In Depth: Highs and lows for Samsung in 2012

It's often said that God works in mysterious ways. And for those who believe in the afterlife, the thought that the late Steve Jobs may have been upstairs whispering into the ear of the big man isn't hard to imagine.

After all, it's been a busy year for the South Koreans, from innovating to litigating - and finding $1bn down the back of the sofa to pay a fine to Apple.

How things has changed since Samsung came onto the scene years ago with the dual-screen A300. Now, they're, debatably, the market leader in tech.

Here, we take a look at their highs and lows of 2012.

1. The Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note 10.1

Love them, or hate them, there's no denying that 2012 has given us probably the best portfolio we've seen from Samsung.

When the much-anticipated Galaxy S3 was announced earlier this year, it wasn't at CES or MWC like its peers.

The Galaxy S3 – TechRadar's phone of the year, so far

Such was the excitement around it, Samsung was able to hold its own event, taking a cue from arch-rival Apple, because it was so confident the crowds would come specifically to see what was on offer.

The day of launch came and we were there to see the queue at the Samsung store in Stratford. It may not have been iPhone length, but it was pretty big.

It's still at the top of our list as best phone. The punters agree – Samsung managed to ship 18 million of the things in the third quarter of this year.

And don't get us started on the Note 2, which we reviewed and found to be one of the best devices out there.

Even the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet has managed to sell impressively – despite having a fairly lower-resolution screen than those we've grown accustomed to.

2. Beating Apple (to an extent)

Naturally, this annoyed Apple.

Remember how Steve Jobs threatened to "go thermonuclear" on Android because he felt it was a stolen product? Well, as Samsung got bigger, Jobs' ire (and that of Apple after his demise) appeared to shift less from Google and more to Samsung.

Things like S-Voice didn't help the issue (come on – who thinks that isn't Siri rebadged and made into a more rubbish product?)

The legal toing and froing has made us dizzy and reminiscent of a game of ping-pong, with a £652m ($1.05bn) fine in place of the ball.

But the sweetest part of Samsung's fight will have been the victory it scored in forcing Apple to publish an apology on its website. Not just tucked away anywhere as was originally the deal – but on the UK front page, no less. Ouch! And it's still there, for all to see as they head to Apple online to buy their Christmas presents. Double ouch!

3. Giving us the first Galaxy Camera

Nobody (even Cupertino) could accuse Samsung of not being innovative.

Sure, a lot of things in Android (and TouchWiz) are similar to those found in iOS, and vice versa. Who invented them is a whole other story.

But the newly launched Galaxy Camera has been a great creation.

Snap Happy – The Galaxy Camera, allowing peeping toms to Instagram their naughty snaps

Again, Wi-Fi enabled cameras aren't new – but one running 3G and Android?! Now, that is cool.

Remember, this isn't a phone with a great camera. It's a great camera with a phone added on. Or, at least, the phone functionality - without the calls bit.

Naturally, it's more of a niche device – and it's hardly sleek or cheap - but the thought of being able to edit your phones on the go and even mix up a bit of Instagram action, then tweet or Facebook them, is truly marvellous. We're currently working on our detailed review – but early indications are that it's a belter.

4. Getting a new boss

And it's not just new products hitting the shelves; it's new people at the top too. Never ones to accuse companies of nepotism, we wouldn't dream of saying that Jay Y. Lee's recent appointment to vice president has anything to do with the fact that he is the son of the chairman.

In fact, his dad, Lee Kun Hee has been the big cheese there for the last 25 years – meaning old Junior will have learned from the best. And the news went down well within Sammy circles – meaning there's every chance Jay Y. Lee will continue to build on Samsung's incredible success.

5. Golden publicity

At London 2012 the world was watching and Samsung had a front-row seat as one of the main sponsors, meaning it got even more publicity worldwide.

The partnership was highly evident during the games – and tickets to events were even given to those early adopters of the Galaxy S3 if they bought direct from a Samsung store.

A golden endorsement even came from Goldenballs himself, David Beckham, as recently as late November, when he refused to answer a reporter's iPhone at a press conference because it wasn't a Samsung product. The video went viral. PR doesn't get better than this.

