Samsung disses iPhone 14 before it's even released

September 02, 2022

Samsung has a long history of poking at its archrival Apple, and the company's latest TV ad doesn't disappoint.

Samsung accuses iPhone 14 of lacking innovation -- and the device isn't even out yet!

The Korean giant says if the iPhone 14 doesn't fold (and it won't) or have a 108MP camera (the rumor is 48MP), it's not as innovative as Samsung's new flagship models.

It's not the worst ad ever, but I'm not convinced, and I wonder who is.

Are prospective iPhone 14 buyers going to be persuaded the new handset falls short? I very much doubt it.

How about fence-sitters, trying to decide between iPhone 14 and a folding Samsung phone? Maybe, but how many fence-sitters are there these days?

It appeals, I think, to folks who already have a Samsung or Android handset and are thinking of upgrading.

That's fine, but according to a new survey of the "active installed base" -- the number of smartphones in actual use -- Apple just passed the 50% mark for the first time.

50%! That means among all the smartphones actually in use, more than half of them are iPhones, according to Financial Times (paywall link).

That's a massive number, and it all belongs to Apple. There's only one iPhone-maker, whereas the other half of active handsets are split between several Android handset manufacturers.

Samsung leads this bunch, and still sells plenty of phones, but its share of the market is slipping while Apple steadily gains.

And I don't think it's because Apple isn't "innovating" with folding screens and high-megapixel phones.

It's because iPhones are better.

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

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One more thing ...

"The fact that Apple controls the product design from end to end, hardware, software, gives Apple an incredibly unique opportunity -- it's the only company in the industry that does that." — Steve Jobs, WWDC, 1997

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