The juggernaut that is Apple dominates the tech world. With everyone anticipating an iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, there's no doubt that those two products will dominate the airwaves and wallets once released. In lieu of this, rivals Samsung and Nokia seem to be gearing up product unveilings to try and capture some media and public attention before Apple steals it away with a next-gen iPhone and iPad announcement on September 12.
The iPhone and the iPad dominate their respective markets, and competitors have been trying to figure out a way to break Apple's grip on people's imaginations. Rival Samsung made a huge dent in Apple's smartphone dominance earlier this year with the Samsung Galaxy S3, even outselling Apple two-to-one in smartphones for the second quarter of 2012, but the upcoming iPhone 5 looks like it might erase any lead Samsung's built.
So what's Samsung to do? Try and get to the marketplace earlier so its wares sell. Samsung will take the wraps off the Galaxy Note 2 at an event on August 29, a couple days before the IFA consumer electronics fair takes off in Berlin. The Galaxy Note 2 has an interesting market niche carved for it - the "phablet." Too big to be a smartphone, and too small to be a tablet, the Galaxy Note 2 will appeal to those looking for something in between, and reception to the original Galaxy Note was encouraging.
Nokia, on the other hand, is in a far more desperate situation. The Finnish phonemaker has been struggling amid falling share prices and decreasing brand relevancy. Since the release of the iPhone, Nokia has lost 90 percent market share. Once the most popular phone manufacturer in the world, it's not relegated to comeback status.
Luckily, they have a shot with the Microsoft Windows 8 Phone operating system. Despite only recently releasing a line of Windows 7 phones, Nokia will now switch its efforts into pushing the Windows 8 Phone OS. According to Bloomberg, the company will show off a line of Windows 8 phones at its Nokia World Event on September 5 and 6.
If all goes according to these two companies' plans, they might be able to nab some consumers' imaginations before Apple does on September 12. The Galaxy Note 2 is expected to ship soon after its announcement, but the Nokia phones will most likely come out around the 2012 holiday season. Apple still has the upper hand here, with so much hype surround the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, but if Samsung and Nokia present their products in an intuitive manner like Apple often does, they may be able to put a nick in Apple's armor.