Apple launching ads targeting Verizon's network

[her209]

http://www.macworld.com/article/144044/apple_verizon_ads.html

Apple launching ads targeting Verizon's network

It is a period of war between providers. Verizon's TV commercials and print ads, striking from the safety of the company's widely-touted network, have struck a blow against AT&T's PR, reducing its lawyers to picking apart semantics. AT&T's 3G network, clearly suffering from a lack of coverage and little blue dots, fought back with its own commercial featuring Luke Wilson and a snarky, magnetic checklist.

Enter Apple.

Apple has prepared its own series of commercials set to obliquely attack Verizon, made in the same mold as its ongoing “there's an app for that” campaign. Two ads set to air on Monday evening demonstrate how iPhone users can use apps in the middle of their call without interruption, thanks to the iPhone's ability to handle voice and data simultaneously.

One ad shows off how practical this feature can be in the middle of a call with a client, a call with a buddy, and a call with your wife—all the important things in life. The other run through three scenarios where the feature comes in handy in a single call with a friend. Each ends with the same question: “Can your phone, and your network do that?”

It's a shot at Verizon that they can't easily rebuff. Verizon's current network is based on the CDMA protocol, which restricts all of Verizon's phones to handling voice and data separately. But AT&T's GSM-based network can handle voice and data at the same time without breaking a sweat.

While this won't stop Verizon from beating the 3G coverage drum, it's a bullet point that AT&T will appreciate. Much better than “name that starts with the letter ‘V.’”

At least for now, it seems that AT&T and Apple have decided to put aside their squabbling over AT&T's fear to commit to a date for tethering to fight a mutual adversary. I guess all's fair in love and advertising.

Waits for Google to get into the scrimage...

 

[Deeko]

I've seen these. While its legitimate...how often is it done? I had a G1 + T-Mobile for a long time and I don't know that I ever once used data while I was on the phone, and it certainly doesn't bother me not having it on Verizon + Droid.

 

[Glitchny]

I've seen these. While its legitimate...how often is it done? I had a G1 + T-Mobile for a long time and I don't know that I ever once used data while I was on the phone, and it certainly doesn't bother me not having it on Verizon + Droid.

yea that's my opinion as well. I've never really had the need to do both at the same time. I guess it would be nice for the 1 time that it would be useful to me but it's not really an issue.

 

[zerocool84]

I've seen these. While its legitimate...how often is it done? I had a G1 + T-Mobile for a long time and I don't know that I ever once used data while I was on the phone, and it certainly doesn't bother me not having it on Verizon + Droid.

Well it doesn't matter cus on AT&T it's not like you can even get service on your phone anyways to use it.

 

[sswingle]

Big deal. I'd rather be able to receive the call, and be able to have fast data, albeit separately, than to not be able to use either because of no signal.

And yes, where I live this very much holds true. I know several people who got iPhones based off of AT&Ts coverage map, but then returned them because of such horrible service area.

 

[tfinch2]

Somehow I see this turning into the Mac vs. PC with no substance ads.

 

[bassoprofundo]

The ability to use data and voice simultaneously is huge for me. When I'm traveling (either on my daily bus commute or abroad on business), my cell is often both my only phone and my only source of data connectivity. I love being able to take a 7am conf call from the bus rather than having to be at the office that early. I can listen/talk AND watch the ongoing MS Live Meeting conference at once thanks to that ability. I suppose you learn to work around that if you've always been on a network/phone that has that limitation, but it's very handy once you're able to use it.

 

[zerocool84]

The ability to use data and voice simultaneously is huge for me. When I'm traveling (either on my daily bus commute or abroad on business), my cell is often both my only phone and my only source of data connectivity. I love being able to take a 7am conf call from the bus rather than having to be at the office that early. I can listen/talk AND watch the ongoing MS Live Meeting conference at once thanks to that ability. I suppose you learn to work around that if you've always been on a network/phone that has that limitation, but it's very handy once you're able to use it.

But when you have no reception what's the good of that?

 

[Printer Bandit]

here are the 2 new ads:

http://vimeo.com/7777019

http://vimeo.com/7777115

 

[Rottie]

ATT is asking for big help from apple no wonder they lost in the court

 

[hanoverphist]

here are the 2 new ads:

http://vimeo.com/7777019

http://vimeo.com/7777115

the email one may be occasionally useful, but damn why would you really need the feature as the selling point in real life? other than the meeting thing some guy up there mentioned i cant see any reason id have to get those things done while making the person stay on the line. wheres the movie? ill send ya a txt with the address, time and a link for it. hang up, send link.

those seem like minor points they are trying to make important to me.

 

[bassoprofundo]

But when you have no reception what's the good of that?

Based on both of your contributions to the discussion, you're obviously in an area where AT&T's coverage sucks, making the whole discussion moot for you. You're better served using a different carrier. Personally, I can count on one hand the number of dropped calls I've had over the past year on either my Tilt or 2g Iphone, and I seldom (if ever) drop back to EDGE. I don't dispute that V has more robust coverage overall, but if you're in a well-covered AT&T area and have a need for the advantage that simultaneous voice/data can provide, it's a major bonus.

 

[2canSAM]

I guess that means a CDMA iphone is not gonna happen. My wife asked me about their latest "Land of Misfit Toys" and I mentioned that are trying to convey the phone is great, it's the network that sucks, but now that Apple is tossing their hat in the ring, it changes things

 

[Nebor]

I constantly talk on my bluetooth headset while I'm driving using google maps or pandora on my Sony Ericsson X1a. It never occured to me that there were networks that didn't allow simultaneous data and voice usage.

 

[Deeko]

I constantly talk on my bluetooth headset while I'm driving using google maps or pandora on my Sony Ericsson X1a. It never occured to me that there were networks that didn't allow simultaneous data and voice usage.

Too bad you couldn't do all of that multitasking on the iPhone anyway....

CDMA does not do both, but on many phones you could still do some of that. The new Google maps navigation caches the map data at the beginning - so if you took a phone call while navigating, it wouldn't get screwed up. I've actually done that before on the Droid.

Of course Pandora would halt once it ran out of streamed song.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Good information here. Didn't know I couldn't do Sprint Navigation while talking on the phone. Not enough to sway me to go to AT&T though.

 

[secretanchitman]

very handy for me to do. use it all the time when im talking through a headset or on speakerphone at school/work.

 

[KK]

All I know is at&t better start putting up towers here in GA. Sure it's okay in atlanta, but everywhere else its hit and miss.