Apple’s ‘Two is better than one’ iPhone ad doesn’t play favorites [video]

By on Jan 24, 2011 at 9:21 PM
mobile January 24, 2011

Considering the huge amount of money carriers pull in for Apple these days, the Cupertino-based giant has to be careful now that AT&T isn’t the only iPhone game in town here in the U.S. The company definitely wants to help draw attention to the fact that the iPhone 4 will soon be available from the nation’s largest wireless carrier, but it also doesn’t want to burn any bridges with AT&T, the carrier that helped it sell a record number of smartphones last quarter. The solution for the time being, it seems, is to keep things simple. Apple’s new iPhone ad dubbed “Two is better than one” shows two iPhone 4 units — one from AT&T and one from Verizon Wireless — both doing the exact same things for 30 seconds. Why play favorites when both companies stand to sell truckloads of Apple smartphones? Luckily for Verizon Wireless, the ad doesn’t show this pair of iPhones trying to browse the Web while on a phone call. And luckily for AT&T, the ad doesn’t show this pair of iPhones, well, trying to even make a phone call. Hit the jump for the full commercial.

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  • Anonymous

    Verizon > AT&T. Who cares about simultaneous voice and data when neither work on AT&T?

    • http://twitter.com/_elemenopee_ Kavin Nguyen

      You know, if AT&T was that bad, they would be filling bankruptcy right now. There is a poll that states only 16% of AT&T & iPhone owner would switch to Verizon. A significant number, but not high enough.

      • Anonymous

        True, if it was as bad as those people are saying, they wouldn’t have 90 millions customers. The old sprint who screwed all those fellow US citizen with no vaseline had over 52 millions back then. I know when the Iphone goes on VZW that will change but right this second the difference is less than 500k customers.

      • Charles007

        You get 90 million customers by buying companies with 9-20 million customers then getting a Blockbuster phone deal. Believe me NOBODY outside these carrier sponsored forums really has anything positive to say about ATT. Nobody likes their half rate muffled voice quality, constant dropped calls, worst customer service in the industry etc.

        We do however like our iPhones for the time being. Most of us signed big contracts that will cost us $325 to break per line. Like an idiot my blinding love for my iPhone translated into a 5 line family account. I am past my 30 day window and I can’t afford to leave no matter how much I really want to.

      • Danny

        @ uglysteeve: You got pwned.

      • Tim242

        A lot of people put up with att’s service, due to reasons like being on a family plan, or just having to have an iphone. I know a lot of people that have horrible experiences with att. They have just learned to live with it. Some are even oblivious and believe all carriers are that bad, and just stay put.

  • Christopher

    “And luckily for AT&T, the ad doesn’t show this pair of iPhones, well, trying to even make a phone call.”

    Honestly, that line made my night.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RNAEK4YVCN2LPL4IWFIFGGVAHE Odai

      Honestly, I agree with that.

  • Anonymous

    Epstein lulz, I likem!

  • Danny

    Is anyone else other than me getting bored with the iPhone in general.

    In 2007 I had to have it even though I didn’t know much about it
    In 2008 it was a status symbol
    In 2009 it was clear that reception sucked balls but the music player UI was top notch
    In 2010 the reception sucked worse but the screen was beautiful and the camera was good

    Now to me it’s kind’a played out. I knew the hysteria was bound to slow down in my mind. Sure the average consumer will still foam at the mouth for it but now everyone’s grandma has one. It’s still pretty, runs smooth and greatly designed but now that Verizon gets it the device will become overly commodicized (no more wow factor).

    • Bringit

      Oh Danny boy, you are such an above “average consumer”. Wow factor.

    • GinoMcDowan

      Agreed. The device will still sell well thanks to Verizon’s rabid users who will kill their firstborn to get it. I expect lots of Verizon users who will upgrade either at a subsidized price difference or at full MSRP for the more hard-core.

      But over time as competition gets fiercer and more youth who weren’t exposed to the intro of the phone a few years back get to see more devices with better specs on a different playing field the overall excitement for that particular phone may subside.

      iOS will still be a huge driver for innovation especially on new features and new devices but I believe the iPhone will see it’s best year between now and 2012 then sales will start to dwindle down.

      Need proof? I never thought I’d see the day when an Apple product was put out for discount or should I say clearance. With ATT selling older 3Gs models for $49.99 the writing is clearly on the wall for anyone who isn’t blinded by fanboyism. Apple used to only sell stuff at a premium (even old batteries for discontinued laptops were sold over $100.

      • Anonymous

        “more youths who weren’t exposed”. How many ipod touch are in the hands of youths? Heck my 3 yr. old girl is playing with one right now.

      • http://twitter.com/_elemenopee_ Kavin Nguyen

        LoL I bought an iPad when it first came out. Got bored of it after 2 weeks so I gave it to my 2 year-old son. Now he knows how to use it better than I do.

