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Samsung Planning to Kill Off Unofficial Accessories?
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christiansectas
Member
Damn right!
drew96dawg
Senior Member
Can we make this the droidforums slogan?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
You folks know me as a strong advocate for OEM chargers and OEM cables, but not for the reason of profitability (duh...). I happen to know that for a fact most third-party charger adapters use terribly inferior components, much simpler voltage step-down components, low-level AC to DC converters and crude filtering, and ultimately produce very dirty DC voltages. Dirty power being pumped into these EXTREMELY sensitive devices with circuitry in the processors, for instance that have "wires" (printed conductive traces), which are (as in the case of the processor in the S4), 28nm or smaller (28 nanometers or 28 billionths of a meter - .000028 millimeters - 28 one-hundred-thousandths of a millimeter), causes these extremely small components to suffer stresses (expansion and contraction) due to the power fluctuations. It increases power consumption and causes heat as a byproduct as well.
Take duplicate copies of the same circuit and run one with clean power, the other with dirty power. The one with the clean power will run faster and with less heat generated, as well as will remain in operable condition far longer than the one supplied with dirty power, all other things being equal. The MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), drops precipitously and directly proportional to the purity of the power source signal. CPUs will run faster and cooler, they will last longer, and the overall user experience will therefore be a better one.
You may also know (and may have read on our forum), that some of these "dirty" power issues can manifest as problems on the phone by causing so-called "ghost-typing", where while the power adapter is plugged into the phone the digitizer has difficulty recognizing exactly where your fingers are touching the screen. This can cause it touch or select other areas of the screen that are no-where near your finger, seemingly as if there is another person or "ghost" touching the screen at the same time. In some cases this "ghost-typing" can be so bad that the phone will - even without touching a tall and completely on its own make phone calls or texts to numbers in your contacts list, or to random numbers, will select apps and run them, close windows, change settings, take photographs, etc. Once the offending power adapter is disconnected, the phone functions completely normal again.
Furthermore, if there's one soapbox I get on often, it's proper care and charging of Lithium Ion Polymer Pouch type batteries (the types used in most phones of today). These batteries are very picky - to use a common descriptor, with respect to how they are charged (at what percentage of capacity or discharge charging is started), at what rate the are charged (mAh, i.e. 750mAh, 1.1mAh, or 2.1mAh, etc.), how much they are charged (percentage of rated capacity, or maximum voltage levels), and how much they are discharged (minimum voltage level). They are very volatile chemistry and if not charged in the ranges as specified by the manufacturer of the phone when they specify the chemistry to meet certain needs, the results can be anything from poor performance, to shorter total lifespan, to complete failure to respond to a charger, to self-destruction and explosion/extremely high temperature fire.
I've opened dozens of charger modules, those from the big named cellular phone manufacturers, those from the big named phone accessory manufacturers, and those of the cheapo Chinese knock-off companies, the $5 chargers. To compare them is similar to comparing a BMW 5 series to a go-cart. Both will get you there (eventually), both burn fossil fuels, and both have a seat and 4 wheels, a steering wheel and a motor. The quality and perhaps even more importantly safety of the trip and likelihood you arrive in one piece in one versus the other are unfortunately incomparable. The number of components, quality of those components and engineering which comprise two are beyond compare.
I will post some photos when I get a chance, but safe to say the OEM chargers have not just some, but LOTS of components, usually several MSIC (Medium-Scale Integrated Circuit) chips, quality filtering components and are engineered to provide the cleanest, smoothest possible power. The cheapo's have just a very few components and very little filtering of any kind. To give you another real-world comparison...think of the OEM charger as a brand-new paved Asphalt road, versus one that is 15-20 years old, full of potholes, patches, repairs to the piping underneath, etc. Again, both will get you there, but one is a much more comfortable ride and will not produce wear and tear on the car, whereas the other may cause you a blow-out or at least to need an alignment, both your back's and the car's.
Are you an advocate of an OEM purposely keeping consumers from using another companies product though?
GuiltyBreak
Member
It may be apple like...but many still buy Apples products. If Samsung does it..ok fine people will still buy Samsung products. Back in the RAZR days Moto was all about you using their official stuff. they didnt force you, but Moto is just as guilty trying to pull that card.
acousticshade
Active Member
Wonder if they are doing this to avoid the inevitable "I was just charging my phone and it mysteriously blew up and burned down my house" stories.
Nah, my bet is on "Let's be more applelike and make lots of money"!
Nah, my bet is on "Let's be more applelike and make lots of money"!
drew96dawg
Senior Member
A 2.1amp charger hmmm $79.95 sounds about right. Also, lets just make them angry with a 3 foot usb cord.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
Well, it's done in many other industries and with many other products. Sometimes it's to increase profitability, sometimes it's to assure top performance, sometime it's for safety and protection of life and limb. IBM used to display "unauthorized battery" notices on their Thinkpads. They claimed it was to prevent warranty voiding. Many cell-phone manufacturers still do this. In some medical industries devices will not work if their own manufactured components and accessories are not used, and the reason is claimed to be adherence to extreme, medically necessary tolerances. A blood glucose monitor for home use is a good example. They all work on the same principle, but you can't take the test strips from one and use them in another. There is no such thing as "generic" or "knock-off" test strips. They're either different sizes so one won't fit into another, or they now have electronic chips (yeah, the same technology), to prevent them from being knocked-off.