1. Losing out on key partnerships

It's not been a great year for some of Samsung's partnerships though.

Apple and Samsung have long held a deal where Samsung supplies parts to Cupertino, including memory chips. But Apple was reported to be cutting its reliance on its bitter rival amid the court action that has had the two sides at such odds.

Samsung's had to make up with orders from its own handset division and so, even though it's making huge profits on its phones, it'll be taking a hit on components, which can't be great for balance sheets.

Not only that, but Google went with rival South Koreans, LG, for their latest phone offering - the Nexus 4.

While Samsung did manage to secure a Nexus tablet deal, it will have been a bitter blow after successfully holding the Nexus contract with Google for nearly two years, giving us the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus handsets in that time.

2. Confusion over Ativ S

Samsung has also been struggling with other product lines.

Yes, Android is going great guns, but remember that motto, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket'? Yup – that's one Samsung could be learning from, as the firm's Windows Phone 8 offerings seem to have been given the B-Class treatment.

In fact, the debut Windows Phone 8 handset from the firm has been delayed until January, according to Carphone Warehouse, which means that it's missing out on that key Christmas market. Especially galling, considering offerings from the likes of Nokia and HTC are on the shelves and that by the time the Ativ S does grace us with its presence, it's going to be nothing special in most eyes.

The unloved sibling: The Ativ S has seen more delays than London Bridge station

3. Dropping fail

You know those videos that show idiots smashing up phones that we would kill to have? Yeah, those. Well, despite our personal feelings, there was something voyeuristic about seeing which would come out top when dropped onto a hard floor.

It made sense to pitch the Galaxy S3 against the new kid iPhone 5 and, sadly for Samsung, in most cases - surprisingly - the iPhone 5 proved to be more of a hard man. It's not what we'd have expected considering the weight and materials used in both, but the proof is all over the web.

And don't say that it doesn't matter because you take care of your phone – we do too. And all the casing and protection made no difference when we dropped our S3 on a concrete floor last week, shattering the screen. Cue tears, rants, emptying of bank accounts and insurance claims!

4. Security fears

And it's not just the physical side where Apple came out top, but the security element, too. Yep, we know Apple has long prided itself on that walled-garden approach when it comes to apps (for non-jail-broken devices), which means you're not susceptible to viruses, compared to Android.

But the fear was stoked earlier this year when it was revealed that Samsung devices in particular contained a specific line of code, thanks to TouchWiz, which made them vulnerable to nasty people and their nasty plans to do bad things to your phone if they so wished. There weren't reports of any handsets actually being exploited – but Samsung was forced to rush out a fix and the publicity wouldn't have done it any favours.

5. Being blinged up – badly

You remember that scene from ET where a young Drew Barrymore gets her hands on him and dresses him up? Yeah, that feeling when you see someone walking a cat in a pair of mini Ugg boots or pushing a pooch in a pram? That's how lots felt when they saw what Swarovski had done to the Galaxy S3.

The crystal kings got their hands on a model and rushed out this concept for those with more money than sense. Yours for a snip at £2,099 - but bad news for the wallet. At least you get a free case with it though – so the spirit of Christmas is alive and well.

Bling tidy – but imagine the insurance premium on this!

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By: Dilusha On 9:49 PM

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In Depth: Highs and lows for Apple in 2012

Apple used to be the underdog, but of late it's spent time flirting with being the biggest company in the world by market cap (depending on the price of petrol - Exxon's its closest rival at any given time).

Because of this, Apple continues to be a company people love to love (if they use its products) but also love to hate (if they don't use its products… and sometimes if they do).

2012 was the first year Apple was without its charismatic and forward-thinking founder Steve Jobs, and many pundits fired up their bonehead-o-meters and predicted nothing but doom and gloom.

Instead, we got the iPhone 5, iPad mini, and the bloke Apple bafflingly hired from Dixons got fired.

But there were lows to match the highs; not least Apple's disastrous iOS Maps app, and the realisation from onlookers that although the company is angered by plagiarism, Apple itself isn't against the odd bit of pilfering.

