Dibalik ‘meledak’-nya Galaxy Note 7 di pasaran

Dari sebuah laporan di Bloomberg oleh Yoolim Lee and Min Jeong Lee:

Earlier this year, managers at the South Korean company began hearing the next iPhone wouldn’t have any eye-popping innovations. The device would look just like the previous two models too. It sounded like a potential opening for Samsung to leap ahead.

So the top brass at Samsung Electronics Co., including phone chief D.J. Koh, decided to accelerate the launch of a new phone they were confident would dazzle consumers and capitalize on the opportunity, according to people familiar with the matter. They pushed suppliers to meet tighter deadlines, despite loads of new features, another person with direct knowledge said. The Note 7 would have a high-resolution screen that wraps around the edges, iris-recognition security and a more powerful, faster-charging battery. Apple’s taunts that Samsung was a copycat would be silenced for good.

Kesalahan Samsung bukan hanya mengenai prediksi terhadap iPhone 7 yang dianggap akan membuat beberapa penggunnya bosan karena desain perangkat sama dengan yang sebelumnya. Menurut saya, kesalahan terbesar mereka ada di proses desain dan produksi yang tergesa-gesa.

As the launch date approached, employees at Samsung and suppliers stretched their work hours and made do with less sleep. Though it’s not unusual to have a scramble, suppliers were under more pressure than usual this time around and were pushed harder than by other customers, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. One supplier said it was particularly challenging to work with Samsung employees this time, as they repeatedly changed their minds about specs and work flow. Some Samsung workers began sleeping in the office to avoid time lost in commuting, the supplier said. Samsung declined to comment on whether deadlines were moved, reiterating that products are only introduced after proper testing.

Cerita selanjutnya seperti yang sudah kita ketahui, banyak kejadian Galaxy Note 7 meledak dan mendapatkan larangan dibawa terbang pada beberapa maskapai. Samsung juga harus menarik Note 7 yang terlanjur dilempar ke pasaran. Berkat kejadian ini, saham Samsung turun 11% dan kerugian yang dialami ditaksir sekitar $1 milyar.

Samsung mungkin lupa, meski iPhone 7 membawa desain yang mirip dengan model sebelumnya masih banyak pengguna setia yang akan rela antri untuk membelinya. Kita tunggu saja laporan keuangan Apple beberapa bulan ke depan untuk mendapat gambaran bagaimana penjualan iPhone 7.