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IDC reports that Samsung sold 72.4 million smartphones in the second quarter of 2014. The pace of growth is slowing as Samsung faces intense competition from Lenovo, HTC, ZTE in the low end of the smartphone market. High marketing costs are pressuring margins. Samsung second quarter net profit increased by 50% over the prior year quarter. Samsung expects weaker sales of the Galaxy S4 and has ramped up marketing promotion. Demand for expensive smartphones is declining. This has resulted in a 12% decline in Samsung's share price since late April when Samsung started selling the Galaxy S4. Apple faces a 22% decline in profits in the second quarter of 2013.

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Huawei launches its smartphone model the Ascend P6 at the historic performing arts location Roundhouse in London. Huawei is using the same marketing tactics used by Apple and copied by Samsung to get customer attention. Huawei, the second largest supplier of telecom equipmen after Ericsson of Sweden, is not known for its consumer products. This is the first time it is adopting high profile marketing strategies to upset the duopoly of Apple and Samsung in the smartphone market. Other competitors are LG, ZTE, Sony and Lenovo, each trying to take market share from Apple and Samsung. Apple lost over 5 points of market share in smartphones in 2012 and Samsung gained close to 4 points by coming up with a low priced range of smartphones. Apple now has 17.3%, Samsung 32.7%, LG 4.8%, Huawei 4.6%, ZTE 4.2%, for 1st quarter 2013. Samsung now faces competition in the lower priced segments from Huawei, Lenovo, ZTE and HTC, companies in China with products for this segment.

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Samsung shipments of Galaxy smartphones S4 is estimated at 7 million per month for the 2nd quarter of 2011, increasing from the 6 million a month for the earlier model S3 smartphones, but much lower than the expected 10 million a month S4 shipments. Because other manufacturers can also make the Android smartpones and the uncertain reception for new features such as waterproof or large zooming camera lens, the sales of the Galaxy models do not have the same momentum as they did in 2012. Samsung gets over 70% of operating profits from smartphones. According to IHS iSuppli 63% of smartphone components are sourced inhouse by Samsung providing a cushion for margins and profits. Unlike Apple Samsung makes its own displays and memory chips preferring to do manufacturing within the company. About 5.7% of Samsung's operating profit in 2012 was from sales of components to Apple, according to Sanford Bernstein. Markets have apparently priced in the slower sales of Galaxy and the prospect of a drop in smartphone prices, with Samsung stock price down 10% in June 2013, and the share price at 6.4 times forecast 2013 earnings, according to FactSet. Apple shares trade at 10.8 times 2013 earnings....

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Apple and Samsung had the highest share in the smartphone market in the 4th quarter of 2011. Apple's sales were 37 million smartphones with 23.9% of the market, and Samsung's sales were 36.5 million smartphones with 23.5% of the market, according to Strategy Analytics. Samsung benefits from a broader product line with low end models like the Galaxy Y, and has distribution worldwide.

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Samsung's plan to open "Experience Shop," in 1400 Best Buy stores, which sent Best Buy's share up 16% in April 2013. Samsung gains much from this plan, as it allows Samsung to have a friendly retail presence in-store that it badly lacked upto now.

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Samsung increases its share of the global smartphone market to 33% for the first quarter of 2013, and Apple's share drops from 23% to 18%, according to Strategy Analytics. Samsung is targeting the low end of the smartphone market. Samsung's manufacturing capabilities give it an advantage in responding to market demand.

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The WSJ's Yun-Hee Kim's interview with J.K. Shin, CEO of Samsung Mobile in March 2013, at the time of the launch of the Galaxy IV smartphone.

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U.S. District Court verdict on August 24, 2012 that finds Samsung infringed 6 Apple patents and awards Apple $1.05 billion. Apple's legal campaign was intended to slow the increasing shipment of Android phones and device makers such as Samsung that make Android phones. In the second quarter of 2012 Android smartphones were 68% of smartphone shipments, and Apple iPhones about 17%, according to IDC research firm. The jury decision gave as patents infringed- three covering the shape of the iPhone and on-screen icons. The ony patent not infringed according to the jury decision was the one on the design of the tablet.

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President Biden meets newly elected South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol on his visit to South Korea. During the visit Biden also promoted South Korean investments in Texas and Georgia. He visited a Samsung semiconductor plant with the president of Samsung. Samsung is investing billions of dollars $10 billion for a new electric vehicle plant in Savannah, Georgia. By getting American semiconductor and electric car manufacturers to invest heavily in the US president Biden is changing how America invests for regaining technological leadership by 2030. In an effort to get plants to support unions president Biden called for the plants to hire union workers. Biden called by name two Senate contestants in upcoming Georgia elections for their efforts in getting the Hyundai plant that will hire 8000 workers. In contrast to Mr. Trump who lacked a plan or vision for the future Mr. Biden is keenly focused on getting South Korea, Japan and Germany to invest heavily in the US and help restructure the whole supply chain. Where Mr. Trump called for South Korea and other partners to share the defense burden, Mr. Biden is focused on getting American allies to have their large companies invest in American plants and jobs and a new supply chain. ...

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The story of Lee Kun-hee who over 3 decades transformed an obscure electronics parts maker into the company Samsung is today, as a leader in smartphones and electronics. He was born in 1942, during the Japanese occupation of Korea and lived through the war years. He studied at Waseda University in Japan and George Washington University in the U.S. By the time he took on the position of CEO in 1987 from his father Samsung had grown from roots as a small fish and produce trading firm. It had then added after the war with Japan and the Korean War in the 1950's other lines of business such as sugar refining, textiles and diversified later into simple electronics such as radios and microwaves.  He was for change and once said to Samsung employees "change everything, except your wife and children." He was both mentor and inspiration at Samsung, with self-discipline and resolve to make Korean companies match their Japanese counterparts in technology and growth. He was like Konsuke Matsuhita of Panasonic in some ways- keen on learning new technologies and bringing excellence and quality to the Korean peninsula. Companies in India and other developing countries can look to the experience of South Korea in making similar transformations in South Asia and beyond. ...

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The marketshare of companies in China's smartphone market for the 1st quarter shows Samsung with a commanding lead of 25%, the Apple iPhone has only 6.5% of the market, Huawei comes in ahead of Nokia with 12% compared to Nokia's 11%, and close behind is ZTE with 11%, Lenovo with 8%, CoolPad with 6.2%. Motorola has 4.8%. HTC slipped badly and is now at 2.6%. With other companies having 13% of the market. The market is largely fragmented today with Samsung the leader. It also shows the very fluid nature of the market with many new entrants and rapidly changing positions for Samsung, Nokia and HTC. Nokia finds itself facing competition from many new entrants and a rapidly expanding Samsung, which accounts for its suddenly eroding position.

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Competition from HTC for the Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone. HTC puts out its new Android smartphones the HTC One S and One X in June 2012.

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Sharp and Samsung compete to make LCD panels for the new third generation iPad in 2012.