1. iPhone 5

The iPhone 4S was great, but underwhelmed people who apparently didn't understand something can be new without changing shape.

No problems with the iPhone 5. Taller! Thinner! Faster! Better! Of course, a few doomsayers said it wouldn't sell. Predictably, they were very wrong indeed.

The iPhone 5 with its new tall design, better camera and general loveliness

2. iPad mini

The worst-kept secret in tech arrived in October 2012.

It wasn't the first smallish tablet, and the display is closer to the one on the original iPad than the Retina models. However, those who've used an iPad mini mostly say it's surprised them: the device is light, fast and every bit as good as its larger siblings.

3. Retina displays

High-res displays on smartphones are one thing, but the iPad 3 wowed with its 9.7-inch Retina display.

Apple then took things further later in 2012, giving its MacBook Pro line the most beautiful displays imaginable; they come at a price and complicate Apple's line-up a touch more than we'd like, but they look gorgeous and are the new benchmark everyone must beat.

4. Growth and profits

If you've been around the block a few times, you'll remember Apple earnings calls used to be depressing affairs.

By contrast, the term 'record' is now used an awful lot. Apple in 2012 grew fast and was hugely profitable, which is a high in anyone's book.

5. A pile of new iPods

At Apple's September 2012 event, the iPad mini was expected, but new iPods showed Apple could still keep secrets.

The iPod touch got major upgrades (redesigned case; new camera; faster chip; better screen) and even the nano found itself back in favour, with a sleek new design and revised iOS-like interface.

New iPods arrived in late 2012. They're lovely. Also, we had no idea they were coming

6. Optical drives are go

And by 'go', we mean 'gone - as in 'outta here'.

The Mac Pro and the old MacBook Pro are now the only shipping Macs with optical drives. Good riddance. The fewer moving parts, the better; and, let's face it, someone needs to drive this kind of thing, or we'd all be using floppy discs.

7. Social integration

On the face of it, Apple welding Twitter and Facebook functionality to iOS and OS X doesn't seem like a big deal; but we're listing it as a high as recognition, more than anything, that Apple's realised it sucks at social. It also shot Ping. Hurrah!

8. Sir Jony Ive and chums

Ive has a major hand in all Apple's hardware, and 2012 was a great year for him: new iPads, new iPods, the iPhone 5, new iMacs and MacBook Pros. Oh, and he got a knighthood.

It's understandable, then, that Apple CEO Tim Cook now has Ive in control of all Apple human interface teams.

Jony Ive is now a Sir. He's also still a fantastic designer. Keep hold of him, Apple!

9. Bye bye, Dixons guy

When John Browett was hired by Apple to take over from Ron Johnson as the guy to run Apple's retail stores, Brits uttered a collective BWUH? This was the Dixons guy!

Six months later: boom - he was outta there. Not a high for Browett, but definitely one for Apple, given Browett's mistakes. It also showed Cook would put things right when needed.

10. Education inroads

Our final high is Apple's renewed focus on education.

iTunes U continues to improve, as does iBooks Author, which got a major upgrade in October 2012. Kids are the future, and if Apple can help get them there with more enthusiasm for education, that can only be a good thing.

1. iOS Maps

Each year, Apple has a tech disaster that pundits desperately weld 'gate' to. This year: mapgate.

Having ditched Google data, Apple rolled its own solution. The result: bendy architecture and data occasionally so inaccurate police said it could kill.

But, hey, at least you got free turn-by-turn! Although the Google Maps app now does this too...

The best thing we can say about the iOS Maps app is 'it will improve'

2. The new iPad

We don't mean the new new iPad (a.k.a. the iPad with Retina display/iPad 4), but the new iPad (a.k.a. the iPad 3).

To some, it looked interim at the time, and it became the first iPad to not last a year, punted out of the line-up after six months to make way for a faster successor. Tough luck if you bought one in spring 2012.

3. Lawsuits everywhere

We suspect for every engineer working at Apple there must be several hundred lawyers, if ongoing lawsuits are anything to go by.

