Apple to Enter Verizon-AT&T Spat With Two New iPhone Ads

[djanis3]

I love the legal print at the end of the ad.

at&t logo:
"3G not available in all areas" - Kinda what this is all about, right?

Apple logo:
"Sequences shortened" - I'm sure this is out of necessity because you could never order flowers or find movie times before the network dropped my call.

 

[Goona]

you can do that with wifi on a "regular" phone that accesses the internet...

I'm just saying that because the ads are very good, but also missleading, the user can be at a place where he/she is using wifi and EDGE...

I know that it's known that the ads relate to the 3G coverage but even so...

Tell that to Verizon who is also misleading Americans into believing that AT&T has no coverage at all in all those "blank" spots on the map showing AT&T's coverage.

 

[Starflyer]

its funny because apple is now stepping in to advertise a 3G only feature to combat an ad campaign that points out how small at&t's 3G map is.

Finally, somebody else appears to be paying attention. Verizon attacked AT&T for having awful 3G coverage, and what's AT&T's response? We're going to throw pictures around a map to show you we have coverage in all of these places. Well, Verizon never said you didn't have coverage in those areas - just not 3G coverage. A claim which AT&T still has not refuted.

Yeah but Verizon's 3G = AT&T's EDGE.

 

[inkswamp]

Finally, somebody else appears to be paying attention. Verizon attacked AT&T for having awful 3G coverage, and what's AT&T's response? We're going to throw pictures around a map to show you we have coverage in all of these places. Well, Verizon never said you didn't have coverage in those areas - just not 3G coverage. A claim which AT&T still has not refuted.

So what? Ask the average consumer what 3G is and most of them wouldn't even know. All they know is that they keep seeing these iPhone ads where you can surf the Web. That's about as deep as the tech knowledge runs for most people. Verizon's playing to the geek crowd which only goes so far. And if Apple and AT&T had responded to that sole issue, they would have allowed a competitor to frame the argument and would have allowed themselves to be put on the defensive.

These ads attack Verizon from a whole other angle. Now Verizon has to respond and be put on the defensive or ignore it which is going to nullify the whole 3G coverage issue in their ads. The next time someone sees the Verizon ads, they might think, "Oh sure, the coverage is great but it's not a very good network."

I think these ads are just about the best response Apple could have pulled out. Maybe Verizon will think carefully next time before attacking.

 

[Goona]

I love the legal print at the end of the ad.

at&t logo:
"3G not available in all areas" - Kinda what this is all about, right?

Apple logo:
"Sequences shortened" - I'm sure this is out of necessity because you could never order flowers or find movie times before the network dropped my call.

Yeah I'm sure Verizon's 3g is available everywhere and you never drop calls on their network.

 

[jav6454]

Except that millions of users in major metropolitan areas like NYC & San Francisco repeatedly report horrible reception and frequent dropped calls. AT&T really needs to shore up their network, but that's not secret to anyone.

Metropolitan areas are over crowded to a point where you need more free opened up frequencies (EM waves @ 850MHz or 1900MHz) to support all those devices. AT&T can't do that because the FCC doesn't free up the space.... so you want coverage, bitch at the FCC.

AT&T will be more than happy to fill in those closed frequencies if given the chance.

 

[inkswamp]

Yeah I'm sure Verizon's 3g is available everywhere and you never drop calls on their network.

As a former Verizon customer myself, I can tell you that I got just as many dropped calls with them as with AT&T.

 

[aristobrat]

Sorry to rain on everyone's love of Apple and the iPhone, but I couldn't take it anymore and switched away from it.

I'd have no love for the iPhone if I lived in SFO or NYC. Fortunately for me (and 95% of the rest of the population of the US), I don't live in either of those markets!

Finally, somebody else appears to be paying attention. Verizon has never attacked the iPhone's features.

The ability to simultaneously do voice + data isn't an iPhone feature .. it's a feature of AT&T and T-Mobile's 3G network. Specifically, it's a feature that Sprint and Verizon's network can't offer.

Just because it took an Apple iPhone commercial to point it out doesn't mean it's an iPhone exclusive ability...

 

[longofest]

You know, this weekend I saw the latest Verizon ad and for the first time, I actually saw AT&T's point. The ad involves a guy getting upset with his iPhone and hitting it and jiggling it in multiple places, including in the car in what looks like a city, and when he is arriving at home. Even though the corresponding map says 3G coverage, it really does look like he is getting no signal at all. And probably the most interesting oversight is when he gets home, he would be likely connecting to a WIFI network.

 

[aristobrat]

Metropolitan areas are over crowded to a point where you need more free opened up frequencies (EM waves @ 850MHz or 1900MHz) to support all those devices. AT&T can't do that because the FCC doesn't free up the space.... so you want coverage, bitch at the FCC.

AT&T will be more than happy to fill in those closed frequencies if given the chance.

AT&T and Verizon both own a huge amount of the new 700mhz frequency that they will be using in the future, no?

 

[nkawtg72]

Yeah but Verizon's 3G = AT&T's EDGE.

+1

point missed by many. when verizon is able to give similar features on their 3G as att, then maybe they should start comparing.

when i can do on my edge phone what a verizon customer can do on their 3G phone (and i can do that in MORE places) then i'm not all that impressed with verizon.

 

[Goona]

As a former Verizon customer myself, I can tell you that I got just as many dropped calls with them as with AT&T.

Shhhhhhhhhhhh, don't let the Verizon supporters on here hear that. Their network never drops calls. You must be lying, lol.

