Samsung is launching in 28 countries today, just like they promised, although you may have to wait a little bit more for the blue version, which has gotten some delays. They also say that there will be a total of 145 countries in which they will make the GS3 available, and that’s all within a month.
This is a massive launch, and it seems Samsung has gotten a whole lot better at making these huge launches, and they are probably the best at it right now. There are still many countries in which the iPhone 4S still hasn’t launched for example. It also looks like Samsung is really taking the place of Nokia, not just as the company with the most feature phones and smartphones out there, but also as the company with the best carrier relationships in the industry.
This is a great feat for Samsung, and one that can be put in contrast with Nokia’s relationships with the carriers, which have gotten worse and worse, because of the rapid decline of Symbian phones, and because of the very anemic sales of their WP7 line-up. Samsung is taking full advantage of their new found position as the phone and smartphone king, and they are getting all carriers around the world to sell their new flagship within a month, which is a far better launch than anyone else.
The Galaxy S3 has received plenty of criticism, mainly because people look up to Samsung now, and they expect nothing but the absolute best from them, so even if they miss that goal by a small margin, they will receive vicious criticism for it. But I think that’s a good thing. The phone’s design may not be an iconic one, but overall it’s still a very solid smartphone, which has a lot going for it, and it will most likely outsell their previous flagship, the Galaxy S2, which has 10% of the Android market (that would put it around 30 million units). Samsung can only go up from here if they maintain their goal of being the best and the biggest, and they listen to fan feedback.