32 Comments

I think with the ridiculous amount of hype and frothing around the mouth from Apple fanboys with every Apple product launch, they kind of make themselves an easy target. And as you say, the kind of people that queue overnight to get an iPhone 5 are never going to be seen dead with an Android phone, are they?!
Robin
2012-09-20 11:46:32

I don't think it's a bad move from Samsung. I don't think they are really out to get people to switch from Apple to Samsung/Android, I think it's more about targeting people who just don't like Apple, people who are likely to want to switch to the Galaxy. Apple will always have its detractors and Samsung is targeting those very people effectively, sales figures show it is working.

I think people need to stop taking it so seriously, it's just a bit of fun, no one is getting hurt.

I'll still be waiting eagerly for my iPhone 5 delivery tomorrow.
Luke Davies
2012-09-20 11:48:38

Well, I don't know about other Apple users, but I am one not because I want to be cool. They fact is I use to be a PC guy and thought Apple was just an over-priced product. But after the conversion (because I'm a graphic designer) I've never looked back. Despite the ocassional issues as with any piece of technology, they are far less than Windows. The same with the iPhone. It just works period. I haven't own one yet, but I've had everything else. Why should I have to download a hundred apps just to make the phone do what it should already.
Matt
2012-09-20 11:51:16

The reason why Apple customers are so loyal is down to the fact they feel comfortable and secure with the products. They know exactly what they are going to be getting, even if there is only the merest of improvements of said product. This idea of building trust, continuity and consistency of design, reliable (perhaps even predictable) operation and building a welcoming "family" ideal is something competitors should adopt, instead of trying to win one over with the latest and greatest.

I am an Apple consumer but if I was presented with another closely linked family of products, instead of fancy one-offs, I may well be persuaded to change my ways.
A
2012-09-20 11:55:53

"Dude, you're a barista" from the SII spot says it all really...

Luke has hit the nail on the head for me

D
David
2012-09-20 11:58:02

Aren't Samsung the ultimate Apple fanboys though?
David
2012-09-20 12:04:59

My phone's bigger than your phone.
Ed
2012-09-20 12:27:47

Let's not pretend Samsung doesn't wish they had people queuing for their phones though.
Dan
2012-09-20 12:30:49

I think Apple need to start looking well beyond branding that relies on 'cool' or 'not cool'. Seems to me that more and more people are looking well beyond what this brand portrays, and more and more what it does. To be sitting on a multi-billion dollar cash pile, with little or no evidence of any corporate philanthropy is despicable,

Quite how this sits with the original rainbow/hippy/universal vision of a 'good company', I don't know. Love him or hate him, at least Bill Gates sees life beyond the cubicle and tries to use the company coffers for something other than filling his pockets.

The best thing Apple could do is give away half of it's fortune on helping out the people in the world that really need it. Why don't they use their obvious skills in design, manufacturing and R&D, and channel them into fixing some of the problems the world really has, not incremental upgrades to a phone.

Get rid of your smartphone, it's the trojan horse in your house. Dump it, buy a second-hand phone, switch to a tiny tariff, and enjoy a simpler life away from all this BS.

Rant over.
Paul
2012-09-20 12:39:12

Well they can poke all the fun at them they like but with an advert like that they are not going to attract any Apple customers, only make those who would never have purchased an iPhone feel vindicated in their (non-Apple) choice. Which is fine. Competition is good etc.

But Samsung miss the point, yes Apple's phones may not always have the most up-do-date features but the features they do have are (arguably) the BEST IMPLEMENTED. And they "just work" as we all know ;-)

Nice summary here: http://fuckjetpacks.com/read/apple_avoids_the_temptation_of_jetpack_design

Which is why some of us ordinary people will pay over the odds for a phone / personal hand-held computer because we don't have to be a techie nerd to use it, upgrade the software or to add Apps to it.
Simon
2012-09-20 12:51:16

I have an iPhone but I'm not really a fanboy - I'd happily buy Samsung if it was as nice to hold and use… But I find these ad's a bit pathetic. It's like two three year olds squabbling.
Jack Wild
2012-09-20 12:54:44

I DONT LIKE APPLE
BUT THE IPHONE HAS GOT A BETTER IN-BUILT CAMERA
(I OWN A SAMSUNG GALAXY)
LIVERPOOOL
2012-09-20 12:58:18

The people who care most about Apple new releases are Samsung. They're the ones who stir up the hype each time. It's laughable, really.
SloJo
2012-09-20 13:17:22

I have an iPhone for work and got my wife a Samsung out of interest. You can't see the screen in sunlight so she borrows my iPhone when that happens. It's very over complicated to use and the text messaging set up is also pretty terrible. Worth a try but not in the same league yet. Don't worry about hype on either product - just try them out.
Matt
2012-09-20 13:41:42

too all

apple and samsung ive owned both phones from 3gs, 4 to 4s and samsung galaxy s1, s2 and now s3 you can bet ill be getting the iphone 5 but ill also get the galaxy s4 why. its simple both sides have great phones its like a stepping stone where each improves on the other. ive enjoyed both phones but what i dislike is the litigation that is going on and i hope that both sides reconcile or have each others phones banned then reconcile.

but ive been a long time geek, im very interested in the new windows 8 phones so i will probably get one to try with windows 8 surface and windows8 pc (os update)

ive enjoyed all the tech advances for a long time but i believe us the consumers are getting a raw deal especially from apple would you still think apple would update there phones if samsung was not knocking on there doorstep with the galaxy phones i think not, do you think samsung would have built a galaxy phone without the iphone i think not. do you think microsoft would have changed there OS so much had it not been for android and ios i think not this is innovation !!! going at break neck speed.

i believe that apple dominace will wane as will samsungs and the true winner will be windows because in the end windows new metro system will become the biggest ecosystem it has the best of both ios and android. but it will take a few years. but in the end this is my personal opinion so dont knock me.

k
steven
2012-09-20 14:05:57

I think Samsung have been very clever here. Going up against the 'giant' that is Apple, Samsung puts itself in a favourable position.

