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Guillermo Amaya

ENC 1101

11/13/17

The Battle for Supremacy

Every year around November a huge line is formed outside certain stores and each person

in line is thinking the same thing, when will I finally get my phone? The ongoing popularity of

smart phones has become a world phenomenon with the amount of smartphone users surpassing

2 billion in 2016. As the amount of smartphones in the word increase companies fight over

consumer preference in order to get them to purchase their phones. The two major companies

that sell smartphones are Apple and Samsung. These two companies have an ongoing

competition with huge consumer bases as they try to outdo each other with each phone release.

Both Apple and Samsung have created their own communities within their very own consumers

that are in constant debate to prove which company produces the better phone.

Over the years Apple has been pushing its boundaries by each year trying to innovate and create

a more user friendly device that still has the aesthetic of a classy sleek looking phone. This has

become the cornerstone of Apples devices and its what its consumers continue to look forward

to year after year. Apple released its trademark phone the IPhone on June 29, 2007, while the

phone was not perfect it was met with praise and a mixture of harsh criticism, regardless the

IPhone went on to establish the blueprint for most smartphones to come. Since its original

release the IPhone gained a consumer base that was convinced that this product was cutting edge

and the best product possible available for any smartphone user and this community was out to

prove it. The language this community uses to justify their bold statements of smartphone
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supremacy is a mixture of hardware, price, popularity, and aesthetic. The IPhone at first may

have been at the top of the pyramid with its hardware far exceeding any of its competitors but in

recent years Apple has focused more on the design and accessibility rather than its standard

hardware performance. The average IPhone consumer would argue that the phones main features

are in its sleek design and user friendly operating system rather than its ultra-fast cutting edge

hardware. By focusing on one area Apple created a new market for its competitors Samsung.

Seeing as how Apple dominated the smartphone market for what seems like decades in

technology life. The new area that Samsung decided to focus on what the IPhone was criticized

for, having sub-par hardware. Samsung is known for using its operating system known as

Android it is a completely different from Apples IOS and has gained a huge amount of

support as Samsung has begun to out ship apple on the smartphone market. Samsung captured

According to the Business Insider 26.1% of the market share worldwide with Apple capturing

the second spot 16.1% worldwide

Samsung released its now trademark phone the Samsung Galaxy on June 29, 2009, Ever since

then it has played catch up to the IPhone with signs of leveling off or even surpassing its

consumer market. The Galaxy is superior to the IPhone in some areas in terms of hardware. This

superiority is what all its consumers are raving about and their central argument when it comes to

proving the Samsung Galaxys superiority. Samsung has taken huge strides to bridge the gap in

popularity and sales with its new phones aesthetically looking better than their predecessors. The

inclusion of certain innovations such as water resistance and shatterproof glass have started to

truly put the Galaxy phones on par if not above of the IPhone. As Samsung continues to
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improve its sales and hardware this will only stimulate both communities to argue more about

which phone is better and what company produces better smartphones.

To completely understand how each community believes their phone is the better option it was

imperative to get an opinion from a member of each community. Jenice Moore is an IPhone

fanatic that has owned every IPhone since the IPhone 4. The Interview began with a couple

general questions which the most important one was: why did you choose the IPhone and why

did you continue to buy it year after year? To which she replied rather quickly that I originally

got the IPhone for my birthday and there couldnt possibly have been a better present, I mean it I

was instantly hooked, the phone felt so easy to use while features such as Imessage and its

smooth futuristic design made it an Item I was extremely proud to own. As the interview went

on I learned that Jenice has also owned several apple products such as the IPad and the

Macbook. It is clear that Jenice is not only a strong advocate for the IPhone but for apple

products in general. Near the end of the interview I asked if she would ever switch to a Samsung

Galaxy in the future, her reply was made clear in an instant as she laughed hysterically and said

I would never! I am a faithful Apple consumer and would never jump ship like that, besides

Samsung products are just awful. This interview made it clear that members of the Apple

community like Jenice are drawn by Apples smartphone intentions. To further my knowledge of

each community it was only fair that I interview a Samsung Galaxy owner. My roommate who is

always flaunting his phone seemed like the obvious choice to get an inside look into the Android

community. Arturo Cabre took some convincing but after a little he gladly sat down for a chat. I

started the interview by asking the same question why did you buy and continue to buy the

Samsung Galaxy? To which he replied It was actually because I had owned an IPhone that I
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decided to get the Galaxy, and in terms of why I continue to buy its simple its a better phone.

Right off the bat it was clear that Arturo had a clear dislike for Apple products in general, he

went on to explain I was tired of buying the same phone every year for a barely noticeable

upgrade so I switched to a Galaxy and it was the best decision ever, now that I switched I can see

how the IPhone can be more appealing to the average user but for those who actually care about

a truly innovative phone then the Samsung Galaxy is the way to go. Both communities have

completely different views with no lack of trash talk towards each other.

As the supremacy for the smartphone continues to become a more tightly competitive race it is

only natural for both communities to continue to clash. Neither side is willing to admit that the

other is better and they are both out to prove that their phone of choice is superior in every

aspect. Whether Apples IPhone with its sleek design, user friendly accessibility, and popularity

or Samsungs Galaxy with its superior hardware, and boundary pushing innovations it is visible

that Apple has dominated the market but Samsung has gained momentum with its new phones

and with it both communities will continue to grow with never ending debates about aesthetic,

hardware, innovations, and other phone characteristics that are continuously picked apart by both

the Apple community and the Samsung community.

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Reference Page

Jeff Dunn. Samsung introduced 10 times as many phones as Apple last year, but its
mobile division made half as much revenue. Business Insider, 28 Feb. 2017,
www.businessinsider.com/samsung-vs-apple-galaxy-iphone-smartphone-revenue-chart-
2017-2.

Heisler, Yoni. A roundup of original iPhone reviews that got everything completely wro.
1 July 2016, bgr.com/2016/07/01/iphone-reviews-original-negative-ballmer-dvorak/.

Reisinger, Don. Samsung Is Back Atop the Smartphone Market. Fortune, 11 Apr.
2017, fortune.com/2017/04/11/samsung-apple-market-share/

Lovejoy, Ben. Samsung overtakes Apple in Q1 smartphone sales even before Galaxy S8
hits . 9to5mac, 11 Apr. 2017, 9to5mac.com/2017/04/11/trendforce-iphone-sales-versus-
samsung-sales/.

Jenice Moore- interview

Arturo Cabre - Interview