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The Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge smartphones AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

Samsung responds to iPhone sales by launching Note 4 ahead of schedule

The device, which was originally scheduled for launch in October, will hit stores in South Korea and China this week before Apple.

SAMSUNG LAUNCHED THE latest version of its oversized Galaxy Note smartphone earlier than expected Wednesday after rival Apple reported record sales of its latest iPhone 6.

Samsung said the Galaxy Note 4 – initially scheduled for launch in October – would hit stores in South Korea and China this week before being sold in 140 nations by the end of next month.

It would be the first time a flagship Samsung product has gone on sale in China ahead of other markets, reflecting the firm’s desire to battle growing competition from cheaper Chinese-made rivals.

The decision to bring forward the launch also came after rival Apple reported a record opening weekend for its latest range of iPhones, including the iPhone 6 Plus – the firm’s first foray into the big-screen market.

Sales topped 10 million in just three days following Friday’s launch in the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico and Singapore.

The new iPhone is not yet available in China.

Samsung initially pioneered the market for the “phablet” devices – sized between a smartphone and a tablet computer – when it introduced its Galaxy Note series in 2011.

Along with the Galaxy S smartphones, they helped the South Korean giant dethrone Apple as the world’s top smartphone maker.

Germany Gadget Show Samsung The Executive Vice President of Samsung, DJ Lee, presenting the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 at IFA earlier this month. AP Photo / Markus Schreiber AP Photo / Markus Schreiber / Markus Schreiber

Samsung has been poking Apple in ads portraying the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus as inspired by the Note’s size.

For the past three years, the arch-rivals have been locked in a battle of litigative attrition in close to a dozen countries, with each accusing the other of infringing various patents related to their smartphones and tablets.

But neither has managed to deliver a knock-out blow with a number of rulings going different ways. Last month the companies agreed to drop all patent disputes outside the United States.

Samsung has a diverse product line ranging from memory chips to home appliances, but more than half its profits are generated by mobile devices.

Saturated smartphone market

The mobile market has become increasingly saturated, while competition has intensified from cheaper Chinese handset makers such as Huawei and Lenovo.

In July, Samsung reported a 20% drop in net profit for the second quarter, and its shares are sitting at a two-year low.

Its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5, reportedly suffered sluggish sales after tepid reviews greeted its April launch.

“We are temporarily going through a difficult business situation,” Lee Don-Joo, head of sales and marketing for Samsung’s mobile unit, told reporters at Wednesday’s launch in Seoul

“But…we hope that we would be able to recover soon based on our fundamental capability for technical innovation,” Lee said.

Sales of Galaxy Note 3 topped 10 million in two months after its launch in 2013, and Lee predicted the Note 4 would outperform that.

Japan Game Show The Gear VR powered by Oculus requires a Galaxy Note 4 to use. AP Photo / Koji Ueda AP Photo / Koji Ueda / Koji Ueda

The 5.7-inch Note 4 – priced at 957,000 won (€716) – comes with S-pen stylus allowing users to draw and write on the screen and perform various tasks simultaneously.

The presence of a stylus pen – not offered by iPhone 6 – offers a “unique input methodology,” said Lee Young-Hee, executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile unit.

There is a general consensus that smartphone evolution has hit a barrier that will only allow incremental improvements on existing design and technology, rather than market-changing reinvention.

According to International Data, a record-high 295.3 million smartphones were shipped worldwide in the second quarter.

Samsung remained the world’s top vendor, moving 74 million handsets, but saw its overall market share slip seven percentage points to 25.2%, while China’s Huawei nearly doubled its shipments from the same quarter a year ago.

Samsung also announced Wednesday it plans an October launch for a new version of its Galaxy Gear smartwatch, as well as a virtual reality headset, Gear VR.

The firm has ramped up efforts to promote Internet-enabled wearable devices in a move towards the market for the Internet of Things, in which household appliances and electronic devices are connected through the network.

Apple unveiled its “Apple Watch” earlier this month, with plans to get it into stores early next year.

- © AFP, 2014

Read: Nearly half of all active iPhones and iPads are running iOS 8 >

Read: Oculus Rift takes a step closer to release with new prototype headset >

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    Mute DJ François
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    Jun 17th 2020, 7:50 AM

    Trumpflake whinges about freedom of speech on twitter, while trying to censor a book.

