10 Reasons Why Samsung And Motorola Threaten Apple

Apple is undoubtedly a mobile powerhouse. The company’s iPhone is selling like gangbusters and its iPad continues to dominate the market.

By the looks of things, it doesn’t seem that there is a single company in the mobile marketplace that has any chance of threatening Apple’s position.

Of course, some might disagree with that. Those dissenters would say that Google is the biggest threat to Apple in the mobile market, as evidenced by its Android platform’s success over the past year.

It’s a compelling argument, but it might not be something Apple worries as much about — yet. True, Android is growing, but the impact that growth has had, at least so far, on Apple’s revenue and profits, has been minimal.

Outside of Google, Samsung and Motorola might be the top threats to Apple’s mobile success. Together, the companies offer some of the most compelling non-Apple devices on the market. And they have the kind of name-recognition that makes them real threats to Apple’s iPhone and iPad.

Will Samsung and Motorola ruin Apple in the mobile market? Of course not, but out of any other companies, the smartphone and tablet makers are Apple’s biggest threat.

Here’s why:

1. Galaxy S smartphones are catching on

Samsung has sold more than 10 million Galaxy S smartphones since their launch last year. Yes, that figure pales in comparison to the tens of millions of iPhones Apple has sold in the same span. But it’s an impressive figure nonetheless. It proves that Samsung knows how to market its products and appeal to customers even though Apple is still competing in those markets. It also proves that not everyone is so willing to jump on the iPhone bandwagon.

2. The Galaxy Tab is the iPad’s best competitor

Like Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphone, the company’s Galaxy Tab is one of the more popular tablets in the mobile space. In fact, Samsung announced recently that it has sold more than 1 million tablet units since that device’s launch. Once again, that won’t match the iPad. But the tablet market is still in its infancy. If Samsung can offer an even more compelling tablet this year, it could take a deeper bite out of the iPad’s market share.

3. Motorola is a major Verizon threat

As Apple prepares to offer its iPhone to US carrier Verizon, it would be imprudent of the company to forget about Motorola. For years now, Motorola has been the best alternative to Apple and its iPhone for Verizon customers. The company’s Droid devices have performed extremely well. Given the quality of those products, especially the Droid X, one shouldn’t be so quick to say that the iPhone will steamroll Motorola’s alternatives when it launches on Verizon’s network next month.

4. The Xoom tablet should scare Apple

Motorola unveiled one of the most appealing iPad alternatives ever announced at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. Dubbed the Xoom, the tablet boasts a 10.1-inch display (Apple’s iPad has a 9.7-inch screen), Android 3.0, two cameras, video-recording functionality and much more. It earned top honours at CES for its impressive spec sheet and functionality. Once it hits store shelves later this year, it could prove to be the biggest threat yet to Apple’s dominant tablet market share.

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