to the high end ones from Samsung, HTC, Sony, these phones gave so much competition that Samsung had went past iPhone sales in the last quarter.
These developments were too hot for Apple to handle. The only way for it to save face was to do what they should have done a long time ago. They filed patent suits against each mobile manufacturer. And boy, just like that the War had begun. Multiple lawsuits, hundreds of lawyers, numerous in-House litigations and such were the frenzy in the public arena that no one was spared. Apple started winning some big ones with the $ 1.04 million from Samsung. But sadly the kind of lawsuits were too childish to begin with and no one ended up being a winner albeit killed innovation in doing so.
The war seems to be far from over with Google acquiring Motorola and starting to seriously looking into the hardware aspect of the mobile phone arena. Apple bringing out iPhones with better features like Siri. Apple is trying its best to ward off dependence on competitors with giving the semiconductor manufacturing to TSMC rather than Samsung and going for Apple Maps rather than relying on Google Maps.
Lets hope to see a better future for both the Tech giants.