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It's not that simple. Many Koreans adore Samsung as a national icon, and it is indeed true that Samsung's electronics division alone accounts for a sizable per

by kijin 12y ago

It's not that simple. Many Koreans adore Samsung as a national icon, and it is indeed true that Samsung's electronics division alone accounts for a sizable percentage of Korea's GDP. But there are also a lot of Koreans who resent Samsung and go out of their way to avoid buying from them. The influence of chaebol [1] on the Korean economy and politics is a contentious topic, often split along ideological lines. In addition, the smartphone market in South Korea is extremely convoluted. Sticker prices are artificially inflated, and manufacturers, carriers, and retailers all throw around arbitrary discounts as a weapon to steal their competitors' customers. For a lot of people who just want a phone that works, the choice has less to do with the brand or the features, and more to do with whichever model happens to be the best deal at any given hour. Nobody praises anyone for buying a Galaxy or chastises anyone for buying an iPhone. And if you don't like either, you just buy LG. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol

soylentcola 12y ago
> Sticker prices are artificially inflated, and manufacturers, carriers, and retailers all throw around arbitrary discounts as a weapon to steal their competitors' customers. Sounds fairly similar to the state of the US market (minus the competing part). Devices marketed as "flagships" sell for $600-800+ but carriers use heavy discounts to get people to sign long service contracts. Lots of people would rather spend $200 up front and sign a 2-year contract for $90/mo than spend $400-500 up front with a SIM and $30-45/mo prepaid service. Since you're in a contract, you only really have to think about it every two years and at that point, most find it easier to just re-up, drop another $200, and get whatever the current must-have device is.
- kijin 12y ago
  It's a bit different. Flagship models typically have an inflated sticker price in the $1000 range, and a long-term contract is only one component (and a rather insignificant one) of the overall discount. Manufacturers and retailers often add arbitrary discounts and rebates on top of it, so if you're really lucky, you can get a brand new flagship phone for free. But the next person will have to pay $700 for it, even with the same contract, while the store across the street sells it for $400 because they're getting a big rebate from the carrier this week. And most of the above are straightforward discounts and rebates, not something that is sneaked into the monthly plan like in the U.S. The price of the phone after the discount is divided by 24 or 30 and tacked onto the phone bill as a separate line item. You can pay it off anytime you want. The government is trying to regulate the industry into making the pricing structure more transparent to customers, but the general consensus is that the government is failing.

by kijin 12y ago

soylentcola 12y ago

> Sticker prices are artificially inflated, and manufacturers, carriers, and retailers all throw around arbitrary discounts as a weapon to steal their competitors' customers. Sounds fairly similar to the state of the US market (minus the competing part). Devices marketed as "flagships" sell for $600-800+ but carriers use heavy discounts to get people to sign long service contracts. Lots of people would rather spend $200 up front and sign a 2-year contract for $90/mo than spend $400-500 up front with a SIM and $30-45/mo prepaid service. Since you're in a contract, you only really have to think about it every two years and at that point, most find it easier to just re-up, drop another $200, and get whatever the current must-have device is.

kijin 12y ago
It's a bit different. Flagship models typically have an inflated sticker price in the $1000 range, and a long-term contract is only one component (and a rather insignificant one) of the overall discount. Manufacturers and retailers often add arbitrary discounts and rebates on top of it, so if you're really lucky, you can get a brand new flagship phone for free. But the next person will have to pay $700 for it, even with the same contract, while the store across the street sells it for $400 because they're getting a big rebate from the carrier this week. And most of the above are straightforward discounts and rebates, not something that is sneaked into the monthly plan like in the U.S. The price of the phone after the discount is divided by 24 or 30 and tacked onto the phone bill as a separate line item. You can pay it off anytime you want. The government is trying to regulate the industry into making the pricing structure more transparent to customers, but the general consensus is that the government is failing.