Apple to Strike Back at Verizon with Ads Touting iPhone Features

Apple is going to launch new iPhone ads Monday night that strike back at Verizon's "There a Map for That" ads by showing off something you can't do with a smartphone on Verizon's network, specifically maintain an Internet connection with an app while talking on the phone. According to BusinessWeek, the ads will begin appearing tonight on House, How I Met Your Mother, Dancing with the Stars, The Daily Show, and more shows spanning the major U.S. networks.

The ads appear to be a response to Verizon's ads attacking AT&T's 3G network for its smaller coverage area in the U.S. While Verizon's 3G network is substantially larger than AT&T's, it's based on an older 3G technology (CDMA) that is slower than AT&T's and doesn't support some features like simultaneous voice and data.

AT&T's newer (but still not the latest generation of wireless platforms) network is based on GSM, which does allow simultaneous voice and data, as well as features like the iPhone's Visual Voicemail.

The ad below shows an iPhone owner being asked a question over a phone call while looking up the various answers on different iPhone apps, "All without ever leaving the call." The ad closes with the tagline, "Can your phone and your network do that?"

The ads will be Apple's first major response to Verizon's "There's a Map For That" campaign. AT&T's response has been to sue Verizon to force the ads off the air, a suit the company lost last week.

 

Apple iPhone Ad - What Time's The Movie? from Arik Hesseldahl on Vimeo.