[NewsPoster]

While Samsung's new ad that promotes the Galaxy S III by denigrating the iPhone 5 is a rare example of the company pursuing a marketing tactic that isn't Apple-inspired, critics have pointed out that in preparing a list of comparison points the rival smartphone makers appears to be willfully unaware of most of the additions to the latest iPhone. Apple fans have generally responded to the ad by pointing out obvious omissions from the list of features, and few have responded with parody versions of the ad.

The original ad is set to appear in major newspapers on Sunday in an attempt to steal some of the iPhone's thunder, but isn't expected to make much of a dent -- largely because it relies on describing features that most consumers have no idea of the function of, such as NFC, Smart Stay and Palm Swipe Capture. The ad shows both the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S III, but curiously shows the iPhone turned off, perhaps as to prevent users seeing a direct comparison of iOS to Android. It goes on to list a longer list of features that the S III has than the iPhone 5, but omits many of the features Apple considers the main selling points of the new model, including the fact that it is thinner than the S III (though the ad does admit the iPhone 5 is substantially lighter than the Galaxy S III). Among many other features not directly compared, Samsung curiously forgets to mention that its phone has a still camera incorporated into it -- again, likely due to the better cameras included on the front and rear of the iPhone 5, though both machines' ability to do 1080p video recording is mentioned. Another oddity of Samsung's ad is that it admits that the phone is running an out-of-date version of Android -- Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) rather than the latest version, Jelly Bean (4.1), which includes numerous important updates to speed and functionality, accessibility, photo sharing and other features. Potential buyers may wonder if the lack of a mention of Jelly Bean could mean that Samsung is not committed to long-term updates for the S III, though Samsung is indeed planning to upgrade the phone to v4.1 in October -- though it has no announced plans for any updates beyond that. Among other features missing from the ad that would have offered a more honest assessment of the two phones are the new Earpods included with the iPhone 5; the higher dot pitch of the Retina Display; the more versatile LTE chipset; battery life in areas other than standby and talk time; the noise-cancelling microphone technology; the Panorama feature of the camera; the new features of Siri; Apple's own Maps application (featuring Flyover); iCloud, AirPlay, and AirPrint; the larger App Store; the more eco-friendly all-aluminum and glass construction; a superior processor (compared to the US version of the S III); the more original and up-to-date OS (and the forced inclusion of Samsung's TouchWiz interface over ICS, considered by most to be a disadvantage); FaceTime, Game Center, Find My iPhone; new extensions to call handling; and the wider selection of better-quality built-in apps -- including the new Passbook app, among many other additional features. Some users have gone on to create their own parody versions of the ad (seen below), as pointed out by Business Insider, which range from a simple evening out of the feature lists by Rene Richie (iMore) to a more blunt pointing out that the iPhone 5, even turned off and in Samsung's own ad, looks nicer than the Galaxy S III (created by Rounak Jain). A third parody by Tim Sears "corrects" the one-sidedness of the feature list and mentions that the Galaxy S III is made of "cheap plastic." Despite the deceptive and negatively-toned ad, Samsung's Galaxy S III has generally been reviewed favorably as a solid contemporary to the iPhone 4S, ahead on some features while not completely polished in other areas. It's larger 4.8-inch screen, longer talk time rating and Micro USB connector (along with its ability to use microSD storage cards) can be seen as genuine advantages, and its inclusion of near-field communications technology (NFC) may prove a further selling point depending on how quickly the technology matures and finds more mainstream retail acceptance. The Galaxy S III's biggest obstacle in finding a North American market may in fact be getting past potential sales bans from US federal courts and the International Trade Commission; Samsung has been found guilty of infringing on numerous Apple patents in a recent jury trial and faces potential action on the S III and many other of its products. A hearing to determine its fate in US markets is scheduled for early December, but Judge Lucy Koh could decide to grant (or stay) injunction motions by Apple at any time after the first Samsung hearings, scheduled for the end of this month. Samsung's aggressive ad campaign may be a desperate bid to establish more of a beachhead in the US to complicate further proceedings between the two companies, or to beef up profits ahead of possible losses due to successful injunctions. [via Business Insider]

[Stuke]

I love the iPhone. Always will because Apple gets it right everytime. While I understand it is not for everyone, maybe it's time to let the have-nots continue their fun and to simply ignore them. Those of us that choose Apple iDevices do so because we know innovation and appreciate it. Those who choose something else are looking to justify it. Fine. Why not do so on an Android or Windows site? We who choose Apple would not care or bother you...place all the rectangular (with rounded corner ads) there and marvel at their brilliance. Simple, choose what you like, just don't waste your precious time trying to convince us that it is 'the right' choice for all!

