Let's have a look at specs of both the phones
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| Source: gsmarena.com |
A quick glance at the spec sheet of both the phones and we realize that both phones had top configuration which one can expect from the flagship product of the company. Inspite of being fully loaded and armed with a big screen Dell Streak failed to take off while Galaxy Note which was launched just a year later was a big hit amongst the masses.
Why did Dell fail in the first place or what did samsung do differently?
This was one question which has troubled me a lot and so i decided to investigate the matter.
Dell Streak: This was the first phone to break the 5 inch display barrier. Till then 4 inch display was considered to be the limit. It was also the time when touch screen devices were in their infancy and majority of the mobile landscape was being ruled by qwerty and keypad phones. Thus when streak was launched people were not ready to accept the device.
Second reason for streak's failure can be attributed to failure of Dell in creating a new segment of phablet. At a time when 4 inch was considered to be too big to handle how would people accept the 5 incher? Dell had a headstart in this space but dell did not take any extra efforts to educate the customers about the advantages of having a 5 inch device. On the other hand samsung built the whole concept of note around the big screen. It took special effort to create softwares which would leverage note's screen estate. At a time when stylus was considered as an extinct specie, Samsung reincarnated it in form of S pen. This is an important lesson which each marketer should remember. Having a great product is just one part of the solution. Creating a need for that product is what completes the solution.
Another major reason for Dell's failure is its lack of commitment. Dell was never serious about its foray in mobile space. It tried to leverage its manufacturing strengths by providing a good hardware but it never rolled out regular software updates. And this is also case of its follow competitors like HP, Lenovo who also dabbled in the mobile space but with any long term plan.
In today's world where software has become the heart of the mobile ecosystem, one cannot afford to neglect it. As a matter of fact we have the Nokia and RIM who are paying a big price for committing this cardinal sin.
So the bottom line is the customer is most of the times is unaware of what he needs. Its upto the organization the make the customer realize the need for the product.