To be fair to Apple, it's been the industry's R&D department too often, but even if Apple's sometimes in the right, legal action's never anything but a low.

4. Crazy stock swings

Given how profitable Apple is, its gargantuan cash reserves, and that people clamour for whatever device the company releases, 2012's stock swings were barmy.

AAPL crashed several times, and although it will probably end the year up on 2011, constant worry from an investment standpoint is troubling. (Note: we could say something nasty at this point about analysts regularly getting things wrong and in part causing said crashes, but we won't.)

5. Missing launch windows

iTunes 11: it'll be out in October! Or November! And that new iMac? Pre-order soon, and we'll get it to you, uh, sometime!

Given that Apple's now run by Tim 'clockwork' Cook, that launch-window screw-ups have occurred at all is a nasty surprise and really isn't very 'Apple'.

The competition would be delighted it if wasn't busy being far worse.

6. Increasingly buggy software

Long time Apple users are wondering if Apple's 2012 software slogan is 'fire and forget'.

A lot of software seems almost abandoned, with former iWork and iLife apps becoming increasingly sluggish.

Even new products like Game Center and iTunes 11 are surprisingly buggy coming from a company that prides itself on detail and polish.

7. Web service problems

Apple's never gotten the hang of web services, and 2012 found the company flailing.

Regular outages for iCloud, iTunes Match, the App Store and more caused untold problems for users.

Things didn't get 'MobileMe bad', but Apple hardly covered itself in glory online.

When Apple's online services work, they can be great. When they work

8. Losing Scott Forstall

We hear Forstall was a pain to work with and liked welding textures to iOS and OS X apps.

And, yes, Tim Cook's new system of organising Apple's senior staff could pay dividends. But it's worth remembering that Forstall was much of the brains behind iOS and the system having third-party apps.

He will be missed.

9. Send in the clones

This one's not Apple's fault, but a low for the company this year has been the continuation of rivals cloning its products; not least the MacBook Air.

No, it's not 'obvious' a laptop should look exactly like that - think of your own ideas!

10. Apple pilfering

Of course, Apple comes off as a touch hypocritical when it nicks designs itself, as per the Swiss national rail company's clock, which was more or less copied verbatim for the iPad Clock app.

Apple reportedly subsequently coughed up a cool £13 million for a license. That's an expensive clock-up.

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By: Dilusha On 7:37 PM

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In Depth: Highs and lows for Microsoft in 2012

You couldn't ignore Microsoft this year; a veritable flood of announcements and launches kept the company in the news.

Ballmer called 2012 "the most epic year in Microsoft's history", and we haven't seen Redmond be this feisty for quite some time.

But it wasn't all good news; there were delays, complaints and unwelcome surprises too. Here's our pick of Microsoft's hits and misses this year.

1. Windows 8

Key was the 16 million downloads of the preview releases, and though the 40 million licences sold in the first month sounds more like PR bluster, we're calling Windows 8 a success.

Despite continuing arguments over changing the Start menu to the Start screen, we think Windows 8 is a solid improvement that gives Microsoft a solid start in the tablet market, as well as adding more performance, security and battery life to PCs running familiar desktop applications, and a new version of IE that does well in every benchmark that's not designed to showcase WebKit.

Between Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Xbox, Office 2013, Skype and redesigns for Bing and MSN, Microsoft has its new look everywhere.

2. Surface

From a secret launch that had the internet buzzing, and the snap-on, click-in, super-thin Touch Cover, to literally days of battery life and a beautiful, glare-free screen that's strong enough to use as a skateboard and survive being run over at 60mph, Microsoft's first real tablet is new, different and striking.

Microsoft is increasing production on the original Surface and the Intel-based Surface Pro is on target for January. Questions do remain over sales figures though, but more on that later...

3. Windows Phone 8

Without knowing how many it sold last year, we can't tell if Microsoft selling four times as many Windows Phones with Windows Phone 8 is impressive or disappointing; but 40% increases in Facebook usage on Windows Phone and in submissions to the Windows Phone marketplace, and the Lumia 920 selling out almost everywhere it's on sale, argue for impressive.

