John Paczkowski

Recent Posts by John Paczkowski

Hey, Remember How Awesome the iPhone Is?

Forgotten what a magical and revolutionary device the iPhone is? If you have — and Apple increasingly appears to think so — the company has a handy reminder: A new “Why iPhone” Web page that explains in exhaustive detail why Apple’s smartphone is the alpha and omega of mobile devices.

Remember the “Why You’ll Love a Mac” campaign? Well, this is basically the same thing, but for iPhone. In other words, it’s a big ‘ol advertisement for an important product from the company that makes it.

But, Apple launched it just two days after Samsung unveiled its new iPhone challenger the Galaxy S4, so that must mean the company is terrified its Korean rival is suddenly going to claim the 60 percent to 70 percent of annual handset industry profits it typically captures for its own. Clearly, Apple is feeling the heat.

Or just maybe Apple is desperate.

Thing is, Samsung has a Web page of its own, and it claims the Galaxy S4 is a “Life Companion” that’s going to transform our lives in ways never before possible. “The Samsung GALAXY S4 is all about ‘togetherness.’ It brings people together when they’re apart.”

A smartphone that’s a “life companion?” That seems a stretch. A little ridiculous, too. Could it be that Samsung worries the iPhone might encroach on sales of the S4?

One could argue that promoting a smartphone as a life companion is evidence that Samsung is feeling a little heat of its own. Who in their right mind would claim such a thing if they weren’t? That sounds a little desperate, too.

And you know what? Samsung is feeling the heat. And so is Apple.

Godzilla_mechagodzillaYou know why? Because Samsung and Apple are beating the hell out of each other in the mobile device market in which they each seek supremacy. Recall that the two companies have some 50 lawsuits against one another spread out over 10 countries. This is Godzilla versus Mechagodzilla.

So these “rare defensive” interviews? These “We Are The Champions” Web pages? They’re not tells.

They’re marketing. They’re advertising. They’re part and parcel of a brutal battle over a lucrative and important market. And they’re not unusual. They’re business.

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December 30, 2013 at 6:49 am PT

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December 29, 2013 at 2:12 pm PT

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December 29, 2013 at 5:58 am PT

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December 28, 2013 at 12:05 pm PT

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Another gadget you don’t really need. Will not work once you get it home. New model out in 4 weeks. Battery life is too short to be of any use.

— From the fact sheet for a fake product entitled Useless Plasticbox 1.2 (an actual empty plastic box) placed in L.A.-area Best Buy stores by an artist called Plastic Jesus