When Apple sneezes, millions of devoted fanboys still reach for their hankies. There are still hundreds of blogs slavishly devoted to everything coming out of Cupertino. Technology editors continue to bend themselves into pretzels putting iWhatever into headlines to bump up their traffic numbers.
But the day when we all sat around waiting breathlessly for Apple to create a gleaming minimalist future for us, available in white and titanium, are over. The iWay is no longer our way. And the new boss not at all like the old boss.
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It is now Samsung's world; the rest of us just click in it.
Samsung's steady rise
No matter what Apple unveils at its "special event" next week, it will be playing catch-up to the Korean electronics giant. Samsung may be the No. 2 smartphone maker behind Apple, but it's growing at more than twice the rate. The handwriting is definitely on the wall -- not to mention the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 "phablet."
I'm writing this in the press room at the IFA Berlin 2013 consumer electronics show, which should probably be renamed the IFA Samsung 2013 show. For the last three years, Samsung has chosen this venue to unveil its whizziest wares.
For those of us weaned on Comdex and CES, IFA is a definite change of pace. Many of the 27 convention halls at the sprawling Messe Berlin complex are filled with vast showrooms of refrigerators, dishwashers, coffeemakers, vacuum cleaners, and so on from companies like Siemens, Miele, Braun, and Dyson. Walking the show floor is like stepping into a photo shoot for Architectural Digest. Traditional high tech takes a backseat; this is home appliance porn.
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