LG Flaunts New Flagship Phone All Across the Globe - San Francisco Chronicle

Presented by: The new flagship of the LG smartphone fleet, the LG Optimus G, will debut in more than 50 new countries starting in late January 2013. The LG Optimus G is carried by AT&T. The phone's makers hope to piggyback off the international success of the LG Optimus L9—part of the LG Optimus line—which helped solidify the reputation of its exclusive provider, T-Mobile, in the international smartphone community. By the time the debut rolls around, citizens of Singapore will be able to purchase the Optimus G, according to a January 22 LG press release. Customers in the Singapore smartphone market will join those in the United States, Canada, Japan and South Korea, where LG holds its headquarters. In Singapore, the Optimus G will have to impress a sophisticated market that is already very familiar with smartphones. According to a 2011 study published on Wired.com, Singapore has the highest per-capita usage of smartphones. The study reported that 90 percent of Singaporeans purchase smartphone coverage. Hong Kong was second on the list with 61 percent. South Korea, Canada and Japan, where the LG Optimus G is already available, ranked 20th, 21st and 33rd, respectively. However, researcher Tomi Ahonen warns that while many Japanese and South Korean phones aren't technically considered "smartphones," phones used there are much more advanced than their rankings on the list would seem to indicate. Ireland, for instance, which places 16th on the list, might technically have a higher smartphone usage, but its citizens use devices that are less advanced on the whole. The United States also placed 16th at 35 percent, tying Ireland along with Portugal and Greece. Global smartphone usage has grown in most countries. The United States now has a 44 percent smartphone penetration rate, according to statistics released by the Google mobile analytics project, Think with Google. Japan's penetration rate is 20 percent—about the same as in 2011—and Canada's is 33 percent. Singapore's smartphone penetration rate is still comparatively high, though Black Box Research reports it has fallen to 88 percent. However, the small difference in data may be attributable to different research methods. In Singapore, LG's phones will have to compete with the iPhone. Black Box researchers reported that a full 73 percent of smartphone owners in Singapore use the popular Apple smartphone while 17 percent rely on Android devices. At the time of the survey, however, 4G LTE connectivity had not been made available to Singapore's wireless customers. Though rumors that the iPhone 5 wasn't compatible with Singapore's 4G LTE network turned out to be untrue, according to CNET, the move to 4G may have offered other devices an opportunity to break the iPhone's stranglehold. With an upgrade in technological capability, reassessments occur, giving high-performing devices the chance to make a mark. Though consumer data on the Optimus G shows that its sales trail the impressive showing of fellow South Korean tech giant Samsung's Galaxy 2, LG surprised the tech world by shipping over 1 million units of the Optimus G, according to TechCrunch. As LG's new products make their way into Singapore and beyond, the jury's still out on whether LG can solidify its place as a major player in the smartphone world. via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHGvR_uA9c2JjD20Wk3YyUjhqhNAw&url=http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/LG-Flaunts-New-Flagship-Phone-All-Across-the-Globe-4326729.php

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