Verizon takes another swing at AT&T, puts iPhone on the Island of Misfit Toys
By Nilay Patel 
posted Nov 8th 2009 1:57PM
posted Nov 8th 2009 1:57PM
Update: Two more ads after the break -- "Blue Christmas" and "Elves." In case you were wondering, it's a sunny 70 degrees in early November in New York and Chicago, which is just about perfect for Christmas ads.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Oh, that's great! ...
AT&T coverage is great "down here" in the Southeast. I hear that it sucks in other places though.
Now if only AT&T would have some OTHER cool phones instead of relying on its one flagship handset.
that deserved a reply... and an email to my friends
After a second watching, I see that the map is of 3G coverage, not just coverage in general, so okay, I can see that. Not much 3G where I live. However, I went to Sprint's website (God, please bring the Pre to AT&T soon) and put in my area code, and it basically told me not to buy a Sprint phone because they have no towers AT ALL where I live. So . . . it could be worse. Edge coverage is better than nothing.
Fun to watch the big dogs fight but the stench of iPhone desperation on the red dog's side is soooo obvious! That and the Red map showing 2, 2.5 & 3G coverage while only showing 3G coverage on the Blue map... SIM'less,Slow CDMA SUCK AZZ and no amount of ads are going to change it. And if it was so great the "V" wouldn't be switching to LTE for 4G. Just Sayin...
Who still thinks an iPhone is going to Verizon now?
Besides, they are missing 3G coverage on their map in a number of new areas in the southeast. Typical VZW style.
When I was in LA and Vegas last year I got 3G everywhere on AT&T apart from in Vegas when I got HSDPA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw9oNBrmv0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRIqIWxhTIQ
Two more Verizon Christmas ads!
crud, I forgot the link :P
@Frankenstein Black:
I see someone who doesn't know what he's talking about...
I see someone who's taking it seriously...
I see that these ads are working pretty well so far =).
I noticed the naughty kid got an iPhone. Excuse me while I go steal something, I'll be hanging out later at a wireless hotspot.
AT&T shouldn't even be allowed to sue Verizon on the legal grounds that this commercial totally kicked some serious A.
@Frankenstein Black
Verizon chose LTE because it allows seamless passing to all three generations of its CDMA cell towers, thus allowing interoperability with it's own network. Using LTE also means better support for worldwide travel. Combine that with the fact it was getting more support then UMB was, and UMB lagged behind LTE spec wise, there was no reason for them to support the technology they were previously on just to spite their competition.
The fact of the matter is, if they stuck with UMB (assuming Qualcomm didn't cut support for it), you'd be sitting here trashing them for it anyway. Universality is always better then multiple technologies. Though right now, Verizon has a much more widespread, much more reliable, much faster 3G network then AT&T does, regardless of how they skew it in these commercials.
Side note, I'm pretty psyched about LTE because it at least presents the possibility of using unlocked phones on Verizon. Not hack jobs, just unlocked phones. At the moment there's no plans for that, but we'll see if that changes...
@Drgnt
Uh, why rule it out from this commercial? Any Apple/iPhone reference is only because that is THE phone that people associate with AT&T. The ads themselves are squarely fixed on AT&T's spotty at best coverage.
I just moved from AT&T to Verizon thanks to the Droid and I am not looking back. My school just had a little listserv conversation yesterday with a few people who were experiencing connection problems with their iPhones and AT&T. Funny little coincidence if you ask me. Was tempted to put a picture of the Droid and a youtube link to VZW's "there's a map for that" ad but I chickened out.
The third commercial makes no sense. It say's a blue Christmas, which would imply AT&T (and that there's 3G coverage since that's in blue), but he gets a Verizon phone (red). The other 2 are awesome though.
@Dragngt
Verizon isn't bad mouthing the iPhone. They're bad mouthing the coverage. Heck, if anything in the first commercial they made a point to say what a good phone it was. But the coverage sucks. I bet by the time Verizon does get the iPhone it will also run 3rd party apps in the background so the "iDon't" commercial will be a mute point.
I salute the guy responsible for these ads. These anti-bs measures were long required.
Blue also represents sadness, and is a cold colour.
The ad shows this throughout, until he gets the Verizon phone, then his christmas is better (Well, the expression on his face is.)
I know that's what blue means. I'm saying it gave me a subliminal message that made it seem like blue should be referring to AT&T.
