Former Apple Inc (AAPL) creative director Hugh Dubberly said Apple has some ground to cover if it wants to keep up with Samsung's (SSNLF) strides in design.

"It's not so much that Samsung has gotten better, but Apple has fundamentally changed. The pipeline that Steve Jobs started is over," Dubberly said.

Apple's 10th anniversary iPhone model, which is expected to be released this fall, will need a new distinguishing feature to outdo Samsung's Galaxy S8, analysts contend. That could mean a fingerprint sensor embedded under the display instead of a physical home button.

Sales of the S8 device are estimated lower than the previous S7 model's sales were at this time last year. But Samsung might have time to ramp up sales, as mass production of the iPhone 8 isn't expected to start until November.

Samsung stock rose 4% on Monday morning. Apple stock traded up 0.5%.

However, recent data suggests that the S8 picture may not be quite so rosy as the Samsung-focused piece suggests. Analysts recently estimated that sales of this year’s flagship Samsung smartphone are actually lower than last year’s S7 at the same point in time. A report today suggested that Samsung may have more time to ramp up sales, though, as mass production of the iPhone 8 may not hit its stride until November.

Source: thestreet