This obvious rebuttal to Apple’s “Far out” launch event is very tongue-in-cheek. Samsung launched its Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 foldable phones last month to critical acclaim, and during Apple’s launch event, the company released a “Join the Flip” short film/commercial that features a young woman that is literally haunted by the Samsung Z Flip foldability. The young woman in the video states that she loves her iPhone, “my phone,” and she loves buying the same phone year after year. Clearly, Samsung’s saltiness level could make famed chef Salt Bae jealous.
A school yard game of the dozens
Growing up in the very urbane New York City Housing system known as the projects, I know a game of the “dozens” when I see one. The dozens in today’s world is known as “roasting”; in my neighborhood, we used to call it “snapping.” In the tech world, what Samsung started last Wednesday and continued over this weekend is just pure mockery. However, will consumers get the joke and hop onboard the Samsung foldable phone train? In a series of tweets that started Friday (spotted by Android Police), Samsung continued mocking Apple over things like having a smaller 48-megapixel camera sensor and a lack of a viable foldable device. Although Samsung can boast about its 108-megapixel sensor, everyone knows that the iPhone camera system is by far the best one going for video. Apple’s autofocus and software simply blow the competition away, including Samsung. We’ve seen this from Samsung in the past when the company produced a series of ads admonishing Apple for doing away with the headphone jack. In the past, consumers haven’t always been big fans of these antics, as Samsung’s headphone stunt had to be pulled when users didn’t respond to the company’s attempt at a brand battle for the ages. Brand battles have been around forever; the classic Mac vs. PC commercials were so popular they were brought back for another run. However, this time actor Justin Long switched from Mac to PC, and the commercials are always tongue-in-cheek and harmless. Based on Twitter’s response, Samsung may have gone too far for today’s consumers. I think it’s pretty funny, but I grew up playing the “dozens” in a neighborhood where you had to be tough to survive, and times change. I mean, sure, Samsung’s foldable phones are pretty awesome. However, you’re still stuck with a dressed-up version of Android OS 13. With Google’s Play Store being plagued by dodgy apps, I, like many, will remain an iPhone zombie willing to purchase practically the same phone every year that comes with a few incremental improvements. My iPhone may not fold, but it never catches any type of malware from Apple’s App Store. Of course, the phone you purchase is a personal choice. I have owned several Samsung phones that I loved, but I switched to an iPhone and never looked back. Samsung going after Apple with humor is not bad, and I hope consumers try to see the fun in it. Even Apple CEO Tim Cook recently told a reporter in jest he needed to buy his mom an iPhone. After all we’ve been through these past three years, I think a couple of tech giants making a mockery of each other is just what we need to loosen things up.
