The court got a breather from telling and at times testy testimony in the Apple vs. Samsung trial Wednesday, but that didn't stop the Cupertino company from dropping a bombshell in the form of a 132-page internal Samsung report.
The document, which Apple successfully entered as evidence Tuesday, is a "relative evaluation report" published in March 2010 comparing Samsung's Galaxy S1 phone to the iPhone.
Feature by feature, display by display, the document pits the iPhone against Galaxy iterations - from the Si to the Aries to the GT-i9000.
The iPhone always comes out on top with clearer displays, simpler formats and overall elegance, among other betterments.
Below nearly every slide is a "Directions for Improvement" box, providing either additions or subtractions to Samsung's phones that would put them on the iPhone playing field.
While Apple is clearly using the document to demonstrate Samsung's supposed obsession with the iPhone (and iPad), Samsung is likely to counter it's in line with research it conducts on all its major rivals.
Samsung reacts
In fact, the South Korean company's already said just that.
In a statement, Samsung called the document "typical competitive analysis," something done "routinely" by companies in many industries, not just mobile technologies.
Samsung had fought tooth and nail to exclude the document from court, but now that it's out, is downplaying its significance.
Finding confusion
A major part of Apple's argument is that Samsung, by allegedly ripping of its designs, harmed Apple's ability to make a profit.
While iPhones and iPads are recognized by just about everybody as Apple products, the company argues Samsung's patent infringements diluted the market, leading many to mistakenly purchase Samsung devices like the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab when they wanted iOS devices.
Now, two internal studies of Samsung's own taking that were entered into evidence Tuesday reveal many consumers did in fact mistake the Samsung products for ones belonging to Apple..
According to one, which began in May 2008 and ended in January 2011, over half of consumers who recognized a Samsung Galaxy Tab TV commercial thought it was for Apple.
Furthermore, only 16 percent thought it was for Samsung.
Eleven percent of respondents were aware of the Galaxy Tab and could connect it to Samsung. By contrast, 65 percent said they were aware and could link the iPad back to Apple.
'Liked but not loved'
The survey takers did report that the Galaxy's recognition was growing, advising Samsung to continue designing distinct and distinguishable Galaxy products.
One highlight from the studies is that "pundits" told researchers the iPhone is a "revolution" while Samsung touch phones are "liked, but not loved…[people] don't exhibit the same kind of passion and loyalty as they do with the iPhone."
Samsung's phones, they continue, don't make a "design statement" and look "too plain, too extreme, or too much like other Samsung phones."
The trial resumes Friday. To see the full 132-page Samsung iPhone/Galaxy report, click here.
Via CNET and AllThingsD
