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JG John Gruber John Gruber Technology writer and podcaster focused on Apple, software design and the companies around them.

“Coke never acknowledges Pepsi. I think in the history of Coca-Cola, they have never once even acknowledged that Pepsi exists. And every once a decade, Pepsi comes out with an ad campaign that talks about Coke, right? … And Samsung is clearly the Pepsi.”

The Talk Show With John Gruber · Tech Strategy & Big Tech · October 2026

“Coke never acknowledges Pepsi. I think in the history of Coca-Cola, they have never once even acknowledged that Pepsi exists. And every once a decade, Pepsi comes out with an ad campaign that talks about Coke, right? … And Samsung is clearly the Pepsi.” — John Gruber, The Talk Show With John Gruber

Gruber and Joanna Stern discuss Apple's first foldable iPhone, which analysts expect to outsell all other foldables combined this quarter. Gruber says that must be particularly irritating for Samsung, which has been selling folding phones for seven years.

Transcript

The Talk Show With John Gruber Around 31:22 into the episode
John Gruber

handoff. Transfer handoff. iPhone handoff.

Joanna Stern

…and Huawei's, it's not a considerable size of the market. And Apple, single-handedly in the next number of months, is going to have as many units as those companies have sold, likely. And they understand, I think they know that. I think they kind of know that that's the thing. And this is.

John Gruber

I think it's particularly irritating for Samsung. Like Samsung's let. I always think of Pepsi. Pepsi, Coke never acknowledges Pepsi. I think in the history of Coca-Cola, they have never once even acknowledged that Pepsi exists. And every once a decade, Pepsi comes out with an ad campaign that talks about Coke, right? And the Pepsi challenge would specifically taste them side by side, Pepsi and Coke. And Samsung is clearly the Pepsi. And they have billboards like, well, we've had a fold for all these years and stuff like that. And it's like, it gets to them that they've had seven years of Galaxy folds and now everybody cares about a folding phone. But I think the truth, I forget the number, but it was like as…

Joanna Stern

Have you seen the Everything You See Nathan Fielder documentary?

John Gruber

I did. And as busy as I've been, my son and I went to see it last weekend. And I've been actually, I loved it so much, I've been meaning to write about it. It's one of the most amazing motion pictures I've ever seen in my life.

Joanna Stern

I went Wednesday after the review, and it was like perfect because it just took my mind off of everything. What's the reaction to the review all of a sudden? And I'd just been thinking about iPhones for so long and folding screens and hinges. It was amazing. But we're not going to do any spoilers…

Speaker names from our own diarization · position estimated from where the line sits in the episode

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