The irony of Google, Microsoft and Samsung over Apple's non-news
Liquid Glass, artificial intelligence and déjà-vu: Apple in the crosshairs of Google, Microsoft and Samsung
by Marco Trabucchi
3' min read
3' min read
In the world of technology, jibes, sneers and teasing between industry giants are now an established practice. The script is always the same: A company presents a novelty with enthusiasm, and soon after a competitor pops up to remind it - with a sarcastic smile - that it already had that idea a long time ago.
The history of 'tech roasts' is long and full of cult moments. From Apple's legendary 'Get a Mac' campaign (2006-2009), with its 'Hi, I'm a Mac' and 'And I'm a PC' characters who for years ridiculed Windows computers with minimalist sketches on a white background, to the commercial in which Samsung responded with 'The Next Big Thing', recounting the tragicomic adventures of a young man condemned to queue up for miles to buy the latest iPhone, until he switches to a Galaxy on the eve of the iPhone X launch. In 2024, Samsung, in order to launch its tablets, relaunched with another (but very well-calibrated) low blow: 'Creativity Cannot Be Crushed', a direct response to the Apple commercial in which a hydraulic press crushes musical and artistic instruments to promote the iPad Pro. Even Intel, which is notoriously more mellow, succumbed to the temptation to attack M1-chip Macs with a series of sarcastic commercials in 2021.
And we come to 2025. After the recent presentation of iOS 26 and macOS 26 at WWDC, the web went wild. Apple, which for decades has made the legendary 'one more thing' the symbol of its ability to surprise the world, now finds itself introducing features that its competitors have had for some time. Between memes, barbs and ironic headlines, the 'trollfest' has exploded on all fronts. Between memes, barbs and ironic headlines, the 'trollfest' exploded on all fronts. Among the first to hit the headlines was The Verge, with a title that is already a programme: 'All the Android features Apple announced at WWDC'. The piece reviews a long list of features that Apple presented as revolutionary, but which on Android, and in particular on the Google Pixel, are old news: Call Screening, Hold Assist, live translations during calls. Nothing really new, just an elegant restyling in Apple sauce. And the competitors, of course, wasted no time. Google, Microsoft and Samsung joined in a chorus of more or less explicit ironies.
Samsung's clarifications
Samsung opened the dances with an elegant but surgical lunge. During the Apple keynote, it posted a series of vitriolic messages on its official X account (formerly Twitter). The first: 'Customisable apps? Floating bars? That shiny glass-effect interface? Looks... familiar."
