Samsung Buys Auto And Audio Giant Harman For $8B

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
It looks like Samsung is making a move to get into the car industry by buying Harman International Industries in an $8 billion all-cash deal. The deal is the largest in Samusung's history and surprising considering the amount of money the company lost due to its recent exploding phone fiasco.

Harman CEO Dinesh Paliwal says that Samsung's displays, connectivity and processing tech is a good fit with his firm's automotive products. "Samsung is an ideal partner for Harman and this transaction will provide tremendous benefits to our automotive customers," he said in a press release. Samsung Vice Chair Oh-Hyun Kwon added that Harman has an "unmatched automotive order pipeline" and a "strong foundation for Samsung to grow our automotive platform."
 
Between the note 7 fiasco and Samsung washing machines breaking walls, i can't wait to see what new products they can screw up
 
So we had exploding phones and washing machines, now we get exploding speakers...

I guess the note 7 fiasco didn't hurt them at all if they have 7 billion lying around to spend like that.
 
Had an appliance guy tell me RUN from Samsung appliance., Absolute junk. They are REALLY designed to die after the warranty expires.
Usually the electronics or sensor will fail, cost to replace is more than the machine is worth.
 
The company I use to work for Magnavox, which was a subsidiary of Philips was sold of to Funai.
That is about as bad as it gets.
 
So we had exploding phones and washing machines, now we get exploding speakers...

I guess the note 7 fiasco didn't hurt them at all if they have 7 billion lying around to spend like that.

I was reading on Avsforum that Samsung has $71 billion in cash for them to spend.
 
I was reading on Avsforum that Samsung has $71 billion in cash for them to spend.
Amazing.
Samsung was a brand only low end retailers sold. It was considered junk then and still is in my opinion.
What put them on the map was Consumer Reports. Price enters their "quality" matrix. And Samsung stuff was cheap compared to real quality brands.
So a Samsung TV would get a "Best Buy" rating from Consumer Reports. Regardless of the fact that in a year or 2 the picture tube was shot compared to a better brand, the tube would usually last 8 or 10 years.
 
Amazing.
Samsung was a brand only low end retailers sold. It was considered junk then and still is in my opinion.
What put them on the map was Consumer Reports. Price enters their "quality" matrix. And Samsung stuff was cheap compared to real quality brands.
So a Samsung TV would get a "Best Buy" rating from Consumer Reports. Regardless of the fact that in a year or 2 the picture tube was shot compared to a better brand, the tube would usually last 8 or 10 years.

When you say "was", I guess you are referring to the period between the 70's ~ 90's? I agree with the 'was', but not anymore, at least as a blanket statement.

Samsung is spread too thin. They have too many products and not all of them get the attention to detail they might want. However, to write off the entire product line is just silly.

Samsung are second to none in many areas; SSDs and memory come to mind (their fab is no slouch either) and while the latest round of phones is a black eye, it is hardly reflective of the company overall. I am no fan of this company for other more corporate-related reasons, but I wouldn't be so ignorant as to disregard their products completely.
 
When you say "was", I guess you are referring to the period between the 70's ~ 90's? I agree with the 'was', but not anymore, at least as a blanket statement.
Samsung is spread too thin. They have too many products and not all of them get the attention to detail they might want. However, to write off the entire product line is just silly.
Samsung are second to none in many areas; SSDs and memory come to mind (their fab is no slouch either) and while the latest round of phones is a black eye, it is hardly reflective of the company overall. I am no fan of this company for other more corporate-related reasons, but I wouldn't be so ignorant as to disregard their products completely.

Yeah, my comments cover the 80s and 90s when I was in the electronics business for sure. And for that reason when I hear "samsung" I think of roaches. Strange I know; but Samsung was the low end brand that many "rent to own" businesses sold.
I remember many times, someone would bring in a Samsung TV or microwave oven and plop it on the counter, and to see roaches scatter out of it. :eek:
Not a pleasant memory. But a couple years ago I decide to put aside my bias and bought a Samsung cell phone. Less than a year later I gave it to my niece for something to play her girly android games on it. Phone was junk.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Samsung SSD; their semiconductor fab business is a world leader; but as for their consumer products my opinion has not changed in 30 years.
 
Samsung can't fail, not so long as they own the South Korean government as they have for decades now. Sure, they'll have issues and some (if not most) of them would tank other companies, but, South Korea literally cannot afford to have Samsung tank. As a chaebol covering 15~20% of the nation's economy, it would be like having Apple, Wal-Mart, and GM all fold simultaneously (along with Microsoft, Google, Ford, and others thrown in for good measure). That said, such power also comes with many side effects, one of which is a constant hunger to branch out and consume other companies. Harman is hardly the first, and most assuredly will not be the last. Samsung, LG, Hyundai, and the other major chaebol in Korea are a worrying lesson in monopolization, complete vertical organization from raw materials to components to final product, and an advanced corporate oligarchy controlling the national and regional governments. Not even China can muster such consolidation of power.
 
So... how long before we have a pair of headphones that can blow out your ear drums? ;)
 
Had an appliance guy tell me RUN from Samsung appliance., Absolute junk. They are REALLY designed to die after the warranty expires.
Usually the electronics or sensor will fail, cost to replace is more than the machine is worth.

Same with their TVs. I have a Samsung TV, where the remote is dead. Like the actual sensor in the TV. I also have a Samsung monitor which likes to not turn on or off. I have to unplug it and plug it back in to use the button. I have another Samsung monitor where the power button randomly doesn't work. I literally have to press it like 20-30 times to get it to work.

I don't buy their shit anymore. I'm going back to Sony. People complain about them being overpriced, but so far. None of their shit isn't breaking on me in stupid ways.
 
Back
Top