Verizon continues bashing AT&T Mobility and, as an aside, Apple’s iPhone’s exclusive U.S. relationship with AT&T in a new television spot that places a thinly-disguised iPhone on the “Island of Misfit Toys” (Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 1964, TV) due to AT&T’s 3G coverage map:
Direct link via YouTube here.
MacDailyNews Take: For Verizon to place the very device upon which their now multi-year parade of inferior knockoffs is based on an “Island of Misfit Toys” is a dramatic example of self-delusion and irony. If Apple’s iPhone is on an “Island of Misfit Toys,” then the best devices that Verizon can offer are are lying miles off shore, submerged, rusting, and dysfunctional under at least 50 feet of salt water. It’s a cute ad, but it backfires under the least bit of scrutiny: Verizon offers wider, but slower, 3G coverage and a bunch of inferior handsets that obviously, and quite desperately, can only wish they were iPhones.
Verizon had better be careful: These Droids aren’t the iPhone killers you’re looking for and this is Steve Jobs you’re dealing with. This ad is sure to come up, if not played on a huge screen, when Verizon again comes begging Apple for an iPhone deal. Or maybe Verizon just has a death wish: iPhone 4G in the U.S. on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.
See also:
• There’s a lawsuit for that: AT&T sues Verizon over misleading wireless coverage ads – November 03, 2009
• Verizon Wireless blasts AT&T Mobility in new ad: ‘There’s a map for that’ (with video) – October 06, 2009
damn, I guess that ends consumers desire for an iPhone
I would love to hear what Steve Jobs thinks about this. I think Verizon just dug their own grave. No iPhone for you!!!!!!
How stupid is the CEO of Verizon?! I could do a better job then him! And for less!!!!!!!!
Moron!
I love the iPhone but in Chicago the drop calls is starting to get to even me! I hope they start to do something.
…which places every handset Verizon has ever expectorated on the neighboring Island of Dipsh*t Toys.
I though it was pretty funny. I don’t see it as much against the iPhone. They only get disillusioned when the bogus map shows up. Didn’t AT&T;sue them because of this?
I still think the ad is clever as heck.
It’s almost like Verizon themselves are attempting to dispel the “iPhone on Verizon soon, no really!” rumors themselves, with the ads they’re running.
@Ebster:
Steve Jobs is about business. Back in the day, he even made a deal with Microsoft. They when’t back to ATI after there squabble, they even dropped the litigation against those reporters that leaks secret info about two years ago.
If Verizon can sell iPhones, Apple will deliver them. The advertising is not against the device, it’s against the network. Very clever indeed.
Well lets get on board Apple. I’m not going to change to AT&T;just because of the iPhone. Have you seen how much it costs to switch? AT&T;should be waiving fees just to get my business, not nickel and diming me. I need Apple to meet me half way, get on Verizon’s network today! Otherwise I’ll just keep using my iPod Touch, and pay half as much as everyone on AT&T;’s plan!
Love Apple to tears but……..it’s actually a GREAT commercial. The masses will connect with this.
AT&T;took over Cingular, who’s tag line was “We Raise the Bar”. At AT&T;, they’ve replaced that with “We Raise Your Expectations”. In a place like NYC (where I live), service should be blazing but remains sluggish and spotty, yet I have had unprecedented speeds while driving through rural PA, go figger. I’ll dump AT&T;and pay the penalty for early termination in a heartbeat for decent, reliable service.
Hire Verizon’s marketing firm. NOW!
He won’t — Microcr@p will continue to pump out ads as bad as their products.
@Ebster
I doubt you would be able to do a better job THAN him. Better to first start with learning basic grammar, yes?
I don’t see it as putting down the iPhone but the other toys feeling sorry for such a good device being stuck on AT&T;. So it’s pro iPhone and anti-AT&T;.
I want an iPhone but I’m likely getting a Droid until Verizon gets the phone next year. Yes it will happen and on the CDMA network. Qualcomm has a chip set that does all protocols including CDMA and LTE. I believe that Apple will use it in the next generation phones.
Verizon is as delusional as Microsoft.
I like the idea of iPhone + Wimax. Go CLEAR! (CLWR)
SJ next year: “We finally have a CDMA capable phone. And we are proud to announce our exclusive 10 partnership… with Sprint.