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    Mute Nicholas O'Halloran
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    Jun 17th 2020, 7:16 AM

    Would love to buy it

    154
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    Mute Joe Bloggs
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    Jun 17th 2020, 7:44 AM

    @Nicholas O’Halloran: I’d say Bolton & the publishers are delighted with this, it’s going to push sales through the roof.

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    Mute Joe Toner
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    Jun 17th 2020, 7:35 AM

    It hasn’t been “vetted” yet!!. When that’s done the book will run to about 3 pages…..

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    Mute Evan
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    Jun 17th 2020, 7:50 AM

    @Joe Toner: its just the bit between contents and index they have an issue with, to be fair.

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    Mute Paul Potts
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    Jun 17th 2020, 8:10 AM

    Get it on the shelves.

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    Mute Paul O'Sullivan
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    Jun 17th 2020, 7:55 AM

    The book should not be published.

    A man that worked in a Goverment Administration that is still sitting should be restricted from publishing such a book.

    There should be a time frame for such books something like 5 years after that particular administration has ended.

    51
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    Mute Brendan Greene
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    Jun 17th 2020, 8:03 AM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: nonsense. Numerous ex-ministers and advisers of sitting governments all around the w p rld have published books.

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    Mute Locojoe
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    Jun 17th 2020, 8:10 AM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: Transparency in Government?

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    Mute Paul O'Sullivan
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    Jun 17th 2020, 8:34 AM

    @Brendan Greene: why is it nonsense?
    It is an attempt to cash in, and possibly interfere in an upcoming election.

    I would not like to see it ever happen in Ireland..

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    Mute Edmund Murphy
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    Jun 17th 2020, 8:58 AM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: if what he says us true the it’s important for the next election. Informed voters is what you want in a democracy. If it’s not true then trump can sue.

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    Mute Arch Angel
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    Jun 17th 2020, 9:02 AM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: I can see your point and, ordinarily, I’d agree with you, however these are far from ordinary times and there have already been several books written from inside this administration.
    There’s also the assumption that John Bolton will break the national secrets act and release some sort of juicy, salacious gossip which I very much doubt. The man has been around far too long and is far too seasoned to do something so stupid, no what he can do is give an honest, view of Trump one that may be very unflattering and believable. They may be able to stop this release within the US but not internationally, and it will leak back into America, so a wasted exercise.

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    Mute Joe Toner
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    Jun 17th 2020, 9:58 AM

    @Paul O’Sullivan:
    Might not be a bad thing.

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    Mute Peter Hughes
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    Jun 17th 2020, 10:39 AM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: Let me guess lies and toxic poison form Trump and his followers etc ok but facts in a book not ok……I expect nothing less no wonder the US is such a mess.

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    Mute Terry McClatchey
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    Jun 17th 2020, 11:33 AM

    @Arch Angel: The threat however is to use civil law to protect Trump’s personal reputation. If the issue was genuinely one of national security, it would be an issue for criminal law and official prosecutors.

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    Mute Sam Greene
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    Jun 17th 2020, 11:38 AM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: why? If there are concerns about trumps behaviour as President, then they should be known, we all get Performance Reviews in our jobs, this is Trumps performance review. No wonder hes worried.

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    Mute Arch Angel
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    Jun 17th 2020, 11:46 AM

    @Terry McClatchey: Perhaps it’s one masquerading as the other. We know Trump has a somewhat inflated ego and likes to believe he’s a genius in all areas. It wouldn’t be impossible for him, fearing ridicule, to issue civil proceedings based upon claims of threats to national security.

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Jun 17th 2020, 1:17 PM

    @Arch Angel: I don’t think John Bolton can give an honest view of much at all

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    Mute Kevin
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    Jun 17th 2020, 1:37 PM

    @Paul O’Sullivan:

    How many voters ever cast their ballot based on some overhyped political potboiler that hits the shelves 5 months before an election? There’s a myriad of channels for political“interference” when attempting to influence the electorate. It’s been 50:50 Rep:Dem for decades in the US & For those who will bother to vote their minds are mostly made up. Bolton is a militant ultra nationalist right winger who has the smarts, tenacity and vindictiveness to tell DJT to GFHIMSELF. This is more about a personal vendetta than anything else.

