Pointing out that Samsung copies Apple is like pointing out that the sky is blue. The sky was (allegedly) very blue in Australia this morning as Samsung launched a flagship store in Sydney Australia, on George Street.

Samsung Store Opens In Sydney, Looks Like An Apple Store

Photo of the Flagship Samsung Store in Sydney, by Asher Moses

When interviewed by Sydney Morning Herald, Samsung Australia’s vice-president of telecommunications claimed that this store is not an example of Samsung’s alleged “fast follower” tactic against its competitor Apple. “It didn’t even come into the equation,” he said. “When we were looking for a location,” he quickly added. The location happens to be down the road from an actual Apple Store.

The Australian flagship store is an open-concept shop with plenty of demo units on display for customers to paw at. Everything’s white, wood or chrome; there are colorful accessories on a rack in the corner; and blue-shirted employees are available to help out customers. It’s the inarguably the aesthetic of the Apple Store under another name. Except for the fruit iconography.

We’ve seen similarities between Samsung and Apple in pretty much every category where Samsung competes with Apple. The hardware, the accessories, the software, the commercials, and now even the stores. I’m not sure if this is a matter of Samsung copying Apple, or just wanting to be Apple.

Samsung Store Opens In Sydney, Looks Like An Apple Store

“He said he was basically an Apple Genius.” Quote from Apple’s pulled ‘Basically’ ad.

What would happen if I brought a MacBook for service at a Samsung store? Do you think they’d correct me and point me towards the Series 9 laptops, or does the delusion run so deep that they’d attempt an ill-fated repair? Share your thoughts on this hypothetical situation in the comments section below.