Samsung mobile marketing chief resigns ahead of Galaxy S6 launch

[Shawn Knight]

After just over a month on the job, the Samsung executive in charge of the company’s next flagship smartphone launch has abruptly resigned. Lee Sang-chul, who is currently overseeing Samsung’s Russian operations, will take over in place of the departed Kim Seok-pil according to people familiar with the matter as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Kim Seok-pil was brought on in December to lead Samsung through the launch of its next major smartphone, the Galaxy S6. That handset, due to be unveiled early next month, is seen as a critical step for a company whose mobile division has struggled handily as of late.

December was a tumultuous month for the Korean electronics giant as several mobile executives were let go as part of a planned restructuring process. Kim Seok-pil came in to replace D.J. Lee who vacated the position as part of the restructuring effort.

Despite the fact that its Galaxy S5 broke launch day sales records of the S4 and sold 11 million units in less than two months, the company sold about 40 percent fewer S5 smartphones than anticipated. That was a big concern considering they produced 20 percent more handsets than they did for the previous model based on bullish projections from wireless carrier partners.

Samsung reported fourth quarter earnings last week and while the company did beat Wall Street estimates, operating profit from its mobile division was down 64 percent year-over-year.

Sources say Kim Seok-pil stepped down due to health reasons. As such, a return at a later date could be in the cards.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/59632-samsung-mobile-marketing-chief-resigns-ahead-galaxy-s6.html

 

[Uncle Al]

Oh that's got to leave you with such a warm and fuzzy feeling ......

 

[p51d007]

You see this all the time. A business becomes a "hit", then over time, they stop innovating, resting on what they've done in the past, someone new comes along, knocks them off, then they start firing people, cutting staff, cutting corners, produce junk and can't figure out why it's not working. What Samsung, like a bunch of wireless makers needs to do is INNOVATE. Think OUTSIDE the box. Instead of coming up with newer devices, which look like last years devices, but with marginal upgraded specs that do nothing more than run the battery down faster & have a HIGHER price, come up with something "cool". The sloped sides aren't gonna do it.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

You see this all the time. A business becomes a "hit", then over time, they stop innovating, resting on what they've done in the past, someone new comes along, knocks them off, then they start firing people, cutting staff, cutting corners, produce junk and can't figure out why it's not working. What Samsung, like a bunch of wireless makers needs to do is INNOVATE. Think OUTSIDE the box. Instead of coming up with newer devices, which look like last years devices, but with marginal upgraded specs that do nothing more than run the battery down faster & have a HIGHER price, come up with something "cool". The sloped sides aren't gonna do it.

Like their own operating system? Or maybe a smartwatch. Or a giant phone that has a stylus?

I'm not defending Samsung (I picked HTC for my android phone), but the point is, I think they're trying to do exactly what you're saying. Sure, companies can get comfy with success, but everyone knows it happens and they try to prevent it. You've also heard the expression 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'. You can bet someone at Samsung has made it very clear they do NOT want a Windows 8 fiasco of over-innovating.

So what do they do? they make incremental improvements and each phone is another 'meh'. It's not just a case of them not innovating... what you're describing has also happened to Apple with their iPad. Apple however has the advantage of leaving out features on purpose so they can charge you again later. (4G, 5inch screen, NFC...)

But one thing Apple and Samsung have in common is that they've made such good products that no one needs to upgrade from them. The only reason to upgrade from your S4 would be your battery isn't holding a charge anymore, but wait! you can just replace it! I think they should consider the fact that maybe everyone already has a perfectly good Galaxy and they should lower their sales expectations.

 

[VitalyT]

One might say, the guy left for another galaxy

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

You see this all the time. A business becomes a "hit", then over time, they stop innovating, resting on what they've done in the past, someone new comes along, knocks them off, then they start firing people, cutting staff, cutting corners, produce junk and can't figure out why it's not working. What Samsung, like a bunch of wireless makers needs to do is INNOVATE. Think OUTSIDE the box. Instead of coming up with newer devices, which look like last years devices, but with marginal upgraded specs that do nothing more than run the battery down faster & have a HIGHER price, come up with something "cool". The sloped sides aren't gonna do it.

