Earlier this evening we saw HTC play the role of party crasher at Samsung’s big reveal event for the Samsung Galaxy S IV. Their efforts to present a different option did not stop with their pre-activity stunt though. Since Samsung’s event concluded, HTC has been busy leveling criticisms about their competitor and the new device.
Over on Twitter, HTC posed the following question:
So…how off-Broadway is this production?
#theNextBigFlop#HTCOne
“The Next Big Flop” appears to be HTC’s attempt to rebrand the Galaxy S IV by playing off Samsung’s “The Next Big Thing” phrase. Meanwhile, HTC President Jason MacKenzie has been hitting up the journalists to express his opinion regarding Samsung’s efforts this evening. In an interview with CNET, MacKenzie indicated he “went from laughing to actually feeling embarrassed at some of the acting” in reference to some of the skits Samsung presented to highlight features of the new device. MacKenzie also thinks the Galaxy S IV lacks any significant new features and specifically called out S-Translator as an already available technology on Android phones.
Samsung thus far has opted to stay above the fray with Ryan Bidan, director of marketing for Samsung Telecommunications America, merely acknowledging MacKenzie’s right to have an opinion.
The actions of HTC may be one driven by some sense of desperation. They have already struggled a bit to get their new flagship HTC One device to market with the most recent delay pushing availability into April. Meanwhile, they are coming off of a difficult financial year with forecasts not looking pleasant. Clearly the Galaxy S IV and HTC One are both top-tier devices that will probably find themselves frequently mentioned in the same breath as being among the “best” Android devices available. For this evening at least, HTC has managed to get their HTC One device mentioned nearly as often as the Galaxy S IV judging by the headlines.
Are you glad to see HTC coming out swinging or do you think it just makes them look petty and desperate?
Come comment on this article: HTC launching offensive against Samsung?