Galaxy S passes iPhone in Japan, gets Wi-Fi Direct certified

[Emil]

Samsung's Galaxy S was the best selling phone in Japan last week, knocking the 32GB iPhone out of the top spot for the first time in 18 weeks, according to The Chosunilbo. The data comes from Japanese market researcher BCN.

The 16GB model of the iPhone was the third best selling phone in Japan, so the iPhone as a whole is still likely outselling the Android-based Galaxy S. It was the first week the Galaxy S was available so it's hard to say whether the sales are due to initial excitement for something new or if it's a sign of things to come. Nevertheless, it's a huge success for Samsung, and Google, as it means the Android device is becoming the "phone to have" in Japan and not simply just another iPhone alternative.

In related news, the Galaxy S smartphone is now listed as the first device to get Wi-Fi Direct certification, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance (via Zats Not Funny!. Since Wi-Fi Direct is largely software based, many recent devices are upgradeable; certification can be applied retroactively, so all we have to do now is wait for Samsung to release the appropriate firmware upgrade.

Samsung is expecting to sell more than 40 million smartphones worldwide in 2011, according to Nikkei, which cited a senior official at the South Korean company. That is double the projection for the current year, which has been increased from 18 million to 20 million units.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/40988-galaxy-s-passes-iphone-in-japan-gets-wi-fi-direct-certified.html

 

[customcarvin]

This news just makes me happy knowing i went with a Galaxy S (Fascinate) over the DroidX.... I just wish Verizon would release the freaking 2.2 update already!

 

[Burty117]

Haha! Apple finally has some serious competition Although I have a funny feeling the next iPhone will be radically different in order to compete.

 

[Leeky]

Haha! Apple finally has some serious competition Although I have a funny feeling the next iPhone will be radically different in order to compete.

Having signal to make and recieve calls would be a radically positive direction to take....

 

[lawfer]

Leeky said:

Haha! Apple finally has some serious competition Although I have a funny feeling the next iPhone will be radically different in order to compete.

Having signal to make and recieve calls would be a radically positive direction to take....

Zing!

 

[Jibberish18]

How do the Japanese feel about GPS issues, because as far as I know, those are still very apparent in these phones.

 

[customcarvin]

How do the Japanese feel about GPS issues, because as far as I know, those are still very apparent in these phones.

All variants of the Galaxy S have had the GPS issue patched except for the facsinate (huge surprise there) which I have, one of the big reasons I'm anticipating the 2.2 update. God I hate Verizon sometimes. some people claim they have no issue at all, so I'm not sure what to think about that, all I know is my wife and I have issues with it...

 

[jtickner1]

Good work, more power to the Android platform

 

[Jibberish18]

All variants of the Galaxy S have had the GPS issue patched except for the facsinate (huge surprise there) which I have, one of the big reasons I'm anticipating the 2.2 update. God I hate Verizon sometimes. some people claim they have no issue at all, so I'm not sure what to think about that, all I know is my wife and I have issues with it...

Thing is, apparently even after patches, apparently there are still issues with GPS. I believe the WinPhone7 Samsung phone had GPS issues as well. At this point I think it all leads to hardware. As for people saying they don't have issue with it, one guy told me "Mine seems fine. I get GPS signal within 1-2 minutes". Come on. 1-2 minutes? Maybe on a cloudy, rain stormy day under your garage but not normally. So I don't trust what people think.

 

[kazarm]

This is god news since android is more open than iPhone.

When that is said I find both the Galaxy S and the iPhone too big to be comfortable.
A mobile phone should fit easily into your pocket. If it is bigger I would go for a 7 or 10" tablet.

 

[jankovicgood]

I loved the Japan-only phones, they were so tech advanced in their time, seems they are now just buying phones that the rest of us use.

 

[klepto12]

i would go with the droid x over the samsung s series thats just my opinion though since i have used the Moto droid i love it and my buddy has the at&t samsung phone which looks amazing but i still like the Droid X over the samsung models. I love the fact that now apple my have something to think about since before they were probably just counting money and not paying attention Go android.

 

[Guest]

Actually, in weekly sales during its own *launch week*, the Samsung still failed to top the iPhone 4 (32gb + 16gb versions combined) a phone that has been available for almost 5 months in Japan.

The Samsung has an SD card slot for storage expansion so it is still classed as the one phone model even if sold with different amounts of storage unlike the iPhone which is split up into the two models by Japanese market researcher BCN from whom these figures origniate.

This does not sound like a phone that is dominating despite the attempt at spin by those reporting these figures.

In the most recent quarter in Japan, MM Research Institute reports that the iPhone captured an astounding 60% of the smartphone market, but an even more astonishing 7% of the general cell phone market. This compares with the Worldwide picture, where the iPhone has captured a still amazing 4.3% of the general cell phone market according to Gartner, double the 2% that Apple managed last year.

Year on year in Japan, iPhone sales doubled so the story is certainly not over and Samsung has a long way to go yet.

-Mart

 

[Emil]

My friend says the GPS issues were fixed for him after he updated to Froyo.

 

[speeedy6]

It's so hard to buy a new phone because I know a few weeks later a better one will show up for the same price. Grrr.... I'll just have to suck it up and do it eventually.

 

[aj_the_kidd]

I dont use the GPS that often on my SGS so its not a deal breaker or even a concern

 

[dlen]

Great phone. I probably will buy this phone before Xmas.

 

[bam13]

finally there´s a decent competitor to iPhone...keep on good work Samsung!

 

[Archean]

I don't like or dislike the OS it is being sold with, but the phone itself is brilliant; now that the GPS issue has been fixed; I think it probably is a better option than iphone.

 

[edison5do]

Again... good finally competition.... means better phones at good prices to come.!

 

[TorturedChaos]

I don't own a smart phone - but I have played with both the Galaxy S and several iPhones and I have to say I prefer the Galaxy S. I love the screen on that phone .

 

[Archean]

Arr sorry for double post.

 

[Archean]

I didn't planned this when I started the day, but I ended up having to buy a replacement for my i900, as I screwed up its screen ...... anyway, so from all the options (mins WP7 as no phone with it is available atm) I ended up choosing GT-i9000

 

[gobbybobby]

The phone does look very nice and the reviews have been very good. Good to see people have finally stopped buying the overpriced child laboured Iphone.

 

[spyx]

Not very surprisin I dont think that the japanese like Syeve Jobs that much,,,,,or any major "Western" producer thats wy the DS and PS do so well there and the xbox isnt so much