Samsung’s latest gadgets were unveiled with much fanfare last month, but the applause quickly turned to snickers when people noticed an uncanny resemblance to Apple’s product line. The Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Watch Ultra, in particular, seemed to have taken a page — or rather, an entire design book — from Apple’s playbook.
Samsung’s big boss, Jay Y. Lee, was reportedly not amused. Sources say he hit the roof when accusations of copycatting started flying. The tech titan reportedly ordered his mobile division, Samsung MX, back to the drawing board. It’s like a teacher catching students red-handed cheating on a test.
Today was a huge L for Samsung:
• Ring looks good (if a bit limited compared to Oura) until you realize it’s $400 and only works on Samsung devices
• Watch Ultra is the most shameless copy of an Apple product in ages—and it’s hideous
• Wait, it gets more shameless—Buds3 and… pic.twitter.com/IKmht3YDK6
— Snazzy Labs (@SnazzyLabs) July 10, 2024
The fallout from this design debacle has been intense. Rumors are swirling about heads rolling within the Samsung Mobile Division, including the possible departure of its leader, TM Roh. An insider spilled the beans, saying the office atmosphere is as frosty as a Korean winter.
The chairman (Lee) himself stepped in after the controversy over Apple’s design plagiarism and quality issues surrounding the Buds 3 series and Galaxy Watch 7 released last month. The internal atmosphere is currently very bad.
The situation allegedly reached a comical peak during a press event in South Korea when reporters couldn’t resist comparing the new Samsung devices to their Apple counterparts. It was like a fashion show where everyone was wearing the same outfit.
Looks like Samsung has a new challenge on its hands: finding a design identity that’s uniquely theirs, and not just a carbon copy of the competition.
