There's friendly corporate rivalries, unfriendly corporate rivalries, and then there's the ones that fall into some strange gray area where you're not entirely sure what's going on. Such is the nature of the battle that's emerged between Apple and Samsung.
Well, it's not exactly a new thing – after all, for years now the two companies have been leading and competing forces when it comes to mobile devices. But tensions – or faux tensions? – have come to a head with the announcement that Apple is releasing the iPhone 6 Plus, a so-called "phablet" whose expanded screen size resembles Samsung's Galaxy Note Pro.
Cue the snarky ads
Far from simply sitting back and watching Apple bask in the limelight, Samsung used the hype surrounding Apple's recent product announcement in Cupertino to make an announcement of its own. The announcement came in the form of an ad, and what it chalks up to is this: "Hey Apple, good job on the added screen size. P.S., We did that already." The ad begins in what's clearly supposed to be an Apple Store, with two over-enthused employees stumbling upon the idea for a larger phone screen, rejoicing at the ingenuity of that idea, before realizing that there's actually nothing ingenious about it.
But the sardonic ads from Samsung didn't end there. In fact, there are at least five others in the "It Doesn't Take a Genius" series, each finding different ways to take not-so-subtle shots at Apple. In one, the company mocks Apple's difficulties handling livestreaming, while in another, Apple's failure to include a stylus with its iPhones is subjected to similar scrutiny. In style and tone, these ads are not dissimilar to Apple's own Mac Guy vs. PC guy promotions. With both ad campaigns, there's a certain sense of ambiguity as to the one companies' feelings toward the other. Is it merely playful competition, or outright resentment?
Samsung's not the only one ragging on Apple
In addition to the ads from Samsung, Apple took another hit from a different source: Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica reviews editor, who created an infographic revealing that the new and improved iPhone really isn't all that new at all. Amadeo's infographic – which has been widely shared and is now enjoying about as much virality as a graphic can – points out how the iPhone 6 bears a rather uncanny resemblance to a device that's already two years old: Google's Nexus 4. The infographic points to these similarities:
- Both devices feature a 4.7-inch screen.
- The iPhone 6's screen is 750p, while the Nexus 4's is 760p.
- Both devices have widgets, notification actions, NFC payments and cross-app communications.
- The iPhone 6 comes out in September 2014. The Nexus came out in November 2012.
Amadeo concludes his graphic by telling Apple users to, "Enjoy your 'new' device," before adding, "If you need help with your iPhone's new features, just ask an Android user. We've had this stuff for years."
So wait, Apple took two years to catch up to Nexus, and it's still behind in screen resolution? As far as tongue-in-cheek product criticism goes, Amadeo's is quite effective, and it points to the idea that sometimes Apple may get too much credit due to the flashiness of its products and the equally ostentatious way it's apt to represent its device line.
Yet the fact remains that Apple products are a staple of not only the computing sphere, but the mobile sphere as well, and despite friendly (or not-so-friendly) jibes from Samsung and Android users, it's apt to retain this eminent position moving forward. Of course, competition between companies can only benefit the customer, since it means we'll be getting better products.