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    Mute Paul Mcnevin
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    Jun 17th 2020, 3:21 PM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: So Trump is doing fine as the US president?

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    Mute ahhhhh its
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    Jun 17th 2020, 8:54 AM

    Jack Simpson: something something mr Tough guy Bolton, something sleepy Joe, something something dem hoax, something no he can use ramps and drink water unaided, he was sabotaged by Obama

    Etc etc

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    Mute Edmund Murphy
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    Jun 17th 2020, 9:00 AM

    @ahhhhh its: was jack bot on again with its I love trump, Putin did nothing wrong script?

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    Mute Wayne Connor
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    Jun 17th 2020, 12:03 PM

    @ahhhhh its: don’t say his name 3 times cos then he’ll appear !

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    Mute Simon Power
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    Jun 17th 2020, 9:59 AM

    This Court case is a marketing coup for Bolton’s book. Nothing sells faster than a “banned book.”

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    Mute Isabel Oliveira
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    Jun 17th 2020, 10:55 AM

    What a sad day that anyone considers John Bolton as a voice to be heard . War criminal of the worst kind.

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    Mute John Moloney
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    Jun 17th 2020, 10:40 AM

    I wonder will john bolton tell as much lies in this book as he did when he national security adviser i don’t think thats possible but we will wait and see

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    Mute Sam Greene
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    Jun 17th 2020, 9:30 PM

    @John Moloney: well he wont wont be the only liar then would he. Trump rolls lies off his tongue every week and gets away with it.

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Jun 17th 2020, 9:50 AM

    Some advice for Donald J Trump- if you don’t want people to write books about how bad your presidency is, stop doing stupid things!

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Jun 17th 2020, 4:56 PM

    @Dave Harris: amd a follow up, if they do write a book don’t mention it, don’t fight it. I swear he must have shares in publishers.

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    Mute eddie horgan
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    Jun 17th 2020, 10:40 AM

    I doubt Bolton hasn’t taken due diligence before having the book ready for sale

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    Mute WreckDefier
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    Jun 17th 2020, 9:00 AM

    Apart from Trump and Bolton when one signs a conditions of employment
    document for any job which includes not revealing sensitive information
    to the public, then one is obviously in breach of conditions of employment.

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    Mute Cowboy Paddy
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    Jun 17th 2020, 12:56 PM

    @WreckDefier:
    You are a federal employee, held by a federal employee contract…

    Read the contract and find the place where it says you can’t write a book…

    Trump tried to get WH staff to sign a different (more secretive contract) but that was grossly illegal…

    John Bolton didn’t work for Trump. He worked for the US People and apart from state secrets, he can say what he likes…

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    Mute WreckDefier
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    Jun 17th 2020, 1:57 PM

    @Cowboy Paddy: The article here states that “The Department of Justice lawsuit says Bolton failed to have the text vetted, meaning his book would be in clear breach of agreements HE signed as a condition of his employment and as a condition of gaining access to highly classified information”. This, the DOJ says, “risks compromising National security”.
    There will be many more greedy people like Bolton who will make a lot of money out of all this and who don’t give a fiddlers
    about what Trump did or did not do during his presidency.

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    Mute Gavin Burke
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    Jun 17th 2020, 1:19 PM

    Bit I thought Bolton was the best guy for the job?
    Until he was fired!
    Like when he said he would drain the swamp of corruption and thibgs like nepotism.
    Then hired all his family!
    And I thought he was the most open President in history??
    But then why does he sue people, and pay hush money and hide tax returns and put gag orders on people?
    And was is all news that doesnt praise him fake?
    And how come the election is onlh rigged if he loses in his opinion?
    #notaleader

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    Mute Evan
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    Jun 17th 2020, 11:32 AM

    He should just use his aides vaccine.

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    Mute Wade Wilson
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    Jun 17th 2020, 5:49 PM

    Trump: Bolton’s boom is full of lies!

    Also Trump: Everything in Bolton’s book is classified!

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