

Samsung Launches Galaxy S4 With Baffling, Overproduced Broadway-Style Show - derpenxyne
http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/14/what-just-happened/

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tolmasky
This seems somewhat common now. First Qualcomm's Kafkaesque E3 keynote, then
the PS4 launch (which is seeming sane now), and now this. What goes through
these people's heads when they put these things together? Do they have so
little faith in their products that they think they need to outsource these
things out to people more clueless than them? Or are all these ideas cooked up
by some high up exec that everyone is afraid to defy? Or is it group think? I
just don't understand how anyone could watch this ahead of time and think
"this is _perfect_ for our launch". Especially because I think the features of
the new phone are actually pretty impressive. Just show those... like on a
slide or small demo. That's all you need.

~~~
kristofferR
What was wrong with the PS4 launch? Except for the cool introduction video and
a few minutes of the expected PR BS about the "Playstation experience" it was
purely ordinary talk and demoes of the new features/games by the people in
charge of them. It often got quite geeky at times actually.

I really enjoyed the PS4 launch, I was actually surprised at how little fluff
there were. I really don't understand what you disliked with the launch, I
think it was a really good example of how launches should be done in the
future.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmaxC1V5gNM>

~~~
Steko
A lot of pundits bashed the PS4 launch for not showing the PS4.

I'm skeptical how big a deal it was because the kids I game with online
couldn't stop talking about the PS4 that night and not one of them mentioned
the "controversy" about not showing the PS4. If I was Sony and I inked a deal
to get Blizzard games on my console I'd schedule an event the next week to
tell the world about it. Huge coup.

~~~
kristofferR
Those pundits were uninformed - it was generally expected that the console
itself would be revealed later, just like with the PS3.

~~~
trafficlight
What kind of product launch is that?

~~~
shardling
They revealed the controller -- you know, the way you actually interact with
the thing. They revealed some games, and some gameplay footage. They disclosed
the specs of the hardware.

I fail to see why it mattered _even a little bit_ if we saw what exciting
variety of plastic block the console itself looks like. For the most part,
it's meant to stay out of sight!

------
jpxxx
This is ghastly.

Bachelorette party:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=I...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IDXILsX7_QI#t=4722s)

They literally have seven grown women on stage chirping over a calorie
counter, eyefucking an actual topless man, making cheesecake jokes, and doing
a lush mommy dance number.

~~~
yalogin
Samsung is trying really hard to think of new stuff. The group play was
acceptable (of use may be once a year) but making different phones part of a
surround sound was absolutely ghastly. The only way to show it also has to
horrible.

------
fudged71
Lately, these events are a source of press and discussion. Now you've got
articles centered around the phone and articles centered around the event.
It's marketing.

It's showy, it's exaggerated, it's fun. Although I've preferred their previous
events where they focus on the device, this one is being marketed towards
being a personal companion, and with that comes a lot of personal
demonstrations.

It's not classy, or maybe not as classy as they'd hoped. But it's launched now
and people are talking about it. Maybe it wasn't so bad.

~~~
jpxxx
Now sis. This is a Tony award nominated stage director serving up ninety
minutes of missed cues, DOA humor, tortured narratives, miserable dialogue,
and energy-sapping bloat.

But whether it was supposed to be delightfully exaggerated or genuinely awful
is besides the point: this shit disrespects the customer, pollutes an already
diffuse brand message, and draws attention away from the product.

------
frooxie
It's the worst launch show I've ever seen, by far. Corny, tacky, misogynist,
and not a single line anyone said sounded natural.

~~~
jpxxx
"My nails are wet!" "Sticky fingers!" "Sunscreen!" "I really don't want to put
down this drink!"

~~~
Tyrannosaurs
> "I really don't want to put down this drink!"

Samsung targeting the problem drinker market there.

Not clear how being so drunk that you can't focus works with their eye
tracking software.

------
YPetrov
I liked some of the features of the new Galaxy S4, but this show put me off so
much. They were trying SO hard to make it 'cool', but it was getting more and
more awkward with every new scene. That's why at some point I just couldn't
take any more of their 'humour' and turned it off.

I don't like Galaxy's look but I quite like some of its features and I think
they should re-think their next presentation very carefully and try make it
look less cheap.

