The complex relationship between Apple and Samsung

It is understood that the two fierce competitors, Apple and Samsung, continue to conduct business with each other despite fierce patent litigation. Both of them have a strange relationship.

The relationship between Apple and Samsung is difficult to understand. There is no doubt that these two companies hate each other and both parties are witnesses of the scars they have received in numerous lawsuits. However, they cooperated in the production of some Apple products. Despite repeatedly calling for a compromise between the two parties, both of them seem to insist on continuing their own legal proceedings, although they do not see that the lawsuit can bring decisive advantages to any party.

From the outside, the relationship between Apple and Samsung is justified, good and strange. Why does a company seem to hate another company and often cooperate well? It should be admitted that this may be more related to necessity than to selectivity. However, this situation shows an important problem: In the technical field, even controversial relationships cannot stop reasonable business practices.

Therefore, based on this understanding, industry insiders examined the sometimes strange and sometimes hateful relationship between Apple and Samsung. This relationship has become the background for consumers to buy smartphones and tablets. The following are the top 10 issues in understanding the complex relationship between Apple and Samsung.

1. They Are Leaders If Apple and Samsung are not dominant in the mobile space, people do not have so much to say about them. However, both companies are dominant in this field. Therefore, they become targets of attack between each other. Before this situation changes, don't expect much love between the two companies. At present, this situation may not change.

2. Patent Litigation Continues Patent Litigation The growth and innovation of the mobile industry has cast a big shadow. Regrettably, Apple and Samsung have no dispute about the two biggest culprits in filing lawsuits. For companies that work closely together, it seems a bit strange that they are so willing to take so many legal proceedings. However, this is exactly what the two companies are doing.

3. They are partners to a certain extent. However, despite ruthless lawsuits, Apple and Samsung are still business partners. Samsung has been supplying Apple with processors for various mobile products. These mobile products are the focus of Samsung's lawsuit against Apple. Although Apple has taken steps to reduce its reliance on Samsung's components for its mobile products, the degree of verbal ambiguity in the lawsuit is still strange.

4. They can discriminate between some things. Although Apple and Samsung hate each other, they are actually very close partners. As pointed out, Samsung supplies processor chips to Apple, which requires the two companies to work closely together on new products. Apple even admits that it is important to maintain a superficial relationship with Samsung. Both companies are good at differentiating things for their own greater benefit.

5. They don't care about other vendors. If Apple and Samsung have something in common, then they really do not care about other mobile vendors. Both companies know that they are in a dominant position. They will not waste too much time bullying other companies. Apple has filed a lawsuit against Motorola and expressed coldness for Google's entry into the mobile phone market. Not only that, nothing is more attractive to them than curbing other companies.

6. They all tolerated Google Apple and Samsung have been forced to tolerate Google. Samsung and Google maintain a very good relationship, so Samsung can bring Nexus devices to market and defeat those competitors who want to use Google’s additional marketing efforts. Apple tolerated Google, allowing Google to provide Android operating system and did not sue Google. This situation may soon change. But, at least so far, Apple is content to target the Android vendor, not Google, which actually develops the software.

7. Apple's relationship with Samsung seems to be deteriorating. Apple is systematically reducing its reliance on Samsung components. On the A5 and A5X processors, Apple and Samsung jointly designed and produced the two processors. In terms of the A6 processor, Apple only makes Samsung produce this processor. Is this a sign of what will happen?

8. Competition is expanding to other aspects Generally speaking, Apple and Samsung are really fighting only in the mobile space. For some time, this is indeed the case. However, there are rumors that Apple will completely give up Samsung in processor development. In addition, Samsung is trying to compete with Samsung by launching a light notebook. Some people even said that Apple will launch TV products to compete with Samsung. Samsung is currently the world's largest manufacturer of TV shipments. Competition is rapidly expanding.

9. They continue to fight because the fight does not harm their business. If patent litigation and public condemnation actually damage Apple or Samsung's business, they will definitely stop fighting. However, as recent performance shows, consumers are not dissatisfied with their struggle. Apple continues to generate billions of dollars in revenue each quarter. Samsung’s latest disclosure stated that its operating profit in the third quarter was approximately 8.1 trillion won (7.3 billion US dollars), which was nearly double the same period of last year. It seems that no matter what the two companies are doing, there is no problem.

10. Samsung is just a temporary attack target for Apple Looking back at the history of Apple's market struggle, its fight with Samsung may not last long. It seems that Apple will find a new company to hate every few years. Microsoft was once a company hated by Apple, then Google, when Eric Schmidt left the Apple board. Now this company is Samsung. A large company can hate multiple competitors at the same time, but Apple generally does not do that. Apple has always fought against a company in history. It is very likely that Apple's attention will soon shift to other areas, such as televisions.