Let’s face it. Android is a formidable OS and when it came to the inevitable move away from Blackberry, many made the migration to a Samsung Galaxy of some kind. Especially in South Africa: where Apple products fetch a hefty premium over rival telecommunications brands. As a rule of thumb, everyone would have an iPhone if he or she could afford it… And when the unattainable remains unattainable, consumers found the next alternative to be more valuable than expected. Samsung amassed record sales in 2012, both here in South Africa & internationally. And the model that put Samsung back on the map (not since the days of the D500 and D800, had Samsung been so popular) was the Samsung Galaxy s3. With substantially more features than the best Blackberry handsets of the time – the S3 was absorbed into mainstream consciousness: and praised.
Don’t get me wrong. One cannot deny the relevancy of the Research In Motion technology earlier this decade, especially in the South African market. The Blackberry brand answered questions about the synergy between the idea of more involved interconnectivity; using softwares that were consumer-friendly and yet feature-full; all encapsulated in an affordable package. And so the Feature-Phone was born.
