삼성전자 고위 임원이 갤럭시 기어를 비하하는듯한 내용의 발언으로 화제를 불러 일으키고 있다.
삼성전자 오픈이노베이션센터 수석 부사장 데이빗 은이 최근 한 컨퍼런스에서 회사에서 갤럭시 기어를 설익은 토마토에 비유하는 동시에, 회사에서 지급했기 때문에 착용할 뿐, 자유의사로 구입했을지는 미지수라고 답변했다.
은 수석 부사장은 “(갤럭시 기어는) 설익은 토마토다. 누가 뭐래도 1.0정도의 디바이스다,” 라고 말했다.
그러면서 그는 갤럭시 기어가 아직 붉게 익은 토마토는 아니지만, 혁신적인 제품이라는 점에서는 박수 받아야 마땅하며 미래 발전 가능성이 높다고 전망했다.
하지만 트위터와 페이스북 등의 SNS사용자들은 기업의 고위 임원이 제품에 대한 홍보는 못할망정 오히려 결점을 부각시키고 있다면서 비판적인 시각을 보였다.
한편, 갤럭시 기어는 지난 9월에 출시된 이후 약 50,000개 정도의 저조한 판매량을 기록하고 있다. (코리아헤럴드 김지현 기자)
<관련 영문 기사>
Samsung exec compares Gear to unripe tomato By Kim Ji-hyun and news reports
A top Samsung executive this week criticized Samsung’s first wearable device, the Galaxy Gear, by calling it a “small green tomato.”
At a conference hosted by Business Insider, David Eun, executive vice president and head of the Open Innovation Center at Samsung, said he wasn’t sure if he would have bought the smart watch
He also said he wasn’t sure if he would have bought one himself.
“Honestly, I don‘t know if I would have bought the first one myself. I was given this, because I work there,” Eun said.
He also likened the smart watch to a “small green tomato,” calling the device “1.0.”
“It’s a small green tomato. And I feel in the same way, this is, for what it is, it’s a 1.0 device. I like it a ton, it’s a 1.0.”
The comments come amid the sluggish sales of the Galaxy Gear, which is estimated to have sold about 50,000 units since its debut in September last year.
On the whole, Eun did not appear as if he was out to criticize the smart watch, as he said the device had “grown on him,” and that he could see where the watch was going.
He seemed to be more intent on addressing those who have been attacking the Galaxy Gear, saying that this much was expected considering how new it was to the market.
“When you‘re dealing with innovation and when you’re dealing with startups, I always make the analogy to small green tomatoes. What we‘re dealing with is small green tomatoes and what we want to do is take care of them and work with them so they can become big red ripe tomatoes,” Eun said, adding that the small green tomato should not be criticized for not being a big red ripe tomato.
“Personally, I don’t think enough people gave us the credit for innovating and getting it out there,” the executive said. “I would also say over time this thing is going to get big and red.” (
jemmie@heraldcorp.com)
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