[Idiom] Beat to the chase - meaning

[GoldLight]

What does "beating Apple to the chase" mean in the excerpt below?

"Samsung is set to launch a smart watch as early as next month, beating Apple to the chase."

I have been searching for an idiom but found only "cut to the chase".
Is "beat to the chase" an idiom or it is such an occasional phrase?
Thank you.

 

[Rover_KE]

It doesn't make sense to me.

'...pipping Apple to the post' would have been good.

Rover

 

[GoldLight]

"Samsung is set to launch a smart watch as early as next month, beating Apple to the chase" is written here:
https://www.facebook.com/cnbc?ref=stream&hc_location=stream

"be pipped at/to the post" is used in the text on the site:
Samsung to pip Apple to the post in race to launch a smart watch
-->"Samsung is set to pip Apple to the post in the race to bring a new wearable device to market."

Could these two words be written in error...:?:
beating-->pip
chase-->post

 

[Tdol]

Could these two words be written in error...:?:
beating-->pip
chase-->post

That would be very unlikely. I would guess that the person is mixing beat someone to the punch,which has the desired meaning, and cut to the chase.

 

[GoldLight]

Rover and Tdol, thank you both for your answers.
If it is "beat someone to the punch", I understand what the author wanted to express.
It could mean that Samsung overtakes Apple...and then could happen that Samsung pips Apple to the post.
Also I should forget "beat to the chase" as quickly as possible, when it is not a fixed phrase.

 

[konungursvia]

I find it odd too, but 3 million hits on google is a non negligible result. https://www.google.ca/search?q="bea...lla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=cr

Maybe chase in this case means "hunt" and beating someone to the chase means hearing of a prey and initiating a hunt earlier than a competitor.

 

[GoldLight]

Konungursvia, thank you for your information. It is an interesting phrase. When I translate it word for word, I can imagine "beat to the chase" as "take someone's breath away". But my imagination is one thing :-? and the meaning of the idiom another thing...and that's why I rather ask a native English speaker for the confirmation of "Google search results" ;-)

 

[SoothingDave]

It doesn't make sense to me.

'...pipping Apple to the post' would have been good.

Rover

Not if you want an American to understand it.