Oh yeah, I thought the same.
"why not just sack up use a real iPhone, instead of this KIRF piece?"
Easy, because that KIRF looks better than the real deal. It's like an iPhone with the sexy aluminium front of the Zune HD
@ captcaveman and flowah I'm saying that because it indirectly effects iPhone sales by attacking AT&T and using the iPhone as the phone in the ads. Add to it the "iDoesn't" commercial and it looks a lot like iPhone attacks. Whether it is or is not the intent.
That doesn't mean that I don't really think that the iPhone won't end up on other networks. I think it's time Apple doubled their sales and let it be sold on VZW, Sprint (cringe) and T-Mobile. BUT they should all have to agree to the same terms that Apple currently has in place. I'm more for Apple continuing to gain market share in every aspect than I am to say something like "VZW said no first so then they should never get!" blah blah blah.
LMMFAO!!! All the ad's are great, and I love this taking shots at the iPhone and AT&T, and that VZW's marketing department is finally doing something right. I like the 1st one, where they welcome in the iPhone, and "check out the new guy, what are you doing here? You can download apps and browse the web. Yea, people will love you! (Ploop, map pops out and shows AT&T's 3G coverage) OOOOOHHH!!"
ROTFL Priceless, keep em coming!!!
Hmmm.
AT&T have really dropped the ball and now had a few years to prove their worth. FAIL
From following the story over the years it would be fair to say that the USA is the WORST place in the world to use an iPhone.
It's as likely as not that Apple has given approval for Verizon to bag the iPhone impending it's release on their network.
It's really great, especially when you know that these 2 companies won't have a peaceful holidays this yuletide season...
http://bit.ly/verizon-vs-att-no-peace-even-on-christmas
The plot thickens with the two. May Engadget give us an update when AT&T made a proper-bash against Verizon - with Chipmunks as their chosen characters.
Now that should be interesting..
This is pretty funny! I love that they're still using the map graphic they're getting sued for. These ads are basically as harsh as what Apple has been trying to do to PC's/Microsoft for the past however many years, slamming the other guy hard but dressing it up with cutesy humor. Brilliant!
According to J.D Power's survey, iPhone tops the customer satisfaction by a big margin.
That speaks loud and clear as to who is winning. VZ is very desperate now!
@ Spring Board
According to J.D Power's study, Verizon tops the call quality and performance by a big margin (AT&T is at the bottom).
That speaks loud and clear as to who is winning. VZ has nothing to fear!
This isn't about phones, it's about network quality!
Hey Meg and Ken. Why don't you 2 SUCKLE ME!!
http://appadvice.com/appnn/2009/11/the-truth-about-verizons-3g-coverage/
One word. DROID!!! It rocks, it's Fast and it's Open.
LOL
Poor little AT&T..
at&t is a saaaaaaaad little panda.... :*-(
AT&T isn't a panda.. It's NOTHING AT ALL.
Haha, I think this is more funny as a slam against Apple than it is AT&T
I don't see how it's a slam against Apple at all. It's saying the only reason it's on the island is because of AT&T.
Now those "iDon't" ads on the other hand . . .
Yeah, this is really not anti-Apple at all. They basically point out all the stuff the iPhone is awesome for, and then point out that it's too bad it runs on AT&T. Covering their asses in case they get a little fruity goodness at Verizon? We'll see.
If you have ever seen the original Rakin Bass Rudolph you know that the Island of misfit toys are there because of their ironic shortcomings (like a toy train with square wheels, a Jim in a box, etc). The reason the Iphone is there is because it is this great phone hampered by terrible coverage, and what good is a phone that can't be used? It's not knocking apple because the toys themselves are surprised that the iphone is in the land of the misfit toys until they realize that the iphone is paired with terrible coverage.
Well yes it is a slam against Apple as the iPhone is AT&T exclusive, consumers won't draw a line. And nobody saw the white iPhone in the adds? Verizon and Droid are out for the kill!
Yeah, best of luck with that.
It's not a slam at the product, rather, at Apple for tying it to AT&Ts network. I'll say it again, I still think this is funnier as a slam against Apple than AT&T.
@ohfor... There is no iPhone in any of the ads. It's *close* to the white iPhone, but there's no Apple logo on the back.
