Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports for Fortune, “Just in time to rain on Apple’s 2009 earnings report, a prime-time TV ad and a series of well-timed leaks have put the spotlight on Motorola’s Droid — a yet-unreleased smartphone that is being described by sources who have played with a prototype as the iPhone’s first serious competitor.”
MacDailyNews Take: Ooh, how exciting. That’s only exactly what we heard about the Palm Pre, RIM’s Storm, T-Mobile’s T1, LG’s Voyager, and about a hundred other ‘first serious iPhone competitors.” Sorry, but the incessant repetition of laughable hyperbole grew tiresome in 2007.
Elmer-DeWitt continues, “The ad, which premiered Saturday during the Yankees-Angels pennant game, is pasted below the fold. The challenge to Apple couldn’t be less subtle; it’s a series of ‘iDon’t’ screens listing key features the iPhone doesn’t have — from a physical keyboard to interchangeable batteries — that the Droid does.”
MacDailyNews Take: Ooh, how innovative. Not only are Motorola trying to copy Apple’s iPhone, but they’re even ripping off the already-failed anti-Apple “iDon’t” marketing pitch, too. See: SanDisk’s iDon’t campaign takes on Apple iPod – May 22, 2006
Elmer-DeWitt continues, “The Droid is still vaporware; no release date has been set, although Verizon said two weeks ago that it would release two Android phones before the end of the year, and the cryptic clock on a new Verizon/Motorola Droid promotional site has been decoded and appears to be counting down to Oct. 30.”
MacDailyNews Take: Ooh, how suspenseful. Yet another big countdown to yet another iDud. How will we ever be able to wait until Oct. 30? Yawn.
Full ridiculously breathless article here.
Motorola, go back to trying to make a 2GHz G4 running on a 167MHz FSB, idiots.
They’re going to release a phone on Mischief night. Really? Who plans these things? GO PHILLIES!!
These aren’t the droids you’re looking for. You can go about your business. Move along.
“Having trouble with your droid?”
“incessant repetition of laughable hyperbole” = awesome
And the moment this “thing” comes out (if it ever DOES**), it’ll be touting Version 1.0 of its hardware and software. VERSION 1.0!
And the iPhone is presently in Version 3.1+ thereof. Not to mention the true ace-in-the-hole that is the iTunes store with its 85,000+ apps. (App-lack, App-lack, anyone?!)
Don’t let anybody tell you that running a marathon race 10 miles behind the leader (and trying desperately to catch up) is even remotely possible. Not when the leader is the current world champion in that event. Good damned luck.
Just another desperate wanna-be. Move along; nothing to see here.
** Anybody remember the “Pink” project at Microsloth?
what struck me was that it played on a lot of FUD and consumer ignorance more than anything.
I am always suspect of a marketing plan that starts off with the first advertising effort trying to compare itself to the market leader/majority player. How about highlighting some of its own positive qualities and ignoring what you imagine the competition to be… that way you might even convince some folks that you have an interesting product on its own merits. From now on, every one will be comparing droid to the iPhone… not a wise way to put your toe in the water IMO.
@ Winston
Sport on!
I think the ‘iDont’ commercial is pretty good. It gives some actually good critiques on the iPhone. Whether or not you care about a removable battery or a slide out keyboard, we all wish Apple would open up it’s App submittal process a bit, right?
Besides, this commercial is a lot more effective than the ‘iSheep’ commercial. This one jabs at a phone, SanDisk’s made jabs at potential customers. To draw a better comparison, this is kind of on the line of Apple’s ‘I’m a Mac’ commercials -saying, its not you, it’s your PC, whereas Sandisk’s commercial could be compared to Microsoft’s “This is the next version of windows, except it’s really Vista, but your too dumb to know that anyways” commercial.
@ Winston
Hands down the very BEST post — in the history of posting.
I have to say that this commercial did accomplish job 1. And that’s to get noticed and get people talking. I was at a party last night watching sunday night football with 30 people and after this commercial aired, it was the major topic of conversation for the next 20 minutes.