~~~
sdqali
I am curious as to what in the Samsung Galaxy S4 looks cheap to you?

~~~
Aco-
I think he meant that the launch show looked cheap; which is kind of ironic
considering the fact that they booked out Radio City Music Hall...

~~~
YPetrov
Exactly, the whole presentation looked artificial to me. Like they were
forcing themselves to be liked, instead of just being natural.

W.r.t the device - as I said, some nice features but I am not a big fan of
plastic phones. It might sound funny, but I like that I can 'feel' my iPhone
when I'm holding it.

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agildehaus
Where do I get a job making stupid crap like this? Obviously no oversight and
probably pays better than what I do now.

~~~
flexxaeon
I couldn't help but think this as well. Intentionally bad or not, someone
likely got paid an exorbitant amount of money to come up with this, and I'd
have done it for half of whatever that amount was.

------
pm90
I'm inclined to believe that they saw the equally ridiculous Qualcomm CES 2013
opening[0] and were inspired by it

[0][http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/8/3850056/qualcomms-insane-
ce...](http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/8/3850056/qualcomms-insane-
ces-2013-keynote-pictures-tweets)

------
Steko
Not sure why anyone's baffled, "big overproduced skits" has Samsung written
all over it. Or have you forgotten about Zoll?

[http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/06/live-from-samsungs-
ces-20...](http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/06/live-from-samsungs-
ces-2011-keynote/)

------
flexxaeon
I just don't get this. There is no amount of production that is going to make
me care about a phone, or any other type of tech, any more than I already do.
If anything it makes me want it _less_. Stop trying so hard to make tech
"exciting" for an hour.

~~~
cstrat
I couldn't agree with you more.

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bitcartel
Yes, this was cheesy and over the top, but hey, it's Radio City, it's New
York, it's theater!

The tongue-in-cheek show might not be everyone's cup of tea but it was a
refreshing change from the usual routine.

Also it kept me entertained/interested long enough to learn about some of the
new software features and their potential use cases.

~~~
amartya916
Change, yes, but refreshing is probably not the word that comes to my mind. To
each his own, I guess.

------
harshreality
Why can't Samsung release one penta-band UMTS version of each GSM phone?

Releasing an international version and several U.S. versions segments the
market, slowing down 3rd party ROM development particularly for the U.S.
versions. Carrier ROMs are bloated, non-standard android environments, and lag
behind the latest version. That situation is unacceptable; no new Samsung
Galaxy phones for me.

~~~
Steko
"Why can't Samsung release one penta-band UMTS version of each GSM phone?"

Presumably lack of demand.

"slowing down 3rd party ROM development particularly for the U.S. versions"

Not Samsung's problem.

"Carrier ROMs are bloated, non-standard android environments, and lag behind
the latest version."

And there's a distinct class of devices that run stock Android. And in all
likelihood this class will continue to be outsold by an order of magnitude by
this device and its non-standard carrier ROM that lags behind the latest
version.

"That situation is unacceptable"

To a tiny minority.

------
jonhendry
Samsung execs: "Americans love Mad Men, Two And A Half Men, and reality shows.
Turn them into a product announcement presentation."

------
orlandob
I was completely distracted by the awful dialogue and performances. What a
terrible way to show your flagship gadget.

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paul_f
This was quite helpful since I base most of my purchase decisions on the
entertainment value of the launch event.

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moe
Bizarre. I was constantly reminded of this old soundgarden video;
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efc7njKAfgo>

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dhruvmittal
Oh man, this was the funniest thing I've seen all year. Yes, it was bad. It
seemed almost intentionally so. I definitely enjoyed it.

------
sigzero
Samsung is baffling. No surprise here.

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JacobIrwin
No skydiving??

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drivebyacct2
Damn, the S4 packs a lot of really cool stuff, as someone who had finally lost
the desire to upgrade phones, it made me pause (though really, my Galaxy Nexus
with CM10.1 is faster than I need it to be). But this was just WOW-level
embarrassing. And TouchWiz is still ugly, especially given how nice stock
Android 4.2.2 and even Sense 5 is.