“Sprint has a long history of cheap service plans and are desperate to make any deal that looks like market share. Oh and they didn’t piss me off while I was eating breakfast.”
Verizon has banked it’s future on the Moto-wireless division. From personal experience….that is a very very bad idea.
just my $0.02
In his frothing stupidity (as usual) MDN misses the clear message of the ad: the iPhone itself is great, AT&T;’s coverage sucks. The toys basically say, how could you ever end up here, you can do so many things. The iPhone then throws up the AT&T;coverage map.
Unlike the first droid ad, this ad goes to great lengths to not slam the phone itself.
I cannot help but agree as I sit in my office staring at City Hall in Philadelphia with a iPhone that drops more than 2/3’s of the calls I make, that often cannot even initiate a call without flashing up “call failed,” and which works like it supposed to accessing the internet only through my Verizon FIOS over wireless.
And that is in the morning. In the afternoon AT&T;’s wireless network in my area basically shuts down for anything other than short calls over EDGE.
The best is when I go over to the AT&T;two blocks away and am told, “Yeah, we get people in with iPhones all day complaining about the coverage.”
I’d like to see some other cell phone take off. I would love to chuck my basically useless as a cell phone iPhone and replace it with a Touch.
@ Dave;
As someone who spent 4 years with Verizon, wanted an iPhone and has now spent 2 years with AT&T;, allow me to make a few corrections for you;
“Well lets get on board Motorola. I’m not going to change to Verizon just because of the Droid. Have you seen how much it costs to switch? Verizon should be waiving fees just to get my business, not nickel and diming me. I need Motorola to meet me half way, get on ATT&T;’s network today! Otherwise I’ll just keep using my iPod Touch, and pay half as much as everyone on Verizon’s plan!”.
See how much better the revised version sounds? Especially when it’s a whooooole lot more accurate than yours?
Stop being so sensitive, MDN.
These ads aren’t targeting the iPhone, they target ATT. If anything the ads are sympathetic to iPhone users who must swallow the bitter taste of ATT coverage that comes with their phone experience.
It’s more like Verizon telling us that the iPhone would be better on their network. If Steve Jobs is petty enough to leave access to 90 million highly paid Americans over these ads, then it hurts Apple just as much as Verizon.
the simple fact that they feel they need to make a whole series of special ads just to combat a single product tells you exactly who is winning….
“In his frothing stupidity (as usual) MDN misses the clear message of the ad: the iPhone itself is great, AT&T;’s coverage sucks. “
Ah, maybe because, AT&T;has a TON of customers? No one uses the bandwidth like iPhone owners. If Verizon had the iPhone, people would be bitching about that too. Especially in fsckin’ San Francisco (eg. the entire technorati community, all iphone owners), a city built on a massive steep hill.
Can you say cellular dropouts?
“I cannot help but agree as I sit in my office staring at City Hall in Philadelphia with a iPhone that drops more than 2/3’s of the calls I make, that often cannot even initiate a call without flashing up ‘call failed.”
That ATT can’t manage decent coverage smack in the middle of one of the most populous cities in America speaks volumes about their capability and willingness to provide decent service.
It’s no wonder ATT was Steve Jobs’ second choice after he shopped the phone to Verizon. We know what network he really wanted pumping through the veins of his treasure.
It’s not about the iPhone. I love the iPhone in fact it’s my third one. I had the first one, the 3G and now the 3GS. Its the best phone in the world. However AT&T;’s network is a JOKE! I live in Los Angeles, work out of San Francisco and New York. All three areas SUCK in coverage. EDGE works better than 3G. AT&T;is failing with success on this one. Those ads are attacking the weak point of owning the iPhone which is the network and they are correct.
Apple can change this landscape by releasing it to all the networks even MetroPCS. If this happens all the networks would be competing and improving their networks and dropping their prices.
Frankly Verizon I don’t think they want the iPhone for that reason. It would bring upon heavy costs and price wars that will make all the providers do a death match. They will loose money across the board. This would give Apple more power over them. This what the providers fear.
Verizon claims to have full 3G coverage here. They do NOT! I live smack dab in the middle of a red zone on their map but when I tried a Verizon phone for a few weeks, I could not get ANY service at all at home or work (and I work in the busiest part of our town!). I called Verizon about this several times and the bottom line is they said they haven’t got any towers in our area and they have no plans to add any for the next few years.
I switched back to AT@T and have 3G and all the bars!