Los Angeles: Samsung began running ads in major newspapers this past weekend challenging Apple’s iPhone 5.
The ads begin with large letters reading “It doesn’t take a genius” and compares the iPhone 5 with Samsung’s Galaxy S III smartphone.
The ad goes on to list both of the phones’ features, with the Galaxy S III’s list being about twice as long as the iPhone 5’s. Samsung finishes the ad with another large caption that reads “The next big thing is already here.”
It’s bold move by the South Korean tech company, which has reason to feel confident as well as vengeful. The Galaxy S III last month unseated the iPhone 4S as the top-selling smartphone in the US, the first time that had happened since the 4S launched. However, Samsung also recently lost a court decision concerning patent infringements on Apple, putting the company on the hook for more than $1 billion (Dh3.67 billion) due to its rival. After seeing the new Samsung ads, many Apple fans weren’t amused. Gizmodo reported on Sunday that many of them had turned the new ad on its head, taking to Photoshop to adjust the ad to their preference. Among the fake ads Gizmodo posted was one whose top caption now reads “Don’t settle for cheap plastic,” while another says it doesn’t take a genius “To figure out which of the phone [sic] is uglier.”
A third fake ad changes the comparison list, adding many iPhone 5 features originally left out by Samsung while also pointing out many of the Galaxy S III’s flaws and copied features.
Samsung’s new ad is hardly surprising. Last year, the company began running ads poking fun at Apple fans who wait in line for the iPhone. Those ads also included the line “The next big thing is already here.”