Like their own operating system? Or maybe a smartwatch. Or a giant phone that has a stylus?

I'm not defending Samsung (I picked HTC for my android phone), but the point is, I think they're trying to do exactly what you're saying. Sure, companies can get comfy with success, but everyone knows it happens and they try to prevent it. You've also heard the expression 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'. You can bet someone at Samsung has made it very clear they do NOT want a Windows 8 fiasco of over-innovating.

So what do they do? they make incremental improvements and each phone is another 'meh'. It's not just a case of them not innovating... what you're describing has also happened to Apple with their iPad. Apple however has the advantage of leaving out features on purpose so they can charge you again later. (4G, 5inch screen, NFC...)

But one thing Apple and Samsung have in common is that they've made such good products that no one needs to upgrade from them. The only reason to upgrade from your S4 would be your battery isn't holding a charge anymore, but wait! you can just replace it! I think they should consider the fact that maybe everyone already has a perfectly good Galaxy and they should lower their sales expectations.

It makes absolutely no difference which manufacturer you choose, they all offer pretty much the same thing, it's just a matter of personal taste. Smartphone innovation has reached it's ceiling for the time being, when was the last time you saw any innovation coming from any of the manufacturers?

 

[emmzo]

Not much has changed since S3, while HTC invested in design and Sony in overall quality, Galaxys remained the same dull phones, with slightly better specs each generation, which account to nothing in personal experience. So I won`t hold my breath for S6, moreover if this guy really resigned because he had failed.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

It makes absolutely no difference which manufacturer you choose, they all offer pretty much the same thing, it's just a matter of personal taste. Smartphone innovation has reached it's ceiling for the time being, when was the last time you saw any innovation coming from any of the manufacturers?

Windows 8 was innovative... it just sucked. I guess before we decide if a company is innovating we have to decide if their product has to be enjoyed for it to count as an innovation.

The best example I can think of is Tesla. Their Model S scored the highest of any car ever on Consumer Reports tests, and it unanimously chosen as the car of the year by Motor Trend (Those choices are very rarely unanimous among the judges.)

You're right about phones though... they've slowed down improving as tech has gotten better. But that's also because most of the easy stuff has been done. I'm not sure what else I even want my phone to do.

 

[Capaill]

I still own a Galaxy S2 and was perfectly happy with it until I recently updated it to Android 4. Now it takes a little longer to open everything and my battery drains twice as fast. It's getting annoying so I'll probably get a new phone. But if it wasn't for that, I'd have stayed on the S2 forever!

 

[9Nails]

My general impressions are that if you're looking for a truly different product, it's going to be under a different moniker.

All the Galaxy lines of phones, (and Apple iPhones, HTC One, Lg G-series etc), will share similar features from the previous model. Simply for the fact that they are device refresh to the previous generations in a new device.

I'd think the next Galaxy S6 will be a safe bet if you're looking for a good phone. But it's not going to blow you away and have you instantly wanting to replace your Galaxy S5.

I don't pretend to know why Seok-pil left, but I'd still expect the next phone to be a good product for the simple fact that it's newer components and probably slightly better specs. Where I'd specifically look for major differences is in the software to see if Samsung can innovate with the new device. If he left unhappy with the company that could be for various reasons. There's still thousands of brilliant minds working on the next phone, one leaving won't ruin a product.

 

[Guest]

If you have a S4 or S5, you probably fine unless you have a particular issue or contract is up, no need for a newer model.

I had a S3 and liked it until kitkat, battery got worse not better and more lag than ever before. Wasn't great to begin with. Now with the S5, have great battery life (no im not using power saving or ultra mode). I did not change carrier, still Sprint.