The Smart phone market is exploding and have so much mind share these days that all newcomers get noticed. I seriously doubt that this model will be anymore successful than the other iPhone pretenders.
Regardless of the phone, I too thought the commercial was cool. Not so such the idont stuff, but where they bring in te logo. Very cool.
Unfortunately for the phone, being tied to verizon probably means crippled beyond usefulness.
given the fact that AT&T;is garbage, and I’m constantly dropping calls, getting voicemail notifications (and texts) several hours late… i’m really hoping the verizon droids will be a viable alternative.
The LAST thing I want to do is give up my iPhone, but the unreliable service when using the phone for it’s core functions, i.e. talking to people, sending/receiving messages, has just become too frustrating.
You can dismiss it all you want, but anyone who has AT&T;issues like me will be at least taking a look at these phones on VZW.
“from a physical keyboard to interchangeable batteries — that the Droid does.””
So funny, that is exactly what makes the iPhone better than other phones. Many people have iPhones imitations and the are always saying the they can remove the battery and install a backup battery when ever they run out of charge. But if you ask they if they have the other battery, they don’t have it.
I have the iPower, a plastic case with integrated battery, when ever I am very far from civilization and need run out of power, I just insert the iphone in the case and that is it. Another day or 2 of power playing games and watching movies.
I really don’t see why people gets too exited about features they never use or can’t afford.
MDN, your takes make you look desperate to fight any news which isn’t PRO-Apple. Pathetic.
In an idle moment I just googled ipod killer (sic) and got over 17 million hits. The hits outnumber the ‘killers’ over 17 million to one. Will try iPhone in another idle moment. People just don’t get it…
The commercial was about as effective as the axe doublepitstochesty thing.
I’m a HUGE mac enthusiast – but come on people, the iDont commercial actually makes sense. I don’t understand how macdailynews can make every other company besides apple look like total idiots – even if every point in the commercial is completely true. The iPhone is a phenomenon, one that hasn’t had ANY real competition ever…and this seems like a healthy match up for once. Having something like this is GOOD for apple, they need competition to fuel innovation just like any other company. Don’t just make fun of things because they aren’t apple. It makes you look cheap and unbelievably pompous.
Emil:
You are new, aren’t you? A pro-Apple take on anti-Apple news is what we all come for. The take IS the point of the MDN site. We can get articles elsewhere if we only wanted the news.
Ultimately, the challenge is to dislodge the brand awareness for Apple and the iPhone/iPod names. And that is, at this point, pretty much impossible.
In a concert of Latin music at the White House the other night, Gloria Estefan was onstage and said “I hear that Mr. President has this song on his iPod”. It was also well known that our previous president also had an iPod. The device is everywhere in popular culture (Friday night’s episode of “Psych” had the main character say “My Yelp iPhone App told me that there should be a starbucks somewhere here”). The brand is pretty much etched in the brains of the masses. Good luck Motorola and Verizon dislodging it.
O MY GOD. I bet the folks at Apple are sh*tting themselves. This thing looks like it might actually-
-Yeh, right.
Yawn………..
Elmer-Dimwitt is a hit whore.
Wow, so, if you compare the Droid to any other smartphone, not named the iPhone, they all have keyboards and removable batteries. So, if the Droid has an advantage, all those other smartphones do as well. And, since we know all those other smartphones are iPhonies, then we know the Droid is one too. Logic prevails.
iDud – HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
idon’t have a real keyboard (good)
idon’t run simultaneous apps (wish it would)
idon’t take night shots (wish it would)
idon’t allow open development (couldn’t care less)
idon’t customize (wish it would)
idon’t run widgets (not sure what they do)
idon’t have interchangeable batteries (wish it would but not if it’s gotta be larger)
everything idon’t
droiddoes
Summation:
Trivial points that are not enough to make anybody switch and iPhone as the OS and 85,000 reasons to stay.