Skype integration and seamless, elegant and definitely-different interface, plus great hardware options like wireless charging and Nokia's excellent low-light camera give the iOS and Samsung champions some real competition.

4. Xbox sales

It might be seven years old (and we're still hoping for a new model next year), but the Xbox 360 is still outselling the competition.

It was the best-selling console in the US in 2011 and by October this year, Xbox had remained the best-selling console in the US for 22 months in a row.

Most months it sells between 200 and 300,000 units and has 40-50% of the console market; but over Thanksgiving alone Microsoft sold over 750,000 Xboxes in the US (compared to 400,000 sales for the Wii U).

Add in 40 million Xbox LIVE members, over $220M in sales in just the first 24 hours that Halo 4 was available, and 62 streaming TV and movie services on Xbox LIVE , and Xbox is undeniably successful.

5. Xbox Music and SmartGlass

Free streaming in Windows 8 (even with some adverts that haven't shown up yet) and Smart DJ playlists in Xbox Music (on Windows 8 and Xbox) give Spotify some serious competition.

Using SmartGlass on Windows, iOS and Android devices to control your Xbox without ever picking up a controller is a really impressive experience (far more so than the hit-and-miss Windows 8 Play To features).

Add in Internet Explorer, SkyDrive and voice control on Xbox, and those Xbox sales numbers are clearly about more than just gaming.

Apple is still talking about tackling the TV and home entertainment market; Microsoft might have already done it.

6. Outlook.com

Hotmail has an image problem, with long-solved spam problems still haunting the service.

Not so Outlook.com, which has picked up over 25 million active users in just four months (and garnered plenty of praise for its clean Windows 8-style look, as well as for email management features that languished ignored in Hotmail).

A third of those users have come from Gmail, Microsoft says.

Other hits: the fantastic value of the Office 365 deal for students and Microsoft's smart move in snapping up business social network leaders Yammer (think Facebook at work).

7. Perceptive Pixel

The original Surface was a huge touchscreen for use in bars, hotels and sports venues and it never quite took off.

This year Microsoft bought touch pioneers Perceptive Pixel (whose touchscreens were the star of the 2008 US presidential election).

We expect their 80" touchscreens to start getting cheaper and a lot more common, and for some exciting new products to turn up with the Microsoft name on.

8. Botnet takedowns

Is Windows secure?

Windows 8 is the most secure Windows yet, but there are still plenty of infected PCs out there.

To its credit, Microsoft isn't just beefing up Windows security; its Digital Crimes Unit collaborates with law enforcement and security software companies to shut down the command and control servers – and the hackers – behind botnets.

Last year it helped take down Rustock and Waledac; this year it helped shut down the Kelihos, Zeus and Nitol botnets – a public service it deserves credit for.

1. Losing the Metro trademark

Metro was a catchy name that said what the Windows 8 and Windows Phone interfaces are supposed to be; as clear and unfussy as the signs at an airport or train station, with live information like a departure board keeping you up to date.

There was even a 'Metropolis' cityscape at the Windows 8 launch.

But even Microsoft's deep pockets couldn't persuade German supermarket chain Metro AG to let them use the name and that clarity got lost in a flurry of Modern, Windows Store, Windows 8 and Microsoft Design Style branding, and the claim that Metro was only ever a codename.

The cityscape was renamed Micropolis and then washed away by Hurricane Sandy, which Microsoft has to hope wasn't an omen.

Sure, what the product does matters more than what you call it, but a clear and memorable name is even more important when you're trying to distinguish two different versions of Windows.

2. No clear sales figures

At the Build conference, Steve Ballmer claimed an impressive 4 million sales (to end users and stores) in the three days since the Windows 8 launch, and after a month that was up to 40 million.

Initial US PC sales reports from NPD sounded far less positive, but since those figures cover PC sales before Windows came out and PC sales during Hurricane Sandy - but not PC sales in the big Thanksgiving shopping period - they're not particularly reliable.

