Apple vs. Samsung commercials, June 2015 edition

Apple's commercials, an extension of the #shotoniphone6 campaign the company launched a couple of months ago, focus on how everyone from professionals to enthusiasts can capture, edit, and share amazing videos with nothing more than their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.

They show how anyone and everyone can take the tools Apple has provided and create something uniquely their own. That's not only inspirational, it's empowering.

Samsung's commercials, by contrast, are attack ads that desperately try to point out the few areas of gimmicky differentiation their otherwise iPhone-influenced product iterations allow.

The edge color coding is of trivial value and the inductive charging, while interesting, doesn't inspire or empower me to do anything.

I'm guessing the Galaxy S6 isn't selling anywhere nearly as well as Samsung needed it to, which is sad given how it was supposed to redeem the brand following the lackluster Galaxy S5. I can't feel sorry for Samsung, though. They're a multinational conglomerate with endless money and power. I can and do feel sorry all of us, however, Samsung and Apple customers alike, who would be far better served by smarter, more considered competition.

I'd argue the money spent on these spots would be better spent fixing the problems with Samsung industrial design. But given that Samsung is willing to ship a slogan as anaemic as "6 > 6", there's no guarantee they'd fix them in the right direction.

At least these two ads weren't as shamelessly photo copied as the one from last month, or as blipvert seizure inducing as the one from earlier this week.

Before Samsung marcomms explodes heads trying to bend the math around 6 > 6+ or 6 > 6S, let me once again plead only for this — make amazing phones. Stop worrying about Apple or trying to court not-iPhone owners, and just do that.

Everyone will thank you.

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.

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