Perhaps, not for the first time, Samsung tore a leaf out of Apple’s playbook last night and staged a midnight launch of its Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge — the newest, swankiest, unplastickiest Samsung smartphones ever delivered.
At least 50 eager customers formed a rather unfussy queue to be the first in the UAE to own it.
Late night launches are supposed to create a buzz but don’t think eager, breathless, teenage One Directioners, waiting for tickets, longing for a chance of being close to their heroes — more an unfortunately long wait at the returned books counter at your local library.
Fruit juice and coffee were offered by the store to heighten the excitement, along with lots of staff in, rather fetching, Samsung blue and white uniforms.
“To be honest with you I have some time to kill before my movie starts at 12.15am,” said Pooyan Karami an Iranian student in the queue. “I’m a big fan of Samsung and thought I may as well get it now as come to the mall tomorrow.
“It’s a bit odd to have to stand in line outside an open shop — but the phone will be great I’m sure.”
Samsung need the public to know about this phone and think that its great — the S5 launched last year did not sell well.
The former titan of smartphones has been fighting competition from above, below and in the centre and it needs a big winner to change the public’s perception, from an embattled company, to a company that is still in charge of its destiny.
Since its unveiling in Barcelona in March Samsung’s global PR machine has been in overdrive driving home the beauty and new technologies behind the phones. The event in Dubai had at least 200 Samsung branded promotion girls creating an atmosphere of slim beauty. The PR initiative seems to have worked with pre orders out performing the S5 significantly.
“Our pre orders are in the thousands against the S5 which were in the hundreds,” said Ashish Panjabi, chief operating officer of Jacky’s Electronics that operate the branded Samsung stores speaking at the midnight launch.
“Gitex really helped the pre orders and it will sell in significant numbers tonight. We have at least 300 in stock and Samsung have ensured there will be no delays in delivery building up a strong inventory. Samsung need this phone to sell well and be perceived as, at least, an equal to its competition.”
Samsung’s PR seems to have had an effect on the public.
Everyone in the launch queue I spoke to was there to buy the, more expensive, S6 Edge. Some customers were genuinely excited by the chance of owning the new phone having stayed in the Samsung ecosystem since the start. However, possibly, the most important customer from Samsung’s perspective was the man at the front of the queue who was the only customer I spoke to last night that was changing from his Apple iPhone 6+ to the new Edge.
“I think the new phone looks beautiful and life is about change,” said Farzin Fardi Fard an Iranian music producer. “I have always been Apple but this phone has something special about it, so why not? If I don’t like it, it’s only a phone.”
ascott@thenational.ae