This is actually more of a compliment to Apple, Lol. It's basically saying "The iPhone is a bad ass phone on a shitty network" which makes it a misfit. Its like a really hot girl on a beach with a spectacular body wearing a one piece, she has the goods, but you can't use them. Lol
@Squid7085
In that case, I hope that Verizon buys the iPhone new clothes XP
It's like that part in all the Teen-flicks.
You know, near the end, but not THE end, when all the Nerds band together and finally bring down the Jocks that've been making fun of them for years.
@Smart People Play Tuba
Somehow though, I doubt they'd be aiming the iDon't ads if AT&T was not relying on the iPhone as a flagship phone.
That's a cute piece. Very creative and well put together. I like it.
1st ad is the best! I like how it's Christmasy yet subtle :D
I don't know why I think it's so funny when the little airplane doll falls in the snow
Timing maybe?
I wish my iPhone had dual ear speaker things.
I too am puzzled by the use of a "stand-in". Perhaps they don't even want to show folks the real device to tempt them?
YEAH!
And why didn't they show a REAL jack-in-the-box instead of a puppet of one? Maybe they're afraid that people will get jack-in-the-boxes instead of Verizon contracts too!
Or maybe its because a real retail phone wouldn't fit in very well with puppets of toys.
Or maybe because they'd get a cease & desist letter...
Which explains the white iphone used in the live action holiday commercials how?
The white iPhone didn't have an Apple Logo on the back, and they never showed the front of the phone. It just had a generic white back, that couldn't directly be an iPhone, just associated with one.
Verizon wants the iPhone... soon they'll be bidding on it. This commercial actually compliments the likeness of the iPhone.
I'm sure Apple is itching to put their phone on Verizon's VASTLY superior / underloaded data network.
I wonder if Hesse could talk the board into approving sinking all of Sprint's assets into winning the iPhone. Sprint has spectacular data coverage, as well.
I'll admit it, that made me laugh.
lmfao
Misfit toys. - sheer genius
This is actually pretty clever... It's nice that it acknowledges the iPhone is a decent device but that it's held back by AT&T's (admittedly subpar) coverage.
iphone coming to verizon wireless CONFIRMED
?
AT&T is going to get hammered with these kind of commercials once the holidays start up. Should be funny to see what other ones come out.
Damn, they bad b*tch**...
Is it just me or does Verizon blow just as hard as AT&T. They both price gouge the crap out of us and claim unlimited data actually has limits. Assholes.
I wish the barrier to entry for this type of business was not so high...
Nah, Verizon stateside has the strongest data coverage and 5gb is pretty much unlimited I usually only reach 1.5gb and I watch tv with my phone on Sprint. Till they start fighting with the new 4g stuff AT&T is pretty far behind.
I travel often, and from my experience Verizon is the best on east coast (especially in DC and DC metro) while AT&T could be better in some spots of west coast (Las Vegas is one example), but this is my subjective perception. I had both AT&T and Verizon 3G smartphones.
Regarding the video - it is so funny, and could be a classic example of a sinister ride over AT&T feelings. Still LOL :)))
You are right sir...
AT&T and Verizon both do an outstanding job of charging too much for their service. I have five lines with Sprint and love them! My only complaint would be the charge for the call forwarding that doesn't play nice with the new Google Voice offering.
I also have an iPod Touch that I won at a golf outing. I love it and can see how the masses would gravitate towards its sibling, the iPhone, because it just works. What keeps me from joining them though is (1) the additional control and functionality I have with my Windows Mobile devices and (2) the fact that it is not offered on the Sprint network.
Wait! Just because it's on a bad company doesn't make it a bad phone...
Well they talked about how it could download apps and all that stuff, but what makes it bad is the network.
It still shouldn't be on "the island of misfit toys" though. While this commercial is good and all, why did they specifically attack the iPhone? They could have just attacked every ATT phone and made the one in their commercial look less iPhon-y.
@Slutty
Well, the entire point of this commercial, I think, is to show how a great phone can be ruined by a subpar network.
Plus, it's going to get more attention by attacking the iPhone anyways.
Verizon attacked the iPhone (or iClone, in this case) because that's AT&T's flagship device. There's really no reason to attack the carrier's other phones, when they're hardly acknowledged in AT&T's ads anyway.
umm, the island of misfit toys is amazing for it
because every toy there is really awesome
except for one really ironic flaw.
they are calling the iphone awesome,
because truthfully speaking, even as a non apple fanboy
iphone is one product that got it right as far as the casual market goes.
althought everyone has their own little thing against it,
verizon's most ironic flaw calls out it's network coverage.
