Today Friday 26 was the day chosen by Samsung so that its followers could begin to reserve their latest jewel, the Galaxy Fold. It was going to be the first smartphone or smart terminal, to say the least, foldable and flexible on the market , ahead of its great competitor Huawei, which has its Mate X ready behind the scenes and to the point of candy. But the move that the Korean firm intended, Getting ahead of your competition in marketing has gone wrong. And yes, hence the headline. If the human being is the ‘animal’ that stumbles twice on the same stone, Samsung has been on the verge, and hence the almost, of repeating the fiasco of the Galaxy Note 7 whose battery caught fire. Do you remember?
In a communication strategy highly criticized by many and that I will never applaud even though this medium – with more than 20 million monthly audience, almost 19 million followers on social networks, or 1.5 million readers of its printed magazine, to name a few numbers – stay out of the initiative of reviews of the Galaxy Fold, the torpedo was intended to fill national and international specialized media selected videos, images and positive articles of the new flagship of Samsung will backfired Samsung, and it became a true ordeal of reputation.
Neither server nor this medium can assess the device, as they have not been able to see or touch it. But we can bring to these lines what some independent media wrote that do not bend to the will of the advertising investment that often tempts those who write to do so in a lukewarm way when there is an incidence. And in this case, the big quiz of the question is that the Samsung Galaxy Fold was not a prototype that is left to a few expert journalists to test it and give their feedback and improve it in the following months. No, it was not a prototype, it was a team that was going to be marketed days later, so the manufacturer should have already done its tests and pertinent tests to verify that there were very critical issues that put it into question. And they were already more than warned after the negative experience of the Note 7.
What if the screen broke after a couple of days of use, or the appearance of lumps in the fold of the same, said the prestigious specialized medium The Verge . Or that the hinge, which left a relevant gap between both parts of the device when closed, and through which dirt could enter, could be the cause of the bulges and the screen breaking, said this medium. Or like, said Mark Gurman of Bloomberg , when a protective film was detached from the screen, it passed away when there was no clear warning from Samsung not to withdraw.
I will not go into more detail, because many colleagues have already done it, but Samsung is now faced with a great dilemma, which can hardly be successful. The issues reported by specialized journalists do not appear to have a short-term solution. If Samsung amends them promptly to go on the market before its competition, and does not guarantee one hundred percent that it will not have more incidents of this type, the Note 7 may have a companion in the trunk of memories, with the consequent pecuniary penalty that this would represent. And if you wait what you should for the device to arrive with sufficient guarantees to users, and the competition is ahead with a team that has good reviews, it will cost the Korean manufacturer a large investment in marketing to position its Galaxy Fold as it believes it to be. deserves.
I do not want to end without incorporating into these lines the ‘excuses’ in its own way by Samsung when announcing that it postponed the presentation and launch of its Galaxy Fold. Excuses that raise many questions. Says Samsung that “it has just introduced a completely innovative category of mobile device that uses multiple new technologies and materials capable of creating a screen so flexible that it can be folded. We are really excited about the expectations generated around the Galaxy Fold. “
He continues: “many of the people who have tried this new device have highlighted its great potential but some have also indicated that it needs some additional improvements to guarantee the best possible user experience. In order to analyze these comments in detail and conduct further internal testing, we have decided to postpone the launch of the Galaxy Fold. In the coming weeks we will announce the official launch date of the device. The initial results of the analysis of the incidents on the screens that we have heard show that these could be due to impacts in the most exposed areas of the hinge, its top and bottom. We have also known an incident in which substances found inside the device affected the performance of the screen ”.
Samsung concludes by commenting that “ we are going to adopt the appropriate measures to reinforce the protection of the screen and we will improve the guide on the care and use of the screen , including the protective layer, so that our customers get the most out of their Galaxy Fold. Samsung values the trust our customers place in us. For Samsung, customers are always our top priority. Samsung’s commitment is to work closely with our customers and partners to move the industry forward and we want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding. “
And, as I say, I ask myself many questions about these explanations, but one above the rest: why didn’t Samsung do everything it says it is going to do now before?