      • YourMother

        Sounds like that’s your problem right there astronomic

      • Maria Sanchez

        Geeks like us have a false sense of reality though. We assume what is cool, normal and/or interesting to us pans across all demographics.

        All kids love toys and gadgets. If you put any type of mobile phone or computing device in front of them they become mesmerized and will want to play with it. If it has pretty pictures and makes sounds all the better. Believe me your 3 year old isn’t impressed or sold by the Apple brand or logo yet. That comes later through forced play or brainwashing. The same applies to a son who becomes a huge fan of the same football team his father was a fan of.

        Your 3 year old will soon enough become old enough (past the teen years) and develop a liking of her own for products that may or may not be Apple friendly The iPhone (if still around by then) will be either a commodity or relic of the past. Heck cell phones the way we know them will probably have changed so much anything is on the table.

      • Anonymous

        Gino, thats wishful thinking on your part. Apple doesn’t sell on cool. It sells on usability and ecosystem to support their devices.

        I cannot even tell you how many time I have read comments like yours again and again and again about features. Features mean nothing if you can’t easily use them. Which is exactly why the first iPhone blew past much more powerful phones at that time. Because people could use them.

        Geeks can stick with what they like. But the general public don’t have a tolerance for complicated anymore. They don’t want complicated devices, and it also true about the ecosystem.

        Your prediction is wrong. Apple should continue to see growth for the next 5 to 10 years. By then the next big paradigm will kick in. That doesn’t mean they’ll be the biggest. Just means they’ll be doing fine and able to retain their profit margins year over year. While other companies will be struggling even if they sell more units.

      • GinoMcDowan

        You make fair points on usability, but I think your logic is skewed long term. You forget that people are fickle; only those who belong to the Cult of Mac are loyal no matter what.

        All hot products in history eventually lose their steam and the iPhone will too.

        It’s no longer the only game in town. Apple was first and they did it great but their once a year refresh will keep getting eclipsed by better products with better specs.

        Remember Apple has always been about scamming the buyer into paying more. Sales volume is 2nd to profit.

        Short term: Apple will continue to sell tons of iPhones because they’re hot right now.
        Long term: Unless they want to fall back into the niche player game like they do with Mac they will have to adjust their strategy to include more frequent device refreshes, create more partnerships with other carriers or open up their OS to other manufacturers. We all know the latter will never happen.

        Again this all depends on whether or not Apple wlll feel enough heat from competition to expand their distribution. They may not even care about volume but at some point they will have to make that decision for themselves.

      • http://twitter.com/chaoticbuddhist Michael Allen

        Ah “fanboy”. The rally cry of ignorance.

    • Sean_Godoy

      For real. Finally someone had to say it. I’ve gone back and forth. I left Verizon for the iPhone (original one) then ported back cause at&t dropped too many calls. Then I came back during the whole antenna gate period for the iPhone 4. Despite the network issues the phone was sick looking and like you said Danny the camera is great. But yeah the coolness factor does wear off especially for those of us who do not view Apple in a religious way. You’ll never see me camp outside an Apple store no way no how.

      The new LG Optimus 2X or Motorola Atrix is looking very good right now.

    • Anonymous

      copy n paste much

    • http://twitter.com/Syk0Matik420 Beefy McBigDick

      agreed. it was cool in 2007. but unfortunately, its so far behind technologically today, and being mass produced ( which mean more faulty units) just makes it even less cool. whats the BEST thing about iphone4? the retina display? big deal. if I wanted my phone to have a good display, the first thing I would do is call HTC. Apple products bore me to death. Everything looks the same. The iphone is just an ipod touch with a crappy phone thrown in. The ipad is a giant iphone(and useless). Apple need to come up with a new phone. something un-gay. if thats even possible for them

    • Anonymous

      Why do you guys continue to talk down about average consumers like they are a bunch of idiots if they don’t buy what you buy?

      By the way, the wow factor for all smartphones have gone. Smartphones are nothing new anymore. Everybody may not own them but most everybody knows about them and have seen them in action in person or on TV. And for the most part they all do the same things.

      The feature packing age is over because anybody can do that. They difference maker from this point on is usability and the ecosystem ie; Application Store, peripherals, ability to use as a credit card in a store, use as a train pass and so on.

      Geekery means nothing now, its all about supporting real life issues.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Matt-Del-Mastro/775290605 Matt Del Mastro

    Dear Apple,

    Everything is better than 2.

    Love,

    Android

    • http://twitter.com/_elemenopee_ Kavin Nguyen

      What a troll. EVERYTHING is better than two?

  • Network admin

    Ok so being on the flip side of most things good luck to those Verizon iPhones getting calls either. Do most of you think it’s just the carrier-oh you do—wow your as educated as I thought you might not be.