Anyone thinking of getting a smartphone will automatically think of the iPhone. But what Samsung have done is put themselves alongside Apple (subtly highlighting the 'two' choices smartphone consumers are torn between) and almost come across as cooler, talking (not shouting!) about features that are important to your phone experience and set them apart from apple in what it's phone is capable of, as well as highlighting a load of your competitors flaws in a lighthearted way.

Comparing yourself to the best (which Apple should see as a compliment) will ultimately put Samsung in consumer's minds as being one of the best. Samsung are basically saying 'we know people like apple products, but here's what we do and ours is actually better.'

(Apple iMac & Galaxy S3 owner)
David
2012-09-20 14:42:33

Of all the interesting posts of late, this is the one that get's all the comments.
Mark
2012-09-20 14:55:04

Loving it. This is a very clever advertisement and is the spark that they needed to make the Apple backlash more mainstream.

On another note, if Apple want to impress me they can improve the conditions the phones are made in and make sure that all workers are treated fairly.
Joey Teehan — Subliminal
2012-09-20 15:02:54

@ Mark
We were just saying the same thing!
 PatrickBurgoyne
2012-09-20 15:47:19

…Maybe because this is the only post that's titled as a question.
James
2012-09-20 23:32:42

Amazing commercials,I wonder why I haven't seen them before. And I own Samsung sIII, what can I say, it's simply sublime.
Ieva
2012-09-21 09:54:18

A nice witty commercial but honestly its just helping apple sell even more phones. With the recent ads that same samsung has been running comparing the iPhone to the SIII its just making me feel like samsung is showing themselves not to be a strong company at all. Plus Apple has such a huge market share for cellphone and tablets I'd be surprised to see samsung knock Apple off anytime soon. Plus the branding and culture around apple is more well defined then many other companies.
Josten Dooley
2012-09-21 12:47:25

I like any amusing ads, and enjoy them as I would a sitcom - but never would make a technology decision based on them - it would be like getting a phone because someone on Coronation Street had one. I look at the phones and what they do for me, maybe read a few techie reviews from both sides then buy and be happy. It doens't matter what the the other phone does so long as yours does what you want - enjoy what you have and stop looking over the fence at that greener grass.
MRDCreate
2012-09-21 14:53:19

Why do people think that a iphone is a status symbol . Everyone has one. You are just one of a massive flock of sheep. And my iphone stays in my pocket until someone calls or emails. It has a massive protective covering because it can crack and scratch easily. Which in turn makes it look like any other phone on the market.
Newman
2012-09-21 17:37:30

This Samsung ad might be more credible if Samsung didn't copy everything Apple does? Smacks of envy.
http://samsungcopiesapple.tumblr.com/
Sean Rees
2012-09-21 18:34:26

To me we are just getting more and more soulless. Where all human relations have gone?

People are getting more and more addicted to those technologies without even realizing it.
The phone (being Apple, Samsung, Nokia or whatever) is now an extensions of our body, it isn't a means to communicate anymore. We suddenly can't live without stuff which we did not need couple of years ago. We will talk to them in few years and not to people anymore (I have seen people writing to each other while sitting on the same sofa and I could list many more of those ridiculous situations).

I don't to have a phone to remind me that my Dad's birthday is the 24th of January. We are letting those technologies to do too much instead of us.
Technologies are great to me but people need to remember whether sometimes is good to be ON or OFFLINE
Luca Grosso
2012-09-22 20:41:48

Is it me or have Samsung nicked Apple's marketing ideas? These ads remind me of the Apple v PC campaigns. Apart from the fact they have not been conceived, written and directed anywhere near as well.
Allan
2012-09-24 02:08:28

They should have just stuck a Samsung logo on the end of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCrmKJjeJPI

scary scary stuff!
Geoff
2012-09-24 12:35:24

To buck the trend, I think there's something nice about a bunch of people getting really excited about a new product.

It's a shame Samsung can't try and win customers by being pioneers and making something new. Instead they shamelessly copy the pioneers and insult their customers.
James Windsor
2012-09-24 16:50:26

To me these ads still position apple as the leader and authority and show that the Samsung in the light of being some sort of copy that's 'just as good' I'm not entirely sure they hit the mark on the head with these, but I do love the "they make the coolest adapters" line
Andre Blais
2012-09-25 15:32:14

As we all know, it's not just about the features, it's about the whole user experience - something Apple appears to do effortlessly, something Samsung will never get.
HTDL Design Agency
2012-09-25 20:25:00

They're brilliantly written and well executed but ultimately they just reinforce that I want an iPhone instead of a Samsung.
Oli
2012-09-25 21:34:24

Tell us what you think

Your comment: What happens with my feedback?

What happens with my feedback?

We no longer require you to register and have a password in order to comment, simply fill in the form below. All comments are moderated so you may experience a short delay before your comment appears. CR encourages comments to be short and to the point. As a general rule, they should not run longer than the original post. Comments should show a courteous regard for the presence of other voices in the discussion. We reserve the right to edit or delete comments that do not adhere to this standard.

Name: (required)

Title:

e-Mail: (required)

URL