Popular competitors like Samsung, the second most successful handset-maker in the world, have jumped in the market to compete efficiently with Apple, releasing phones similar to the iPhone this year.
Apple's recent upgraded version of the iPhone, the iPhone 3G, is expected to be released July 11. It encompasses more features and technical attributes including 8GB of memory and a GPS system, as well as familiar programs found on the Apple computers. Its biggest upgrade is the rapid speeds of Web-surfing, which allows users to browse desktop versions of the Internet rather than mobile versions.
The phone is also more than half the price of its predecessor.
According to research firm iSuppli Corp., this version of the iPhone's manufacturing costs totaled $173 per phone, and the phone will be sold for $199 when it hits shelves. Perhaps the most expensive parts of the device include the touch screen and underlying display, costing $20 per phone.
"I really wouldn't upgrade my [iPhone]," senior computer engineering major Derrick Rumbolt said. "I would try to manipulate it like it's a 3G phone and upgrade it myself. The only difference is the faster Internet, but the applications are pretty much the same. So if I didn't know how to [upgrade the phone myself], I still wouldn't shell out more money for the new phone."
Despite the publicity surrounding the debut of the iPhone, Sprint's Samsung Instinct may provide worthy competition to Apple. With some of the features the iPhone has faltered in delivering, Samsung's replica of the smartphone includes that and then some. Its mobile radio and live TV services sets it apart from the iPhone, as well as its expandable memory and video-recording capabilities. Sprint distributes spare batteries to its customers as well.
Though its browser is not yet advanced for optimal Web-surfing, the Instinct brings together an abundance of features and a slim design on sale for $129.99 with a two-year contract.
Its wallet-friendlier price has been a common factor in customers purchasing the Instinct, which has become the fastest-selling Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) handset in Sprint history. The award-winning phone was sold out temporarily this week at various locations.
"We had high expectations going into the launch so our initial order to Samsung was the largest for any Sprint EV-DO handset to date," John Garcia, President of Sprint's Wireless Division said in Market Watch, a Wall Street Journal publication.
"The strong early response tells us that wireless customers recognize Instinct…In the first few days of availability, many Instinct devices were purchased by existing customers upgrading their wireless device," Garcia told Mobile Magazine.
The Korean-based company recently debuted a similar device in Europe, the Samsung OMNIA, a more advanced device than the Instinct. The OMNIA may be released later this year in the United States, giving Samsung an edge over their competition.
Winning the "Best in Show" award at the latest Emerging Technology (E-Tech) award competition and being named "First Place" in the Mobile CE- Phones/Smartphone category has solidified Samsung's position in the market with the Instinct.
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