Samsung flatters Apple again

I’m a lifelong copycat.

I know that’s not the most honorable thing to admit, but, like Steve Jobs, I firmly believe in the old chestnut: “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”

Taking inspiration from the work of others — especially if you don’t just rip it off, but try to improve on it — is a time-honored path to success.

In fact, I think it’s the essential mechanism of all human progress: from cultural works to the scientific method itself.

In electronics, other companies have long taken “inspiration” from Apple (as Apple has from its rivals). None more so than Apple’s archrival, Samsung.

As Apple prepares to release an entirely new iPhone design that prioritizes the device’s minimal girth — the rumored iPhone 17 Air — Samsung is busy preparing a similar device.

Given the company’s penchant for copying, it’s interesting to see how its thin phone throws light on what Apple might be doing. Take a look.

Also in today’s newsletter:

• Cult of Mac writer Ed Hardy is a big fan of Noel Fielding’s Apple TV+ series, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin. But the streamer reportedly canceled the show’s second season for a mysterious reason.

• Another Apple TV+ show — the incredibly creative Severance, a weirdo workplace thriller that blends dystopian sci-fi with dark humor — returns for its second season Friday. The Apple TV+ PR kicked into overdrive this week to help the show pierce the public’s consciousness.

• Drag and drop has been at the very heart of the Mac experience since Steve Jobs introduced the first Mac in 1984. And yet somehow, file-management utility Yoink improves upon the experience and provides a better way to manage your files.

• Today’s the day in Apple history that the company released the Macintosh Plus, the first Mac after Steve Jobs was forced out of the company. The Mac Plus was the first Mac I owned, and I mostly loved it, except the one time it crashed after I stayed up all night writing a college paper. I lost everything.

• My wife’s on a money-saving kick and just canceled our cable package, leaving us SOL for the upcoming Super Bowl. Luckily, Apple TV+ is streaming the big game for free (with one small catch).

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

^{A message from Eternal Storms Software}

Yoink for Mac: Simplify and improve drag and drop

Boost your productivity with Yoink for Mac, the ultimate drag-and-drop companion! Yoink simplifies file management by providing a temporary holding space for your files, links, text snippets, and more. Effortlessly declutter your desktop and streamline your workflow by dragging items to Yoink and accessing them exactly when you need them. With intuitive functionality and seamless macOS integration, Yoink is perfect for multitaskers and anyone looking to stay organized. Try Yoink today and experience a smarter way to manage your files!

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

Tweets of the day

Wallpaper of the day

One more thing ...

Today’s poll

Results from yesterday’s poll: How old is your Apple TV?

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