Samsung's new retail store in Australia has an Apple-like appearance

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
As Apple waits on a jury to decide whether Samsung copied its iPhone and iPad, Samsung has opened a new store in Sydney, Australia, that bears a striking resemblance to Apple's own retail operations.

The new "Samsung Experience Store" is located in Sydney's George Street, just a block from Apple's own retail location. Highlighted on Thursday by The Sydney Morning Herald, the retail location features a glass entrance, employees in blue shirts, and minimalist tables that showcase Samsung's smartphones, tablets and computers.

Though Samsung representatives insist that Apple had nothing to do with the location or the design of its new store. But as author Asher Moses noted, the location is "uncannily Apple-esque."

Tyler McGee, Samsung's vice president of telecommunications in Australia, said the location of Apple's Sydney store "didn't even come into the equation when we were looking for a location." When asked about similarities between the layouts of the Samsung and Apple stores, McGee said the storefront design is "the layout we use around the world, and it's about basically giving the consumers the opportunity to interact, learn and play with our devices."

Samsung came under fire last year for another retail location that featured Apple's App Store and Safari icons on a decorative app wall, but after the story gained traction it was revealed that the app wall inside the store was not commissioned by Samsung, which has a mini-shop inside of a larger Euronics store in Catania, Italy.



The grand opening of the new Samsung store in Sydney comes as a California jury is currently deliberating the patent infringement trial between Samsung and Apple. That legal battle began over a year ago, when Apple first sued Samsung and accused the company of copying the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 89
    bullheadbullhead Posts: 493member


    Is there anything Apple makes or does which Samesung does not copy?  A newsworthy item would be if Samesung made or did something which did not rip off Apple or someone else.  Wonder why the Samesung store does not sell TVs, Appliances, Vacuum cleaners, etc... Why only sell phones, computers, and tablets just like the Apple Store.  But of course Samesung is not copying.

  • Reply 2 of 89
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    The new "Samsung Experience Store" is located in Sydney's George Street, just a block from Apple's own retail location. Highlighted on Thursday by The Sydney Morning Herald, the retail location features a glass entrance, employees in blue shirts, and minimalist tables that showcase Samsung's smartphones, tablets and computers.


     


    I've been to the Samsung Experience Store in London and the Sydney store looks very similar. The main focus of the store was television sets, not computing devices. TVs dominate the store in terms of both space and placement. 


     


    But don't let that fact get in the way of a good Samsung-bashing story.

  • Reply 3 of 89
    845032845032 Posts: 76member


    What is the problem here?


    Was apple patented all store should belong to them ?


    Microsoft store is OK. Sony store is OK. But, Samsung store is bad ?


     


    And don't forget Apple store itself is copy of "Sony Style store"

  • Reply 4 of 89
    retrogustoretrogusto Posts: 1,106member


    Interviewer: "Can this be interpreted any other way than 'fast-following' Apple's store?"


    Samsung Employee: "No, not at all."


     


    I guess that's not what he meant to say, but it's still funny. The blue shirts are pretty shameless, as is the support desk with "Samsung Smart Tutors" (mentioned in the WSJ article: http://allthingsd.com/20120823/samsung-opens-new-apple-store-in-australia/)

  • Reply 5 of 89
    845032845032 Posts: 76member



     


     


     



     


    http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/30/sonys-latest-retail-strategy-follow-apples-lead/


     


     


    Sony style store -> Apple copied Sony style store, renamed as "apple store" -> Sony copied Apple store

  • Reply 7 of 89
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member


    http://media.smh.com.au/technology/tech-talk/samsung-store-is-open-for-business-3576330.html


     


    Here is a link to the video. Pathetic losers have no shame.

  • Reply 8 of 89


    Not as a knock or to stereotype, but copying / borrowing ideas, products, etc is a common and accepted practice in the eyes of many Asians.  Of course the same thing could be said of Europeans, North Americans, and others.  If we look, whether it's obvious or not, we will see examples of copying in just about every market, every product.


     


    Creating and executing on unique ideas, be they smart phones or store layouts, is not as easy as one would make it out to be.  Sure, Apple has created its share of unique and successful things, including their stores, but they clearly got inspiration from others too.  I'm not supporting Samsung here - I think they are quite blatantly copying a lot of things Apple does because why not use what has shown to be successful as the basis for what you do?


