Samsung ad pokes fun at iPhone X and Apple Store 'geniuses' (Update: oh no, there's more)

Update #2, July 27, 2018 (07:00AM EST): Three more “Ingenius” ads have hit Samsung U.S.’ official YouTube channel and I feel like a part of my soul is sapped away every time I watch one of these.

The latest trio starring everyone’s favorite fake Apple Store employee — who we now know is called Pat — take aim at the way iOS handles multitasking, the iPhone’s lack of expandable storage, and, of course, the notch.

Aside from the inevitable notch ad — which I guess is the ‘best’ of the bunch as it finally introduces notch guy‘s partner/notch kid‘s mother — my favorite bit of the new batch is in the Storage ad in which Samsung mocks the idea of cloud-based technology as a plausible solution for storing your stuff. Hmm.

Please, Samsung. You have the power to stop this.

Update, July 23, 2018 (07:45AM EST): As I feared, Samsung’s recent sub-30 second ad parodying the experience of shopping in an Apple Store was just the first in a series of mocking ads with the “Ingenius” strapline… and the latest three are equally cringe-worthy.

All three ads star the same ludicrously rude Apple employee attempting to bat away comparisons between the iPhone X and the Galaxy S9 series with flippant defenses of Apple’s elite flagship.

As some of our readers mused in the comments, this is lowest common denominator stuff from Samsung that’s aiming at the wrong targets (the ground-level store staff) and frankly it should be above this painfully unfunny nonsense. Are some of the criticisms (especially the dongle jab) leveled in the videos fair? Yes. Is this the way to do it? Nope.

I’ve embedded all three of the new videos for your viewing pleasure in this post. If you think I’m having a humor failure and that these ads are actually hilarious then please feel free to tell me I’m wrong in the comments.

Original article, July 18, 2018 (01:25PM EST): A couple of months ago, Samsung released a new video ad called “Moving On” that threw solar eclipse-levels of shade at Apple and the “Batterygate” controversy. Now, Samsung has released a short new ad, that could potentially be the first in a series, once again taking aim at its Cupertino rival.

Just in case you missed it, the “Moving On” ad told the story of a beleaguered iPhone owner who eventually makes the switch to Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S9. Along the way, the apparently long-suffering iOS user stopped at an Apple Store and, in what was ultimately the last straw, encountered an absurdly dopey staff member.

That same laughably useless ‘Apple employee’ is back in the latest advert called “Ingenius: Speed.” In the ad, we see a lady named Rose (which I guess is some sort of dig at the Rose Gold iPhone… maybe? I have no idea) asking the monotone moron why Apple is marketing the iPhone X as the smartphone of the future when the Galaxy S9 boasts faster download speeds.

The staffer explains that it’s at least faster than the iPhone 8, makes a few silly faces, and then the advert ends.

I’m going to be honest here, this is a pretty lame advert.

The idea that Apple Store employees are socially awkward nerds who worship at the altar of Apple is a painfully tired stereotype that’s been parodied countless times already. I’m really hoping this doesn’t mark the start of a series of “Ingenius” ads poking fun at Apple’s high street staff who, like most retail workers, are just doing their jobs.

To Samsung’s credit, at least this ad compares the Galaxy S9 to Apple’s main flagship rather than a four-year-old iPhone like in “Moving On.”

What do you think of Samsung’s latest advert? Would you be keen to see more “Ingenius” ads? Let us know in the comments.