 

[jlc1978]

Why wont AT&T come out with a program to pay a portion of a Verizon cancellation fee? This would be a huge blow to Verizon, all these people jumping ship for a cheaper then before I-phone. They could roll the cost in the phone bill like an extra $10 a month for those that wish to do it.

Because VZW (and probably Sprint) would simply follow suit; and the churn would go up. It makes no sense to do something that costs both of you money in the long run; it's smarter simply to not to be the first to make such a move and rely on the other guys to do the same.

 

[yg17]

AT&T and Verizon both own a huge amount of the new 700mhz frequency that they will be using in the future, no?

They're using that for LTE.

 

[ineedamac]

love it!

I love the new ads. I am not surprised that is responding...the Verizon ads did not just poke fun at AT&T the also poked fun of all of the 'things' the iPhone can't do or they say it can't do.

I left Verizon for the iPhone and I won't go back. My experience has been crappy service and crappier customer service.

 

[inkswamp]

You know, this weekend I saw the latest Verizon ad and for the first time, I actually saw AT&T's point. The ad involves a guy getting upset with his iPhone and hitting it and jiggling it in multiple places, including in the car in what looks like a city, and when he is arriving at home. Even though the corresponding map says 3G coverage, it really does look like he is getting no signal at all. And probably the most interesting oversight is when he gets home, he would be likely connecting to a WIFI network.

Exactly. Ostensibly, Verizon is playing to the geek crowd with those ads by showing a 3G map. But most consumers have no idea what 3G is or how it relates to phones so they're getting a much different message from those ads, and I suspect someone in Verizon's marketing dept. knows damn well how that's being viewed. But it's a touchy thing because technically the ads are accurate and I don't think AT&T has much of a case with suing them over it.

That's why I've said from the start that AT&T needed to punch back immediately with something effective and accurate. I'm glad Apple has stepped up to do it for them.

 

[bacaramac]

I never remember Verizon touting "3G" until all the AT&T 3G started in. Seems like the term 3G caught on with AT&T so Verizon and Sprint jumped on the band wagon. Just a thought, I always think of true 3G the way AT&T has implemented it, but maybe it's just me.

 

[kdarling]

Re: Palm Pre. The coming ATT GSM version of the Pre should be able to do simultaneous voice/data.

Re: Verizon. I personally prefer simultaneous capability, and would love for Verizon to implement SVDO (simultaneous EVDO), but here are a few notes for completeness:

1) If a person uses Skype or some other VoIP on their CDMA smartphone, they can also do simultaneous voice + data. I've tried it; it works. Skype even uses ActiveSync push alerts for the incoming ring. Haven't tried any of the Google stuff yet.

2) Verizon kept their voice and data networks separate, so load on one could not affect the other.

One of the biggest problems ATT has is that when there are many 3G data users in a cell, the 3G voice users can get dropped (and vice versa). That situation cannot happen on Verizon.

 

[iPhoneNYC]

Well, my phone could do that but unfortunately I'm sitting in an apartment in mid-town Manhattan and I don't have coverage. I don't have coverage because ATT is my provider. What good is the coolest phone if one has the worst provider???

 

[gregnv]

The G1 can do it.

I'd be very surprised if the Droid or any other Android-based phone can't do this. Edit: just read yg17's post above

Out of curiosity, I just tried this with my G1 on T-mobile's 3G network. I called my wife and while on the call I checked my e-mail (Exchange server web e-mail via Touchdown) and performed a google search. No drop in the call, it all worked just fine. Also, WI-FI was off, so this was all simultaneous on the 3G network.

 

[Goona]

Well, my phone could do that but unfortunately I'm sitting in an apartment in mid-town Manhattan and I don't have coverage. I don't have coverage because ATT is my provider. What good is the coolest phone if one has the worst provider???

There's also somebody saying the same thing about Verizon somewhere else.

 

[jav6454]

AT&T and Verizon both own a huge amount of the new 700mhz frequency that they will be using in the future, no?

700MHz is for LTE networks. AT&T won't use 700MHz for anything else. However, I've been reading that the block the bought (Block A if I'm not mistaken) has huge advantages over Blocks C, D, E and B. Block A can be used a Wi-Fi transmission for long range and can be used as LTE. Imagine AT&T using their fiber pipes for U-Verse to power up 100Mb/s LTE. [drools]

All AT&T really needs to do is upgrade their dam backhaul... if they do that many network problems will go away.

 

[LagunaSol]

Ostensibly, Verizon is playing to the geek crowd with those ads by showing a 3G map.

And the DROID has widgets! And runs simultaneous apps!

(More things the typical consumer doesn't understand and doesn't care about from a 30 second ad.)

The DROID marketing campaign is odd.

 

[Goona]

Out of curiosity, I just tried this with my G1 on T-mobile's 3G network. I called my wife and while on the call I checked my e-mail (Exchange server web e-mail via Touchdown) and performed a google search. No drop in the call, it all worked just fine. Also, WI-FI was off, so this was all simultaneous on the 3G network.

Obivously T-Mobile is GSM and not CDMA like Verizon and Sprint.

 

[Starflyer]

Out of curiosity, I just tried this with my G1 on T-mobile's 3G network. I called my wife and while on the call I checked my e-mail (Exchange server web e-mail via Touchdown) and performed a google search. No drop in the call, it all worked just fine. Also, WI-FI was off, so this was all simultaneous on the 3G network.

T-Mobile uses GSM. Verizon uses CDMA.