Samsung is now ripping off Apple design in a painfully awkward ad

Posted:
in iPhone edited September 20

Samsung is now mocking Apple over a perceived lack of new designs for the iPhone, and doing it with a nod to the famous "Think Different" ads -- as well as doing it despite a lack of new designs.

A half-folded flip phone surrounded by flat, white smartphones with dual cameras. The word 'different.' appears at the bottom.
Notice the lowercase word "different", with a period, and in what appears to be the Garamond font



If you want to argue that the iPhone 16 range is little different to last year's iPhone 15 releases, you have a point and you are far from alone. Equally, if you don't think design should be changed solely for the hell of it, you're on strong ground.

It's when you take out an ad to mock Apple over this perceived issue and do so by bringing up an ad campaign that ended two decades ago. It's when your advertising centers on your claimed design superiority by showing a single feature that you first did five years ago.

Samsung's ad shows a parade of identical white smartphones scrolling by, as if on a bland conveyor belt. Then in the middle of the bleak and dull phones, there is a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6.

That phone is shown in full color, and it animates being folded open and closed. As it finishes, the word "different" is displayed on screen.

It's more than pointlessly saying this one phone is different to the other renders in the ad. It's specifically the word "different" spelt in all lowercase, and with a period at the end.

Add in that the font at least strongly resembles Apple Garamond, the modified ITC Garamond font face that Apple used in its "Think Different" ads.

Rainbow Apple logo above the text Think different. on a black background.
Apple's original "Think Different" campaign. Samsung has copied the text and the punctuation, and as close as it could also the font face



"Think Different" ran from 1997 to 2002, so it was running from the time Steve Jobs returned to Apple. It was there for the iMac and the portable iBook, so it was current just when Apple was designing its way out of oblivion.

In that time, design was essential for Apple to distinguish itself from competitors. But the fact that it did this so successfully is because it was specifically design meant to make better computers.

Of course it is always more interesting when Apple launches an entirely new design for the iPhone. But changing it just to change it is about fashion, not design in the sense of making the most usable product possible.

Apple is out to make money like any other vendor, but it has consistently chosen to pursue sales by making what it believes are the best design choices. It's why Apple dropped the headphone jack -- which Samsung also mocked, before copying it.

It's easy to ridicule Samsung for how often it does this mocking-before-copying, but someone needs to ask if the company is okay. Because for all that it has a point about Apple's design not changing this year, Samsung has again acted like an ex who can't get over being dumped.

This new ad, for instance, does work if you don't happen to remember the "Think Different" campaign -- but Samsung clearly assumes you do.

Samsung is fixated on Apple and Apple is like the ex who is doing much better. Apple never calls out Samsung and never mentions it.

It certainly doesn't rely on it for its advertising ideas. Samsung has a history of looking to Apple for how it designs its ads.

For instance, Apple's first-ever ad for the iPhone is the famous "Hello" one from 2007, with clips of people answering the phone in movies. In 2013, Samsung launched a smartwatch with clips of people in movies talking to their watch.

That is now 11 years ago and it seems unfair to look back that far. But if you're counting the start of the "Think Different" campaign, Samsung's new ad looks back 27 years.

Still, Samsung isn't saying that Apple design has stalled for the last thirty years. Samsung is saying that Samsung's design is superior now, is marching ahead while Apple fails to significantly update the iPhone.

Again, the firm has a point. But it makes the point with a folding phone -- and Samsung designed folding phones in 2019.

This is all just noise intended to appeal to Samsung's base.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    I would also point out that the "different" that Samsung is promoting--specifically, a folding phone--has been around for 35 years, since Motorola launched the MicroTac in 1989. 
    ihatescreennamesdavjeffharrisbloggerblogmike1watto_cobragilly33ForumPostpulseimages
  • Reply 2 of 20
    Absolutely.  Samsung has been copying Apple in numerous ways for years.  Even down to software design choices, they’ve based app icon designs off Apple’s icons, copied Apple’s software features, etc.  For all that Samsung pretends Apple is “falling behind” or whatever, Apple has clobbered Samsung on customer satisfaction nearly every year.  Because Apple’s designs are meant to work well, not just add a bunch of cheap gimmicks that are useless to most people.  Samsung’s folding phones in their current state are junk.  You have this gross sticky feeling plasticy screen, and it has a crease in it.  The whole thing feels very fragile.  And it is in fact fragile.  This is why Apple has not produced a folding smartphone yet, because they care about offering a quality experience, not just rushing to market to be “the first” with a crappy design.  Eventually if Apple does make a foldable iPhone, it will likely be much better designed than the ones Samsung is selling…
    davdanoxjeffharriswatto_cobraForumPostradarthekat
  • Reply 3 of 20
    From the country that brought you K-Pop
    davjeffharrismark fearingwatto_cobraForumPostradarthekat
  • Reply 4 of 20
    A folding phone seems an intriguing concept until you fold them 300 times...And I'm not aware that the world is clamoring for one. The fundamentals of solid design don't change. Cars still work best with 4 wheels, how unimaginative of all the car companies! 
    StrangeDaysMplsPgilly33ForumPostradarthekatsconosciutowatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 20
    "If you want to argue that the iPhone 16 range is little different to last year's iPhone 15 releases, you have a point"

