Samsung is really going after Apple in their commercials. I included their video making fun of the iPhone 5s in a recent post. They also have a video that parodies an iPad Air commercial and highlights the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 is marginally thinner than the iPad Air. I suspect, though, that the thinness comes at the expense of battery life. As we saw in a previous post, the iPad Air battery actually lasts for 13 hours of video playback, which is higher than the advertised 10 hours — and 40 percent better than the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition. Apple's original video that Samsung is parodying shows a pencil on a table at eye level, and talks about a wonderful tool that can be used for so many different things. Then the camera pans up, and you see an iPad Air was hidden by the pencil and that the commercial was really speaking about the iPad Air — while highlighting its thinness by hiding it behind the pencil. In the parody, a pencil again obscures an iPad Air. But then hidden behind the iPad Air is the Galaxy Tab Pro.
Here's the original:
And here's Samsung's parody:
You have to admit, the parody is funny. And no doubt Samsung is trying for some mindshare. The iPad brand is so dominant that they seem desperate to crack that. And humor can make their device seem a bit more hip.
Of course, I will always favor the iPad. For one thing, I simply like the aspect ratio. The oblong 16:10 shape of the Galaxy Tab just looks odd to me compared to the 4:3 shape of the iPad Air. The 16:10 shape might be better for widescreen movies, but it feels weird to me for just about everything else when I use my Nexus 7, which has a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Other advantages of the iPad include the number of apps. Plus, iCloud. I love the seamless integration among all my devices. No other cloud service can match this integration at the current time.
An interesting article on the British website 3G looks at both devices and finds them comparable.
And speaking of the iPad, Apple has recently added a new page to the "Your Verse" section of their website that explains how two mountaineers use the Gaia GPS topography app to plan every facet of their route. The page makes clear that this planning is crucial to their survival. They also use their iPads to blog about their ascent and take photos. Previously they relied on maps, which were often outdated. And in some cases they ventured into areas for which their were no maps. Now with the iPad and the Gaia app, they have the most accurate information to plan the safest route.
It's amazing all the different things the iPad is being used for. I think Apple's series of Your Verse videos have been very effective. And I doubt Samsung will ever be able to match that.