Apple makes a killer phone, the most popular tablet in the world, and a line of standard-setting laptops.
Apple
Samsung also makes a killer phone, a less popular line of tablets, and some pretty alright laptops. Here's Samsung's latest phone, the Galaxy S7:
Skye Gould/Tech Insider
It can do some pretty amazing things that the iPhone 6S can't do: go underwater, charge wirelessly, add extra storage (via microSD). And while that stuff is neat, it all pales in comparison to the one huge difference between Apple and Samsung's phone lineups.
That's right: Samsung's phone lineup is actually a lineup of powerful virtual reality machines. That's from a new ad by Samsung that pushes the new Galaxy S7 as much more than just a phone: it's a "virtual reality machine."
Apple's phones are powerful enough to compete, of course, but Apple has yet to make a move in the burgeoning world of virtual reality. The company is certainly working on it, as evidenced by recent hires and outright acquisitions.
But Samsung is literally years ahead of Apple - regardless of the "hundreds" of employees Apple reportedly has working on VR - and that's a huge problem. Let's break it down:
- Samsung has a variety of phones, over two generations deep, that double as powerful VR machines. Simply buy a $100 Gear VR headset and slap your Samsung phone in: voila, you have a powerful VR headset.
- Samsung has a dedicated VR store, full of VR apps, that you can buy right now.
- Samsung partnered with Oculus VR, the Facebook-owned standard bearer in virtual reality.
None of that is to say that Apple is too far behind or can't compete.
Maybe Apple leapfrogs the entire virtual reality movement and goes straight after the likes of Google and Microsoft into augmented reality - arguably the next real frontier in computing and home entertainment. Maybe Apple drops its own VR headset that works with every iPhone. Who knows!
For now, Apple's main competitor in the phone arena has a huge advantage - something that should truly bother Apple, whose business is centered on making money from the iPhone. Samsung, meanwhile, is reveling in the smartest move its made in years. Here's that new ad based around the newest Samsung phones being "virtual reality machines" instead of simply phones.
Check it out:
Samsung's making a very smart move positioning its flagship phones as much more than phones, as it's something that truly distinguishes Samsung's phones from Apple. Rather than arguing on little tech differences, Samsung's making a bold claim about something major it has that Apple doesn't. Your move, Apple.