    iPhone 12 onwards, there is nothing radically different in design
    unless you call moving the buttons just enough that you need to buy a new case, a design change :)
    muthuk_vanalingammacgui
  • Reply 6 of 20
    A lot of words.  Yet no link to the ad?  
    edited September 20 m4m40watto_cobraappleinsideruserjeromec
  • Reply 7 of 20
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,226member
    Samsung even misspelled it. Their designs are "differnt".
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 20
    yyzguy said:
    A lot of words.  Yet no link to the ad?  
    Right??? Really the only reason why I opened this article. I couldn’t care less what the article says .. just gimme the meat 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 20
    kmarei said:
    "If you want to argue that the iPhone 16 range is little different to last year's iPhone 15 releases, you have a point"

    iPhone 12 onwards, there is nothing radically different in design
    unless you call moving the buttons just enough that you need to buy a new case, a design change :)
    In iPhone casing design? No. In the same way a Porsche looks like a Porsche, an iPhone isn’t going to radically change its form factor; you won’t be seeing triangle-shaped iPhones anytime soon. But in engineering design to support current functionality, many changes. Today’s iPhone is definitely the best iteration and I wouldn’t go back to my smooth plastic 3GS no matter how much I liked it’s casing. 
    gilly33ForumPostwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 20
    So you don't like their commercial? Got it.
    sconosciuto
  • Reply 11 of 20
    The closer you get to perfection of design, the less noticeable the changes. The current design is pretty close to perfect.
    watto_cobragilly33ForumPost
  • Reply 12 of 20
    It’s not a “perceived lack of new designs“ - Apple’s design team has been seriously slacking since Jony left. 

    And the colors or LACK of colors on the Pro models. Or the “case” on the AirPods Max. Jesus. 

    Give us a product (red) pro lineup and I’ll replace every device I own. And even buy new ones I don’t have. 

    Imagine that gorgeous red on your AirPods Max, your MacBook Pro, your iPad Pro, your Apple Watch. 

    So no, just black, silver, and whatever the hell that color is this year. Gross. Shortsighted. Lacking in imagination. 
  • Reply 13 of 20
    Samsung is thinking differently from Apple. Samsung believes that you can produce a sophisticated smartphone without developing the OS yourself. Apple would never dream of doing that. Samsung thinks that it’s okay to hand over all their users — who paid good money for those phones — to another company to install its spyware to spy on absolutely everything that they do. The idea would horrify Apple. 
    ForumPostradarthekatwatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 20
    Remind me again…
    what problem does a folding phone solve?
    edited September 21 MplsPradarthekatpaisleydiscosconosciutowatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 20
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 4,006member
    kmarei said:
    "If you want to argue that the iPhone 16 range is little different to last year's iPhone 15 releases, you have a point"

    iPhone 12 onwards, there is nothing radically different in design
    unless you call moving the buttons just enough that you need to buy a new case, a design change 😀
    If we're being honest there's been virtually no design change since iPhone 1. Sure, the bezel has changed and the corners have been more squared, then rounded again, And seriously - why does Apple keep introducing new colors like they're some earth shattering revelation? Of course until they had a foldable phone a few years ago, Samsung hadn't done anything new, either, and as has been pointed out, folding flip phones have been around for decades now.

    Ultimately, the physical form factor has been limited by the screen technology. I have yet to see a compelling reason to buy a folding phone, beyond the 'cool factor.' Personally, my phone does everything I need it to do and a folding phone would not make my life better in any way.  If I see something I need, I'll consider it. Until then I'm happy to let the pundits and tech bloggers spend their money, gush and pontificate on the folding phones.. 


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 20
    Samsung are overlooking that the iPhone concept was a minimalist touch screen tablet that did away with the fold. Great no brainer design but Apple also built the OS to drive it, incorporating the iPod and handheld computing functionality, and then invented the App Store, creating a secure marketplace where consumers could purchase 3rd party apps either for free or a small fee. A couple of years later Apple built a larger tablet and another mobile OS. Then they took the fitness watch idea and overhauled it. So aside from making a gimmicky folding thing, Samsung and Co. have to date literally copied every Apple mobile, tablet, watch and OS design. To top it off they then simply licence Google’s OS, which incidentally is a copy of IOS but which presents all manner of security compromises for users. Yep, they do think different to Apple, hahaha.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 20
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,054member
    They’re referencing a campaign that ended twenty-two years ago. Will many young buyers even get what they are trying to accomplish without their parents explaining it to them?
    kiwimacheadwatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 20
    XedXed Posts: 2,823member
    Steve Jobs on being different: "I don't think it's important [....] to be perceived as different. I think it's important [to] be perceived as much better."

    Now can someone tell me how these foldable devices are considered much better than the current iPhones and non foldable Pixels out there?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ16_YxLbB8&t=741s


    PS: In typical Jobs fashion he adopted TBWA\Chiat\Day's "Think Different" ad campaign just months later.
    edited September 22 kiwimacheadwatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 20
    To top it off [Samsung] then simply licence Google’s OS, which incidentally is a copy of IOS but which presents all manner of security compromises for users. Yep, they do think different to Apple, hahaha.
    FYI: As far as I know, Samsung do not pay Google to license their Android spyware on Samsung phones, as Google made their software, free and open source. Which is like a dictatorial regime installing free and open source hidden mics and cameras in the suites of the nation’s hotels. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 20
    I wonder if these ads are age demographic targeted online?Or are they on TV? I never see these ads. I just came out of University in the early 2000s but the algos never see these commercials or ads as important to feed me. Probably very easy/cheep to make, So I assume they have many targeting different groups. Is there a youth nostalgia geek group booming or that this appeals to right now?
    watto_cobra
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