The trouble is, with no actual Windows 8 PC sales figures, it's impossible to tell how well Windows 8 is selling, and the same is true of Surface.

Ballmer's comment about Microsoft's ambitions with Surface being modest was widely misreported as being about sales figures; it wasn't, and Microsoft has increased production of its Surface tablet.

But, again, until we see the real sales figures, no-one but Microsoft knows how successful it is.

3. Windows Phone secrecy

After Nokia leaked a video with Windows Phone head Joe Belfiore explaining the new features, Microsoft cracked down on everything about Windows Phone – including that the SDK developers need to create new apps.

Concentrating on big-name apps like Angry Birds means more of what the app users want is on Windows Phone 8, but it left smaller developers frustrated – and publicly venting that frustration.

And not bringing out Windows Phone 7.8 until 2013 avoids confusion with Windows Phone 8 (because the Start screens look the same, you'd be relying on the salesperson in the phone shop understanding the difference; unlikely in many cases).

But it also frustrates users who bought a Lumia, discovered they wouldn't get a full upgrade and are worried whether carriers will continue their often-abysmal record on approving Windows Phone updates.

4. IE10 for Windows 7 delays

Microsoft recovered fairly quickly from the 'mis-statement' that Windows 8 wouldn't get Flash updates between RTM and the October launch, and Flash updates now come on Patch Tuesday with other Windows updates.

But Windows 7 users waited for a new preview of Internet Explorer 10 from the end of June 2011 until 13th November 2012 when the Release Candidate finally appeared. That's a lot of Firefox and Chrome updates…

5. No news on Barnes and Noble

Microsoft let Barnes and Noble side-step a big court case over possible Android patent infringement, by announcing that it was teaming up with Microsoft to transform the ebook market.

We hoped for a dedicated Windows Phone or Windows 8 e-reader but all the partnership has produced so far is the Windows 8 Nook app.

6. Arguments over DNT

The Do Not Track standard is becoming a joke, with no real progress (but plenty of verbal punch-ups) in the last 18 months.

Microsoft is making privacy into a selling point by turning on DNT by default in Windows 8 and IE10; the advertisers are crying foul and Yahoo says it won't respect DNT in IE because users haven't turned it on themselves.

Given that DNT doesn't actually stop most websites tracking you, it all seems a bit of a storm in a teacup and we'd rather see Microsoft invest more in making Tracking Protection Lists (which do actually work) easier to install and use.

7. Negative marketing gone wrong

Microsoft has had some successful grassroots marketing campaigns over the last couple of years, from The Gmail Man to The Browser You Love to Hate to Ben "The PC Guy" Rudolph's Smoked by Windows Phone demos and #droidrage Twitter hashtag.

When Ben personally collected examples of frustrated Android users and raced iPhone and Android users to complete tasks faster on his Windows Phone, he made Microsoft products look genuinely superior.

But when Microsoft turned those into bigger campaigns, with races in Microsoft Stores and a follow-up Twitter competition, there was just as much Windows-bashing as frustration with Android on show.

Bing's Scroogled campaign - pointing out that Google Shopping is now made up of paid ads rather than search results - confused shoppers outside the US (where Google Shopping doesn't switch to the ad model until 2013) and raised a few questions about Bing's own shopping results.

As Microsoft gets its mojo back, claiming to be the plucky underdog doesn't always work quite as well (even when we can understand the company's frustration).

8. Losing Sinofsky

Possibly the lowest point for Microsoft this year (and certainly a low point for the Microsoft stock price) was the sudden departure of Windows chief Steven Sinofsky, soon after the Windows 8 launch.

A controversial figure (mainly because fans and supporters tended to respect his preference not to be talked about or quoted, while detractors were always ready to complain about him), he seems to have disagreed with Steve Ballmer about whether a major internal re-org is the way forward if the problems that hamper collaboration aren't addressed first.

Losing the man behind the hugely successful Windows 7 and the perhaps unproven - but critically important - Windows 8 releases, has to make us wonder what Microsoft will look like in 2013.

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By: Dilusha On 7:22 AM

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