    • Scottcharp

      You’re right “network admin”, its not just the carrier, its the hardware too. So maybe you should read up on how the antenna was redesigned, bro.

  • Roguefromnyc

    Hey Zach.they just put up a apple billboard on 2nd ave and 54 street .here in Manhattan. Start another topic for it please.
    Jesus dude.take apples balls out your mouth.

  • http://twitter.com/CarpeDiemCMA Carlos M. Alvarez

    Haha funny but I bet neither AT&T nor Verizon think two is better than one!

    • Anonymous

      Exactly. This commercial, unlike previous iPhone commercials, exists solely to benefit Apple. One day when device exclusivity is rendered null and void in America, just as it is in other countries, we can get fewer but higher quality hardware and pick and choose the best, most affordable of carriers on a whim. The carriers will have no choice but to compete in terms of services and price packages they offer.

  • Adrian

    Ya so umm AT&T has great voice n data in my part of earth East Coast, USA (FL)

    The people saying AT&T iPhone can’t make calls make me laugh! Lol
    Since 2002 I’ve used AT&T (way b4 iPhone), it’s always been wonderful.. Then they merged with Cingular.. improved even more… Can’t make calls n surf on Verizon?? I thought it was a joke!! It’s true though lmfao- AT&T just works ;)

    • Tim242

      You can do it on Verizon while on wifi…you know, that type of data you have to video chat on.

  • HIM

    Nobody else care to notice the hands don’t match. The black girl has white hands. Fail!

    • Anonymous

      You do realize that both set of hands shown are a males hand.

      I take the hands represent the carriers. The images of the women communicating means it doesn’t matter what network you are on, you’ll still be able to communicate/connect to each other. The whole gist of the Ad is you should have basically the same experience on either carrier for the most part.

      So I disagree with the fail.

  • Tomy

    I’m in Chicago and I’m writing this on my iPhone while on a call… Of course AT&T has spotty coverage, but for the areas in which the coverage is strong, there is no comparison!!!!!!

    • Tim242

      I’m in Little Rock and I’m writing this on my Evo while on a call. I just did it to prove to a friend I could. I don’t see the point.

  • http://www.couponcodes4u.com/discounts/amazon.com Amazon Coupon Codes

    “And luckily for AT&T, the ad doesn’t show this pair of iPhones, well, trying to even make a phone call.”

  • Sonya

    You know what’s really sad, the people that are saying:

    “I don’t want the iPhone anymore since it’s going to Verizon, I felt like I had something special and I was part an elite club now that it’s on other carriers it’s just like any other.” How old are you people? The last time I didn’t want someone having what I had I was 5.

    The iPhone will probably branch off to all carriers eventually, so get over the fact that more people will be carrying around your precious iPhone.

  • V for Vendetta

    The commercial is about the iPhone on two carriers, but the featured app is Face Time that doesn’t require a carrier, just your WiFi. Funny!

  • http://twitter.com/chaoticbuddhist Michael Allen

    You know, I’m tired of this same shit. Blah blah AT&T. Blah blah Verizon. My iPhone is on AT&T because I LIKE the service I receive. I recognize not all of you have such fortune, but that doesn’t mean you’re the only ones either. My service is solid. I’ve never dropped a call, except when I got my first iPhone 4. My replacement doesn’t do it and I don’t care why. I, for one, will not be switching to Verizon because in Seattle, where I live, I need to use my phone as a phone and Verizon doesn’t have the coverage I need. And believe it or not, I actually DO use data while making calls when I’m nowhere near wifi. It is a valuable feature for people who need it, and an obscure talking point for people who don’t.
    The iPhone is now on Verizon too. Could the AT&T people shut the hell up please? The people that hate AT&T are LEAVING! More bandwidth for us!
    Verizon faithful, I’m very glad that you’re going to get to experience most of what the iPhone has to offer, and when the iPhone 5 comes along, we’ll all be one big happy family.

  • anDRU

    You all complain about AT&T’s service and how bad it is! I have been using this service in my area and it is faster and better than Verizon and sad part is that I live in the LA METRO AREA….. Sucks for Verizon as there is no SIM card available to have that option to swap phones at anytime. Also bad thing about Verizon is the billing! Have you ever seen a bill from Verizon as they tax you for everything possible along with their high ass plans and data service. I have had Verizon a few years ago before switching to AT&T and was the best switch ever….

  • Seamusrosini

    I think most of the people who will buy the Verizon iPhone are not at all AT&T Customers, they are mostly going to be made up of existing Verizon Customers. AT&T may be known for terrible service, rightly so… however people don’t make as many phone calls as they used to, and otherwise people don’t really care… at least not the general public.

  • Goodpurposes

    iPhone ad doesn’t play favorites. Why would they? what a dumb blog.

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