Monday
Jul162012
The new Samsung (Apple) store
Monday, July 16, 2012 at 2:30AM Samsung has taken a lot of heat from those who believes it copies Apple in smartphone and tablet design. I am not convinced by all of the arguments against it in this area, but the new Samsung store in Vancouver is almost a direct replica of Apple stores if you ask me.
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Reader Comments (8)
before Apple had their bare white stores, there was Ikea.
LOL: I was waiting for someone to come up with some prior art ;o)
Personally I think it looks more like the 'angelic' aliens' ship on the original Battlestar Galactica.
"direct replica of Apple stores if you ask me" - so, that means no one in the world can set up a shop looking like Apple... is it patented also?
It's like Apple's stores... just beautiful, good looking and pleasant, that's all.
I believe Apple is making too many enemies... maybe that will come back to them someday in the future.
Why is Apple making an enemy here, though? Someone has made what seems to be a very reasonable observation that the new Samsung store looks similar to pre-existing Apple stores. As Paul M points out, Ikea had a very distinctive store (although no Ikea I've been in has been like an Apple store), and, sure, there's nothing stopping someone copying a store design (unless a particular function of a design was a patented innovation), but I don't see a problem pointing out similarities.
Sorry Neil, I was wrong. Apple is not making Samsung an enemy. Samsung already is an enemy :-)
I didn't mean regarding the store itself, about the enemy thing... I meant in general. It's getting Apple against the world, almost... I agree with Apple that one must protect our properties, but sometimes I think Apple just goes too far.
The daft thing is Samsung is also Apple's most vital supplier, i.e. the hardest to replace.
Samsung could really stitch Apple up, although it'd cost Samsung a lot to do it.
Back to the original question, there seems to be a general assumption that if Apple does something it's the first one to have done it and anyone who does the same is copying them. The fact is Apple copies as much as anyone else; I doubt they invented the idea of a store with lots of white.
It's a fascinating relationship between Apple and Samsung — competitors and yet suppliers (at least, amongst the various groups — I expect that Samsung's manufacturing / supplying is a separate company to the handset division, but I could be wrong). Which, if anything, puts a heavy burden on Samsung not to behave anti-competitively...
It's getting Apple against the world, almost...
I know what you mean... perhaps there is a bubble going to pop?
Maybe, sometime ahead, Neil. I bet on that.
It's in fact very interesting that Samsung is supplying Apple. Have you ever imagine if Samsung somehow manages to insert a defective piece on a Apple product that leads to problems in the device?... who is the responsible to the public?... Apple. But by then, people would be very upset with Apple.
And on the other side, if the iPad/iPhone are that good it's also Samsung's fault, right? Strange world we live on.