Samsung has recently been named top dog in the US mobile phone market capturing 25% of its share. Samsung’s wild success is largely due to their Android smartphones the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II, selling more than 30 million worldwide. Samsung’s success isn’t the only thing keeping them busy. Tied up in litigation with Apple, the two companies are suing one another over alleged patent infringements. Taking a closer look, it does seem that Samsung  issome what mirroring Apple’s strategy, copying Apple devices all the way to Apple Stores. Samsung is beginning to look like a cheap Chinese knockoff, but the real question – is Samsung strategy of copying Apple paying off?

Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal

Picasso said it best: Good artists copy, great artists steal. This philosophy is no stranger to Apple, with even the late Steve Jobs embracing this outlook. Samsung has pulled a page right out of Steve’s playbook, mirroring many of their devices, accessories, stores, and even box design straight from Apple. Now usually I would chalk it up as a coincidence, but once you start seeing the never ending trail of thievery, the resemblance starts to be uncanny. From Galaxy Tab 10.1 emulating like the iPad, to the Galaxy 4.0 Android Music Player akin to the iPod touch. What’s worse, Samsung even mirrors the imagery used to promote the product. Samsung shows no shame, not even bothering to disguise its tactics.

The Market Speaks

Nothing speaks volumes like market share, and clearly Samsung is a winner in the US according to comScore’s Q3 report. Samsung is the number one phone maker in the US market holding a 25% share, while Apple only holds 10%. It looks like Samsung has also backed the right operating system, with Google commanding a whopping 45% of the smartphone market and Apple in second with 27%. Samsung has been doing an impressive job in the US market as of late.

Money Talks

Not so fast Samsung, a winner cannot be declared before looking at what really counts — the all mighty dollar. Everyone knows that money is power, and Apple seems to be doing a great job of generating it. According to Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley, Apple holds more than half the profits of the mobile phone market globally, and we’re not just talking about smartphones, we are talking about all mobile phones. Pretty impressive if you ask me, but Samsung doesn’t go down without a fight. When it comes to profits, Samsung is in a close second with 29%, but the amazing part, this is up 11% from the previous quarter.

Wrap Up

All in all, it seems like Samsung strategy is a success. Why create a new strategy when you can piggyback off of your competitor’s strategy? It is a winning formula for Samsung, but it’s not a respectable one. Why couldn’t they go down Nokia’s route and try to reinvent themselves? It hasn’t paid off for Nokia yet, but they’ve just got started. It may be too early to declare Samsung’s strategy a success, with all these patent suits and injunctions; I’m not sure how long this party will last. At the end of the day, I wonder if Samsung is doing a good job copying, or a great job stealing?