14 DAY TRIAL // The Samsung Galaxy S 4 is on everybody’s lips. There’s certainly a wide range of opinions in the blogosphere, and some of the most prominent Wall Street analysts have been eager to get a word out regarding the potential threat to Apple’s iPhone 5.
ZDnet has a few statements from financial analysts who track both Samsung and Apple, and the general consensus seems to be that the S 4, with all its oomph, is really not much of a threat to the Cupertino giant’s iPhone.
They have some strong arguments to back up this theory too. For instance, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said, “We believe the S4 will certainly sell well and it is incrementally negative for Apple; however, the device is not revolutionary, in our view.”
“Aside from the large screen size, which we believe gives Samsung a large advantage over Apple, we believe many of the features can easily be replicated,” added Misek.
The analyst also said that many Galaxy users hate the underlying customized software, and the S 4 will not be much different from this standpoint.
However, the analyst admits that skeptics will need to wait diligently to see the real world performance before they issue a final verdict.
Topeka analyst Brian White chimed in to say, “…we view the Galaxy S 4 as a refresh but NOT a game changer. We believe the iPhone 5S will handily outsell Samsung's new flagship smartphone in the second-half of the year, while we believe Apple will expand its world with a lower-priced iPhone in 2013.”
Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster, one of the most renowned Apple analysts, believes the new Samsung device is very comparable to Apple’s own “S” incremental updates. In other words, it’s not something big enough to be able to disrupt the market.
“While there was hype around the event approaching that of an iPhone launch, the device launched was very similar to an Apple ‘S’ model update,” he said.
Munster admits that the S4 will most likely be the iPhone's biggest enemy this year, but his firm maintains that Apple will continue to sell iPhones like hot cakes, and that “includes a cheaper phone in the September quarter,” reads the analyst’s research note.
Munster concludes saying, “We view the S4 as unlikely to meaningfully impact iPhone share of the high-end over the full year, but do expect it to take share from other Android phones.”