According to Samsung, the original Galaxy S smartphone, which was released in April 2010, shipped a total of 24 million units. It reached the 10 million mark in about seven months.
The Galaxy S II, which arrived in April 2011, shipped a total of 40 million units. It reached the 10 million unit mark in five months, selling at a faster rate than the original Galaxy S. The S II was very much like its predecessor, however, in terms of looks, features, and functionality.
[ Samsung has killed plans to launch a Windows RT-based tablet in the U.S. Read more at Samsung Nixes Windows RT Tablet For U.S. ]
The Galaxy S III, which went on sale in May of this year, reflected a dramatic overhaul of the design and the software. Samsung has shipped more than 40 million of them so far. The device reached the 20 million unit mark in just 100 days, making it the fastest-selling Samsung smartphone so far.
There's no doubt Samsung's Galaxy S-branded smartphones have been popular. The S III is one of the best-selling smartphones of 2012, which was made clear based on the number of S IIIs I saw in the hands of Consumer Electronics Show attendees last week. It has a massive 4.8-inch display, 8-megapixel camera, powerful processor, and tons of custom software.
Part of the device's success is its ubiquity. It is sold by nearly every carrier in the U.S., and many more worldwide. It is priced to compete with the Apple iPhone 5 at $199 with a contract.
Samsung is expected to debut the Galaxy S IV later this year, and reports about its features are already hitting the Web. Many believe it will feature a 5-inch screen with a full 1920 x 1080 pixels, one of Samsung's newer Exynos processors, and of course support for 4G networks. Don't look for it to appear at Mobile World Congress, however. Samsung will likely introduce it at a stand-alone event later this spring.
Frankly, I will be more interested to hear how many Galaxy Note IIs Samsung is able to sell. The world's leading phablet is a handful, but has been a strong seller so far. Can it garner the same level of success as Samsung's more mainstream S III?
Our 2012 State Of Servers report takes a look at three major technology trends emerging from our latest survey. Also in the new issue of IT Trends: Performance and endurance gains plus lower cost give multilevel cell flash the edge over expensive single-level cell. (Free registration required.)
