Samsung India to push S7, S7 Edge to beat Note 7 ghost

Kolkata: Post-Galaxy Note 7 ban scenario, Samsung India Electronics has taken up an immediately strategy to switch its premium-end customers' focus to two other top-end models: S7 and S7 Edge. Facing a mammoth task to wipe out the memory of ill-fated Note 7 fiasco, the South Korea-based consumer electronics giant is banking on the sales momentum of S7 and S7 Edge in India. The would-be buyers of Galaxy Note 7, production of which has been stopped after the handset was found to be prone to overheating and catching fire, will get a 'sales and offer' push encircling S7 and S7 Edge now.

On the sidelines of its pan-India launch of the new version of My Galaxy app in Kolkata, Manu Sharma, vice president (mobiles business), Samsung India Electronics, told TOI: "We will be focusing on switching Note 7 (worth Rs 59,990/-) aspirants to become a proud buyer of S7 and S7Edge models (ranging between Rs 37,000 to Rs 50,000). We'll do everything possible to project S7 and S7Edge on retail front with good

From being touted as the 'the greatest phone on the planet', Galaxy Note 7's has seen a big fall in sales taking a huge toll on the handset giant's sales of high-end models and brand image. In the wake of competition from Apple iPhone 7 and soon-to-be-launched Google Pixel, it would be interesting to see how Samsung can combat these two giant product offerings with S7 and S7 Edge sales push.

Elaborating on the 'come-back' strategy, Sharma said, "We are totally aware of the situation. We are trying to build up more interest on S7 and S7Edge now. These two models have seen a great momentum this year."

The Samsung retailers and experience stores will put thrust on these two models to rein in the sagging demand in the premium segment sales, added a top Samsung official. Although, according to Sharma, Samsung still remains the undisputed leader in the handset sales in India with 48.6% market share in value terms in the smarphone segment (quoting the latest GfK report for August 2016). It was around 40% in the last year.

Samsung India has earlier announced that it will give out Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 edge smartphones to those customers who had pre-booked the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung had opened pre-bookings for the Galaxy Note7 in India in August-end, and the phone was slated to go on sale from September. Currently, Samsung has been offering replacements/credits to customers in the US, South Korea, etc.

It seems customers who had pre-booked and paid full amount of Rs 59,990 for the Note 7, will now get S7 or S7 edge along with new Gear VR, the Level U - Stereo Wireless Headset free. Full refund will be given to those who don't want the S7/S7 edge.

However, on Thursday, Samsung India wanted everyone's focus to be on their newly unveiled all-in-one, single-window, utility services-cum-entertainment app, My Galaxy.

"We want innovation to take our brand ahead. And the new My Galaxy application has such potential with an intuitive one page design for ease of use. The application amplifies entertainment with videos, music and gaming. It also gives quick access to services such as cabs, movies, recharge and bill payment, food ordering, travel, hyper local deals and Samsung Care, among others," he added.

Samsung India to launch only 4G smartphones: Samsung India Electronics will only 4G/VoLTE enabled smartphones in India as the market has shifted totally towards this end and make all future launches, including entry-level smart phones, with 4G facility. It expects to gain a bigger market share on the back of the new launches, a top company official said on Thursday.

"There is huge conversion happening from feature phones to smart phones at the entry level. Nearly 80 per cent of the smartphone users have shifted to 4G-enabled handsets. We will launch all our future smartphones in this category across all segments. This migration will continue. We will sell 4G devices. But at the same time, there will be certain set of feature phones users because of price points," said the company's vice president (Mobiles Business) Manu Sharma.

He said the mobile maker has experienced growth in sales this year but declined to give details of sales figures. The company would be investing Rs 2,000 crore at its Noida plant for increasing smartphone manufacturing capacity and other products.

"Samsung in India has a portfolio of 25 different smartphones most of which are 4G-enabled," he said.

TOP COMMENT

What nonsense!! Look at the background !! Its kerala and reporter sits in ac room to cover the story!! Lazy reporting ..shame

Shantanu

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Panic in New Alipore neighbourhood after robbing of an octogenarian

Zeeshan Javed | TNN | Updated: Oct 20, 2016, 07.51PM IST

(Representative image)

KOLKATA: Panic is palpable as you take a right turn into Chatterjee Colony from SN Roy Road. A group of homemakers whisper to each other in a huddle outside a house belonging to one of them. Two motorcyclists coming from the opposite directions slam brakes to talk to each other. The body language suggests it is not only to exchange pleasantries. Something very unpleasant has happened in this neighbourhood.

Chatterjee colony, a tranquil neighbourhood comprising of government quarters and mostly single storied houses, is situated at the cusp of Behala and New Alipore Road. It has managed to remain untouched by the hustle and bustle of Behala on whose fringes it is located whereas the affluence of New Alipore has started to tip toe in the form of swanky apartment blocks.

A lot has happened in the neighbourhood comprising of 300 families in the past few decades from completely new set of residents from different parts of the country moving in to a real estate boom. But something that has never happened in the neighbourhood is the daring day light robbery like the one on Wednesday where four men gagged and assaulted an octogenarian before robbing her of cash and ornaments worth lakhs.

"The incident has jolted us," said Avijit Roy, defence personnel who stays two houses away from where Shila Khemka was robbed. "The entire neighbourhood is stunned by the robbery as something like this has never happened in this locality," said Roy, who will soon have to join report to work in other city leaving his old mother alone at home.

"After yesterday's incident, I am seriously worried about my mother. I cannot leave her alone if there is inadequate security here," said Roy, 39.

Bibhash Guha who has been staying right opposite the Khemka residence on 195/1 SN Roy Road for the past four decades said that what was scarier was that the robbery happened in broad daylight.

"We lock our doors at night. During the day people are not so alert because several people walk in and out of the locality. But from now on we will have to be more careful," said Guha, who deals in real estate.

The "influx" of new residents into the neighbourhood has created a "sub society" widening the chasm between the old and the new inhabitants, a phenomenon that is threatening community living in our modern neighbourhoods.

"Those staying in apartments have their own security arrangements which are limited to their own complexes. So the community living as we would know in older times had broken down. Residents here hardly mingle with other. It will not be inappropriate to say that people here are indifferent towards each other," said a veteran in the locality who has been staying there for over 45 years.

The officers of New Alipore police station said that the family had not submitted any details of their new domestic help they had hired a few days ago.

"Residents have not learnt a lesson yet even after so many incidents. It is for their own safety that we ask for the details of the domestic help so that we can trace them in case of a crime,' said an officer of New Alipore police station.

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