Thanks to the effect of Apple's iconic smartphone( iPhone), mobile phone shops are unable to keep up with runaway demand for the T Omnia II, Samsung Electronics' flagship smartphone .
In a bid to counterbalance the obvious iPhone sway, Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom (South Korea's leading mobile carrier) have teamed up to massively unleash subsidies, making a significant dent in the prices of smart phones. As a result, the number of consumers hoping to buy the T Omnia II shot up. On top of that, Samsung Electronics-who made the launch of SK Telecom's iPhone that, was accomplished last October. This kept the production of the T Omnia II at a low level, the cell phone market currently, runs out of the T Omnia II.
On December 11, the No. 1 mobile-phone maker made its cell-phone making factory operate on all cylinders to clear the backlogs of T Omnia II orders. As the subsidy war between mobile phone operators has roared back into life, the prices of smart phones have become more competitive than general phones, leaving more consumers opting for smart phones.
In addition, as the iPhone has been billed as a pricy premium phone whose various applications can be utilized in daily life, Korean consumers have started to take a second look at smartphones. Lim Sung-Min, a mobile phone shop owner said, "We have placed orders for the T Omnia II since the start of this month, but still the phone is hard to get. People are lining up to buy the T Omnia II, and orders are exploding. But we are struggling to cater to ever-growing demand, consequently suffering business disruptions."
SK Telecom is expecting that the sales of the T Omnia ll would top the 100,000 mark this week. Last November, just before the launch of the iPhone, an average of 1,200 T Omnia II phones sold a day. Starting this month, more than 4,000 T Omnia II phones have been activated through mobile carriers. If this situation continues, the sales of 140,000 T Omnia II phones will be recorded with ease by year end.
