Samsung exec: I use iPhone, iPad, Macs at home

Samsung's chief strategy officer, Young Sohn, is sure to ruffle some feathers in Seoul over his recent comments regarding Apple.

Speaking to MIT Technology Review in an interview published today, Sohn said that Apple's key strength might not be products, but the company's "ecosystem, such as iCloud."

"I like that my family 6,000 miles away in Korea is able to see my schedule and see all of my contacts and photos," Sohn said. "It is sticky, but it is a proprietary architecture. Look at your phone [pointing to the writer's Samsung Galaxy Nexus]. It's a better phone, in my view. It's a better display. It's faster. But eventually the connected ecosystem is really critical."

Sohn went on to explain that Apple has found a way through iCloud, iTunes, and other platforms, to connect all of its products that consumers own. So if, for instance, they buy a movie on the iPhone, they can quickly watch it on their television with the Apple TV. Calendar appointments made on a Mac can be shared on an iPad. It's a fully "connected" experience, Sohn said.

Even though Sohn is now a Samsung executive -- he only joined the company in August -- that "connected" experience Apple is delivering is too much for him to pass up.

"At work I'm using Samsung devices; Apple at home, mainly because all of my systems and files are done that way," Sohn said. "That's sticky, you know?"

Apple and Samsung have a rather odd relationship. Both companies are bitter rivals in the mobile space where they battle for consumer attention. The companies have also launched legal salvos at each other over alleged patent-infringement. Still, Apple is a Samsung customer, relying on the company for its mobile processor needs. Despite their obvious anger toward each other, that processor relationship has forced them, at least in part, to set aside their differences.

Looking ahead, the Apple "ecosystem" could inform Samsung's decision-making. Sohn pointed out that with Samsung televisions, mobile products, and a host of other electronics designed for the home, the company can transform its focus from one that's "device-centric" to one that tries to connect its many devices throughout the home.

(Via The Verge)