Apple seems to have set its target on South Korea – Samsung's home turf – and after launching its Pay platform in the country, Apple opened a new store and tried to woo K-pop fans with an exclusive audio experience.
Samsung's archrival opened its fifth store in the luxurious Gangnam district, and to mark the occasion, Apple launched a rare promotional event. It created a pop-up studio where K-pop fans could come in and listen to an exclusive spatial audio recording of the hit song OMG by K-pop girl band NewJeans. (via Alarabiya)
Is Apple learning from Samsung again?
Samsung and K-pop go hand-in-hand, as the company had previously collaborated with K-pop giants such as Blackpink and BTS. So it almost seems like Apple is borrowing strategies straight out of the Korean tech giant's playbook and using them against its rival on its home ground.
Apple won't stop here, and local media outlets say that the company intends to open its sixth iPhone store in Gangnam later this year, at which point the posh Korean district will have more Apple Stores than Tokyo, Japan. At the moment, Apple's retail team in South Korea reportedly consists of 800 employees.
Samsung has a huge following in South Korea. And in part, it's thanks to the company's collaborations with K-pop bands throughout the years. Samsung is the most beloved smartphone brand in the country, but Apple seems to really want a piece of that pie.
The US-based company recently launched its Pay platform in Korea collaboration with Hyundai, and it's such a bold move that it may have even convinced Samsung to consider enabling its own Pay platform for Galaxy smartwatches in Korea. And indeed, as unexpected as that sounds, Samsung Pay is not yet available on Galaxy Watches in Samsung's home land.
As to whether or not this recent collaboration between Apple and NewJeans will spark other partnerships between Samsung and other K-pop brands remains to be determined. Samsung plans to announce two new foldable phones later this year, possibly in August-September.
