I'd agree with most of what has already been said, though I'd add that Samsung and Sony have both realised that before you put any product onto the shelves, you ensure that parts within it has been extensively tested beforehand. These last two points are things that Japanese manufacturers have invairably been 'better' at doing than companies in the UK and US, where in the past, one got the sneaking suspicion that customer loyalty to the brand name, was sometimes expected to 'make up' for compromises in the product. I base these observations on what happened to motorcycle manufacturers who seemed to hate investing in more modern production plants and processes, for the sake of the profits of shareholders.