[TomMcIn]

The problem with letting companies like Same Song continue to tell their lies is that if they do it often enough, some people start believing them and support their products to the detriment of the others. Right now, Apple cannot meet the demand for iPhone 5 s. If enough Same Song buyers decide not to wait and are disappointed with their cheap plastic copies, then the complaints will benefit the others. In the meantime, I like the idea of creating these corrective ads. If such ads could get wider coverage, Same Song might decide to compete on the basis of innovation and truth rather than copying and deceit.

[ViewRoyal]

Apple should be thanking Samsung for advertising the iPhone 5.

It's not every day that a competitor puts a photo of your product in their ads. Many people who see this ad, and who were originally thinking of buying a Galaxy S III, might now think "Hey, maybe I should look at the iPhone 5".

Samsung was similarly generous to Apple when they ran television ads showing one person with a Samsung phone talking to a long line of people waiting to buy the iPhone. The impression given to viewers is that the iPhone is a much more desirable phone than the Samsung phone.

And it's true. You never see line-ups of people waiting to buy the latest Samsung phone, nor does the latest Samsung phone sell out pre-orders in less than 60 minutes, like the iPhone 5 did.

You'll also never see Apple making the same blunder of giving free advertising for the competition, by putting a Samsung phone in their ads.

Samsung, Apple thanks you for all the free publicity.

[Charles Martin]

I think the fact that Samsung feels like it has to promote ITS product by dissing the iPhone sends a clear message to consumers -- that the iPhone is the one you SHOULD be buying, but here's a good-enuf if you haven't got the money. Didn't work for the iPod competitors, this approach ...

[jbelkin]

basically the ad agency has an account where they have nothing so say that is going to make a difference so the only left to do is to butter up the client with plaudits that make no sense (ie: Your phone is the best! or A Kia in a slalom test with cones is faster tahn a BMW 3 series … it only serves to make the Kia buyer happier, no BMW actual buyer is going to settle for a Kia if they can afford it) - same with Samsung buyers, ultimately, consumers are not morons. The few android buyers already know these stats and so they are essentially paying to sell to the consumers who are already buying to make them feel better. The rest of the consumers are not morons - they know what the only phone is worth full price for - why does Apple make 8 times the profit of Samsung? Because an iphone is worth 8 times the price of a samsung phone - it's as simple as that.

[Charles Martin]

FWIW it seems to me (and I've heard from owners) that the Galaxy S III is a fine smartphone. I'm sure it is -- not every car needs to be a BMW, Hondas are just fine too. As long as Samsung isn't infringing Apple patents*, then by all means have success with the Galaxy S III. Who wants to live in a world where there is only one kind of phone? Not me!

But don't try to sell me your product by denigrating your rival. That doesn't work, and it's not generally the approach Apple takes. They just show the product in action and that's pretty much it.

In fact, Apple recently put out ONE ad that kinda-sorta denigrated the Mac clones (looking at you, HP and Dell ...) and the reaction was not favorable. The original print ad for the Galaxy S III that these parodies are based on make the same mistake Microsoft made in many of its previous campaigns (particularly the "I'm a PC" one) -- they reinforce the idea that Apple is the standard to beat and they have to convince you that they've beaten them in some arena (usually cherry-picked).

Maybe that approach works on some people, but I suspect its the wrong tack to take when competing against Apple.

[pastusza]

They are not lies. The Samsung ad is accurate. Better battery life, larger screen, more features. It's up to the user to decide whether those features are something you want in a phone. But both the Android OS and current Android handsets leapfrog the iPhone 5 in hardware and software features. The real question is, are those features important to you, or not. These parody ads are just silly.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by pastusza 

They are not lies. The Samsung ad is accurate. Better battery life, larger screen, more features. It's up to the user to decide whether those features are something you want in a phone. But both the Android OS and current Android handsets leapfrog the iPhone 5 in hardware and software features. The real question is, are those features important to you, or not. These parody ads are just silly.

I agree that the parodies are silly.

But it is rather amusing to see you claim the older hardware to "leapfrog" the iPhone 5 in "features," while simply not listing the "features" of the iPhone 5.

I notice that Samsung, for example, doesn't mention panoramic photography.
Or, um micron-tolerance build quality.
Or beam-forming for microphone input.
Or active noise reduction for the headset speaker.

Those obviously aren't features.

And they certainly don't "leapfrog" anything. How could they?

I hear verizon is doing everything they can to sell anything BUT iPhones lately…is that true?

[Kees]

Originally Posted by pastusza 

They are not lies. The Samsung ad is accurate. Better battery life, larger screen, more features. It's up to the user to decide whether those features are something you want in a phone. But both the Android OS and current Android handsets leapfrog the iPhone 5 in hardware and software features. The real question is, are those features important to you, or not. These parody ads are just silly.

Android can perhaps list more (obscure) features, but as far as hardware goes, the iPhone 5 leaves everything else in the dust, for now.