     


    I'm not sure it harms Apple in any way, any more than Microsoft's stores harm Apple.

  • Reply 9 of 89
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bullhead View Post


    Is there anything Apple makes or does which Samesung does not copy?  A newsworthy item would be if Samesung made or did something which did not rip off Apple or someone else.  Wonder why the Samesung store does not sell TVs, Appliances, Vacuum cleaners, etc... Why only sell phones, computers, and tablets just like the Apple Store.  But of course Samesung is not copying.



    apple stores are "inspired" by the snobby NYC stores like bergdorf goodman and the smaller botiques as well. and these are inspired by the snobby european stores like hermes


     


    lots of empty space, lots of room between the demo products and the inventory is in the back

  • Reply 10 of 89
    845032845032 Posts: 76member


    In 1999, Apple hired Allen Moyer, a former Sony executive who had been part of the company's retail development projects, including the Metreon complex in downtown San Francisco. There, Sony had opened its own Sony Style store where consumers could wander in and get their hands on Sony's gadgets. Being in the middle of a densely populated and tourist-filled city, the store had the potential for big foot traffic. More importantly, it could be an attraction.


     


    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/19/scitech/main20064261.shtml

  • Reply 11 of 89


    ??? ??? ???? ??

  • Reply 12 of 89


    What's the big deal, isn't it all just rectangles!?

  • Reply 13 of 89
    sennensennen Posts: 1,472member
    retrogusto wrote: »
    Interviewer: "Can this be interpreted any other way than 'fast-following' Apple's store?"
    Samsung Employee: "No, not at all."

    I guess that's not what he meant to say, but it's still funny. The blue shirts are pretty shameless, as is the support desk with "Samsung Smart Tutors" (mentioned in the WSJ article: http://allthingsd.com/20120823/samsung-opens-new-apple-store-in-australia/)

    Shameless indeed.
  • Reply 14 of 89


    Samsung has had stores like this for some time now. Why is it a story?

  • Reply 15 of 89
    845032 wrote: »
    What is the problem here?
    Was apple patented all store should belong to them ?
    Microsoft store is OK. Sony store is OK. But, Samsung store is bad ?

    And don't forget Apple store itself is copy of "Sony Style store"

    Please stop being so daft. Really.
  • Reply 16 of 89
    bullheadbullhead Posts: 493member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by 845032 View Post


    What is the problem here?


    Was apple patented all store should belong to them ?


    Microsoft store is OK. Sony store is OK. But, Samsung store is bad ?


     


    And don't forget Apple store itself is copy of "Sony Style store"



     


    The Sony Style stores came out in 2003.  The first Apple Store opened in 2001.  So how exactly did Apple copy them?  The Sony Playstation Stores did come first however there is zero resemblance between what they look like and what the Apple stores look like.  try again.

  • Reply 17 of 89
    845032845032 Posts: 76member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bullhead View Post



     


     


    A Store Is Born


    Sept. 29, 2000


     


    "Apple began revamping its retail strategy last year, hiring away people such as Allen Moyer of Sony Corp.’s U.S. unit, who helped oversee the design of retail centers such as the flashy Sony Metreon, a Sony-anchored mall in San Francisco"


     


    http://classroom.wsj.com/cre/2012/02/24/a-store-is-born/

  • Reply 18 of 89


    All Things D wins for best headline: Samsung Opens New Apple Store in Australia

  • Reply 19 of 89
    zozmanzozman Posts: 393member


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by 845032 View Post



     


     


     



     


    http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/30/sonys-latest-retail-strategy-follow-apples-lead/


     


     


    Sony style store -> Apple copied Sony style store, renamed as "apple store" -> Sony copied Apple store



     


     


    I have been to the head Sony retain store in japan, you are full of it, it never looked like that 5 years ago.the idea of that type of retain store wasn't apples idea, the presentation is. That same Sony shop had a refitting about a year after the apple store opened up on the same street ;)

  • Reply 20 of 89
    muppetrymuppetry Posts: 3,331member
    Everyone knows that this is the natural direction that the industry is going in, and all stores would soon look like that even if Apple hadn't done it first.
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