If you’ve got a pair of eyes and half a brain cell and have been paying attention to the tech world for the past couple of years, you know that Samsung and Apple aren’t exactly the best of buddies when it comes to the smartphone market. Despite being great friends on the supply side (Apple is Samsung’s biggest components customer), the two companies pretty much hate each other on the consumer end. Apple, for its part, believes that Samsung is in the habit of ripping off Apple’s designs. Samsung, meanwhile, thinks people who buy Apple products are sheep.
Apparently, though, the rivalry doesn’t stop with Apple and Samsung. During a recent shareholders meeting Terry Gou, chairman of Hon Hai, parent company of Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn, vented at length about Samsung. Gou apparently still carries a grudge from 2010, when Samsung “snitched” on four flat panel manufacturers in Taiwan during a European Commission investigation into price fixing. Samsung escaped the €433.92 million ($551 million) fine levied against the other companies in exchange for their cooperation.
According to Focus Taiwan Gou, who owns a personal stake in Sharp in addition to Hon Hai’s significant investment, praised Japan-based Sharp at the expense of Korea-based Samsung. “I respect the Japanese and especially their execution and communication styles,” he told shareholders. “Unlike the Koreans, they will not hit you from behind.”
Backing off a bit on the sweeping racial generalizations, Gou also praised the iPhone, which Foxconn manufactures. He suggested that consumers wait to buy Samsung’s new Galaxy S III until after they’ve seen the new iPhone, which will put the Galaxy S III to shame.
The Galaxy S III is due out in the U.S. sometime in the next week or so (depending on your carrier), while the new iPhone is coming out sometime in the fall, probably October.