Cars that are designed to run on Diesel can't run effectively on Gasoline since it lowers octane, detonates prematurely, doesn't produce nearly the compression so HP is reduced severely, it can cause knocking and can eventually cause metal fatigue and catastrophic failure. Gas cars can't run on Diesel and will spew lots of pollution due to un-burnt hydrocarbons. All you need to do is look around you and you'll find lots of products that have "attachments" or "accessories" which are manufactured for and designed to work effectively with the main component. Do you purchase the base of a blender from one manufacturer and the glass vessel with blades from another? How about the stove in your kitchen...are the burners the ones that came with it or ones you bought after-market from China to save money?
I'm sure you own and buy things all the time which have manufacturer-specific parts, accessories, adapters, etc. Why only phones are put under scrutiny with regard to the power adapters? I say it's because of convenience. Everyone NEEDS more power, since the batteries are so slim and small (by the public's demand), that they don't supply power for long enough, so we want a cheap way to keep our phones fully charged and to have an adapter at arm's length no matter where we are. It's that simple.
As for the USB standard, it only applies to "USB" ports on computers and "USB" ports on power adapters. If they choose to use another form of connection between the cable and the adapter they don't have to adhere to the "USB" standard. Many third-party chargers use a "universal" connector and a set of "universal adapters", which connect to the charger by a round plug. They are NOT adhering to the USB standard and so they don't also have to pay the licensing fees...another way to increase profit.
I said it before, if the el-cheapo chargers were built to the same standards as the OEM ones, they would cost as much and the profits would be comparable. As it is, a $29.99 OEM charger and a $5 knock-off charger both have comparable profit margins (and maybe even higher in percentage with the knock-offs), but they are at very different price-points and as a result, also very different quality points.
I've no doubt what you say is entirely true (in regards to the differences) but Samsung is forcing --not recommending-- you to buy their accessories. This move is all about the Benjamins and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's a free market, they should be able to do what they want in regards to their products, but I totally understand people's anger over this. Paying a nice chunk of change for a charger doesn't warm my cockles......
This is absolutely horrible. I have several micro-USB chargers from past phones, including a car charger, that I use and it's a huge convenience to leave those chargers where I need them (rather than lug around one that is compatible). Although my Rezound only works with ADB on the official HTC USB cord, but that's manageable.
Would make me think twice about getting a BT physical keyboard and other accessories. Heck, what does this potentially mean for other BT devices?
Would make me think twice about getting a BT physical keyboard and other accessories. Heck, what does this potentially mean for other BT devices?
And I agree that if the only reason is profit it's wrong. The issue I have with this speculation is that it's just that...speculation. We don't know yet why that chip is being implemented, but I find it hard to believe they (Samsung), are trying to go the way of Apple and create their own exclusivity for cult (read profit), purposes. Don't get me wrong...I believe there is a profit component in just about EVERY decision they are making, but I don't believe at this point that profit is the PRIMARY motivating factor (though it could be an underlying one...read on).
I also know that bad news usually travels faster than good, and that it certainly causes more emotional response. That could actually be the goal...complaints means Samsung, response means Samsung, dialogue means Samsung, publicity means Samsung, news means Samsung, exposure means Samsung, top of mind means when all is said and done you're more likely to choose Samsung simply because you heard their name more than everyone else's - whether in good news or bad.
Mess with people's money or right to choose and you'll likely feel the wrath of Kahn, as evidenced by the comments here. Frankly I don't believe they could survive the backlash that would be a chip designed solely to prevent you from using your choice of third party chargers for your phone and force you to purchase only their adapter. This after the industry has flocked toward a jack that has been designed to be an industry standard USB/charging port, doesn't make sense. IMHO there has to be more to this than is being speculated. Portability and convenience go hand in hand (no pun intended).
For devices that don't move from the spot in which they're placed once put into service (such as HP Multi-function printers), having a custom power adapter and unique plug that only their adapter fits (as is the case with many of these devices), is not an issue. You're going to plug that adapter into the wall outlet where your printer will likely sit for the next 3 years, plug the custom purple plug into the custom purple socket on the printer, and you'll soon completely forget you even have that custom power adapter. Not so with the battery operated phone in your pocket.
As I said before (and you also inferred in the OP), most will want a supplemental power source within arm's reach at every turn...one in the car, one in your backpack, one in your computer bag, one at the girlfriend's, one at school, one at mom & dad's, one at your apartment, one at your friends, etc. If everyone's phone took a unique charger that could only be purchased from the OEM (as was for the most part several years ago), it would be a trend-bucking backstep that could spell doom for the brand, not too much different than the new ports on the most recent versions of iPhones. Fortunately for iPhone owners "there an ad-'APP'-ter for that", but it's still adapting the old to the new and an added cost that did cause an industry uproar, though not likely as loud as this would, should it be true.
I think the more likely reason for the authenticity chips is to determine what accessory, whether it be authentic Samsung or an impostor was connected at the moment of a particular failure. Armed with that information they could deny warranty claims for things such as battery failure, circuit board failure, etc. Also, this may be a way to reduce their liability for things such as exploding batteries. If the battery fails and at the time of failure it's connected to an unauthorized power supply the argument could be that the failure was caused by the inferior charger adapter, and that could eliminate or reduce liability for injury due to the battery exploding.
IN both examples exposure to liability and cost for insurance, legal representation, etc. are directly tied to the bottom line, so again - the underlying reason MAY ultimately be profits, but I just don't see Samsung getting away with suddenly holding the entire market hostage to their own devices. Apple did this slowly and methodically simply by entering the market this way. Samsung is already an "open" product. To suddenly go dark and "closed" spells doom.
Again, IMHO there's more to this news blurb than meets the ear (pun intended).
I understand the argument for good quality chargers and reducing the risk of using a bad charger or a knockoff. However, I do have a number of OEM chargers that I've collected over the past few years. I should be able to use these chargers without incident. If Samsung didn't try and charge so much for a charger, I'd consider buying more than the one the phone came with.