“In a series of new ads airing tonight, Apple Inc. tries to come to carrier partner AT&T’s rescue,” Jim Goldman reports for CNBC.
“For weeks, Verizon and Sprint have been having their way with AT&T and Apple’s iPhone. One of the year’s best commercials has to be the Verizon ad featuring the iPhone as the newest resident of The Land of Misfit Toys.”
Direct link via YouTube here.
Goldman writes, “The issue, and it certainly resonates, is that while AT&T might have a very nice 3G network, its coverage is rather limited when it compares to that offered by Verizon. The two even got into a legal spat because of Verizon’s very clever “There’s a ‘Map’ for That” campaign, comparing head to head the two carriers’ 3G coverage nationwide,” Goldman writes.
Direct link via YouTube here.
Goldman writes, “AT&T’s answer with actor Luke Wilson is a poor one.”
Direct link via YouTube here.
Goldman writes, “Apple has been the collateral victim in all this. As it has since signing that exclusive arrangement with AT&T, with the carrier constantly trying to play catch-up to iPhone’s technical capabilities.”
“So Apple is fighting back on its own, launching a series of commercials that begin tonight, highlighting the one thing key thing that iPhone on AT&T can do that competitors, including those Android phones from Google, and other handsets running on Verizon and Sprint can’t: Simultaneous voice and data communication. In other words, surf the web, get and receive email, text message all while you’re talking on the phone without having to leave your voice conversation to do it,” Goldman reports. “It’s such a simple message, but such a compelling one. It’s a capability that I take for granted, but rely on so much.”
Read the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Verizon’s wiseassery is going to backfire. The general public was unaware that Verizon’s network was incapable of allowing simultaneous voice and data communication; now, with Apple in the equation, everyone and their mother will soon know.
UPDATE: 5:45pm ET: See Apple’s two new ads here: Apple’s new Verizon-swatting iPhone ads (with video and schedule)