The Samsung Galaxy S4 Review- Should Apple Be Worried?

There was a time when no one could touch Apple.

No one.

Not any more. For the past three years, phone makers like Samsung and Nokia have been cranking out models that have creeped up on the iPhone franchise in terms of features, usefulness and design.

Now, with the Samsung Galaxy S4, it appears the iPhone may now be the one playing catch up. With elements the iPhone lacks and some improvements over the S3, the new Galaxy offering is something to behold. With a 5" screen that dwarfs the iPhone's and mimics the Galaxy Note II, the S4 presents a sharp, bright screen with the ability to follow your finger strokes without you having to actually touch the screen!

Lookin' Good, Samsung
(droidlife.com)

Also, the S4 will follow your eye movements and will pause a video when it "sees" that your eyes have looked elsewhere. Does this feature work or is it even needed? Who knows? It seems likely that this will be party trick feature, used to impress iPhone users, but with no real-world utility.

Some quibbles? Well, it's still made entirely of plastic, but it is high quality and nicely finished- plus, it didn't seem to hurt S3 sales any, so why change? Also, the visual design changes made to the case is so subtle, most folks won't notice that you've acquired the la-di-da phone of the moment.

Techradar.com actually got their hands on an early-production model and got the chance to run it through it's paces...they even made a phone call with it. Go to the review by clicking here. 

Should Apple be worried?

Yes. Yes they should.

The Galaxy S4- What's Next and Why the Name is a Bad Omen.

I don't know much about physics and what little I do know comes from watching "The Big Bang Theory". But, I do understand momentum and for business, momentum can be a powerful thing. For nearly the past decade, Apple has enjoyed that business momentum with the iPhone. For years, nothing the competition put out could touch it for looks, operational simplicity and elegance. It sold like crazy, with lines forming days before the debut of each iteration. But, lately, it seems Apple has slowed somewhat and the competition is even in many ways. In fact, the introduction of the iPhone5 was met with a thundering chorus of "meh". 

Hot or Not?
(technobuffalo.com)

But business, like momentum itself, cannot stand still and Samsung has been gaining on the company from Cupertino with offerings like the Galaxy Note 2, and the Galaxy S3. In fact, Samsung was one of the only cell phone makers to gain market share in the US during 2012. 

The S3 has been out for some time now and has established a reputation as a fast, easy to use Android based phone that many prefer to the iPhone itself. In the tech world, everything ages quickly and soon we can look forward to the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S4. And eerily enough, there is a group of fanboys out there drooling at the idea of this next generation of iPhone competition. In fact, CNET has started a very iPhone-like rumor roundup for the S4 and what it might have to battle the iPhone for smartphone supremacy in 2013. 

Is this leaked photo the next Galaxy S4? 

Some of the rumors include a 5 inch screen, wireless charging and a 13(!) megpixel camera. 

For the latest on the S4, go to CNET's Galaxy S4 Rumor Roundup here. 

To find out the cultural reason the S4 may not be called the S4, read the Digital Trends post at their site here. 

The momentum is building for Samsung right now and the impending introduction of the S4- rumored to be this April- only means more attention for Samsung, and at Apple's expense. 

However, funny thing about momentum- it can shift direction instantly and Apple is working hard to see that it rolls toward Silicon Valley again ASAP. Competition is a great thing and when it heats up like this, the winners are the consumers like you and me.