Samsung: Hey, doesn’t the iPhone 4 look a lot like our old MP3 players

Chris Davies, Sep 18th 2012 Discuss [3]

Samsung has ramped up its PR offensive in the aftermath of the $1bn Apple ruling, highlighting similarities between its media players and the iPhone 4 launched later on. There “is a lot of misunderstanding” about design inspiration, Samsung wrote on its official blog, and it intends to use “objective facts, one by one, to reveal the truth [and] resolve all the misunderstandings.”

First step of that process is wheeling out the Samsung YP-Q3, a media player from back in early 2010, and one which Samsung believes is surprisingly similar to the industrial design of Apple’s iPhone 4. That smartphone actually launched in 2010 as well, but two months later than Samsung’s PMP did.

It’s not the only Samsung-branded gadget that pre-empted the iPhone 4 with some passably similar styling, the company would like to point out. The YP-Zt, another media player, also had a now-distinctive black fascia and silver surround, with crisp corners like the iPhone 4/4S.

Then, of course, there’s the Samsung F700. The 2006 touchscreen smartphone was a center point of Samsung’s defense strategy for the iPhone design suit, though it failed to help the company escape final censure.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen Samsung look to sway public opinion when its ability to convince the court was less than successful. The Korean company encountered a furious Apple and an angry judge after it released a dossier of design arguments contrasting the iPhone’s style with its own design output. Whether this latest attempt will prove at all useful for Samsung’s appeal is questionable.

Apple takes Iphone 5 memory orders away from Samsung

 

APPLE HAS CUT DRAM and NAND memory module orders from its mobile devices arch-rival Samsung as it tries to move away sourcing most of its parts from its biggest competitor.

As Apple's lawyers do battle with Samsung in courtrooms around the world, the relationship between the two companies is complicated by the fact that Apple needs Samsung's memory chips and fabs, while Apple remains Samsung's largest single customer. Now reports are emerging that Apple has shifted its DRAM and NAND memory orders away from Samsung as it tries to diversify from a single source of silicon.

Apple has tapped SK Hynix and Elpida to supply it with memory modules for its upcoming Iphone 5. According to Reuters' source, Apple has kept Samsung as a supplier for the memory in the Iphone 5 though it didn't elaborate further. It is very likely Apple is still using Samsung as a wafer baker for its A series of system-on-chip (SoC) processors.

Reuters' source said, "Samsung is still in the list of initial memory chip suppliers [for new Iphones]. But Apple orders have been trending down and Samsung is making up for the reduced order from others, notably Samsung's handset business."

SK Hynix is the second largest DRAM manufacturer behind Samsung and that makes it an obvious candidate to replace Samsung. Elpida however is in the midst of bankruptcy, with shareholders arguing over whether Micron's bid to buy the firm offers a high enough price.

Apple has strongly hinted that it is looking move business away from Samsung, if for no other reason than to ensure resilience in its supply chain. Apple has also been under a bit of pressure to source more components within the US, and should Micron complete its purchase of Elpida, that shift of ownership could sit well with both firms' supporters. µ

The Inquirer (http://s.tt/1mM90)