Talk about a kick in the chestnuts.
Verizon looks really desperate with so much iphone trolling.
However, these ads seem very effective. They are really hitting them where it hurts.
Yeah, totally reminds me of those Apple ads trolling on Windows. Waaiiiiit.
OK, that was just very well done.
personally i think the series would be better if they would stop putting just iphones in them. cause using only one device makes it seem like all other phones are great on ATT. mix it up and the point gets across that no phone is great cause the network is just that bad
Also, it would be awesome if AT&T made a commercial to counter these which showed verizon's map of where on their network you can do simultaneous voice and data... it would be blank. Just sayin... technically verizon's real 3G coverage is zero!
That's exactly why I tolerate att's subpar service, and utter lack of interesting handsets.
But how many people need simultaneous voice and data? And, (I'm not an iPhone user so I don't know this for sure), but doesn't the iPhone's lack of multitasking make simultaneous voice+data impossible to utilize anyway?
Jasmine no, you can do pretty much anything at the same time as a phone call or listening to music (obviously besides things that also require audio)
You can get push notification or email while you are talking for a long time. Sometimes you have phone call that's over an hour long.
I stand corrected.
Hell, you can send email while on that hour long call.
Put the phone on speaker to fire up google maps.
However the fact is most cdma users won't miss simultaneous voice and data any more than iPhone users miss actual multi tasking. For the simple reason that most smartphone users don't need smartphones.
Seriously. This is something I do all the time, and it's not possible on Verizon's network. For all the morons saying the iPhone can't do two things at once, I sure as hell take calls and surf the web at the same time a lot. And get email, and check facebook, and pay bills online. While talking on the phone at the same time.
If AT&T wants to counter Verizon's ads, that's all they'd have to point out. In fact the loss of that functionality would keep me from going to Verizon.
Routing with Google maps while on a BT call with somebody, video calls (on any other world 3G network), and just not paying attention that your phone has "modes" when you use it in any circumstance.
Talk about an ice burn!
It must be winter, because that was a COLD SNAP!
I love these adds....
I find it interesting how they're careful not to bash the iPhone but the AT&T network coverage on the iPhone.
To me it kind of says "Look, this is a great phone, but it's poor AT&T coverage ruins it." leaving Verizon wide open to bring it's own iPhone in the future with no backlash, perhaps?
I dunno, just wild speculation.
That's what I'm thinking. You don't want to bash a product then turn around and promote it. So bash something else.
Except the "iDont" commercials for the verizon Droid REALLY bashed it
Jordan:
Get a clue, man. . .criticizing AT&T's coverage doesn't slam Apple at all. I think you should back away from the computer, and get a date, preferably with someone who's not your sister.
I wouldn't be surprised if Jobs refused any further cooperation with Verizon now that they make fun of Apple. Apple doesn't need Verizon, but judging from the advertisements, Verizon needs Apple. Or at least it's standing outside the window and is pouting that it isn't invited to the iPhone party. Pathetic in my opinion, but at least it's entertaining ...
yeah you're right.
El Jobso should turn down a chance to possibly add the largest and highest ranked network that could possibly double his sales and makes his company millions all because of a single commercial.....
why do you think they targeted verizon in the first place when they were first shopping the concept.
This ad doesn't really target apple, but it does attack AT&T. If anything, Apple will see how true these ads are and bring the iPhone to Verizon.
Personally, I think it would be good for both. Verizon will have to lax its locking down of phones before apple will even consider moving to Verizon and the iPhone will benefit from the better (not perfect) network making it better for everyone in the long run.
verizon has the wrong tech so it has always been a non issue.
as for the ads, they can't use a real iphone anymore than they can use the real misfit toys. they would be sued six ways to Sunday cause you know it would be without approval since no way would Apple let them use the iphone in a negative ATT ad. probably in the contract even.
I wouldn't be surprised if Verizon don't give a shit what Jobs thinks.
You do realize that Apple approached Verizon about the iPhone (and Verizon turned Apple down), not the other way around, right?
@Jasmine
The whole "Apple approached Verizon and Verizon turned them down" has pretty much been exposed as an urban legend by now.
VZW's own CEO, Ivan Seidenberg, came out a little while ago and said himself that Apple was never seriously considering making a CDMA iPhone.