idsgn (a design blog)

After what looks like the end of a possible friendship, Verizon Wireless picks a fight with the immensely popular Apple iPhone.

Premiering over the weekend, a hostile new television spot from Verizon hinted at the upcoming launch of the Motorola Droid, a new smartphone running Google’s Android. From the minimalist typography to the folksy music, the 30-second ad mocks Apple’s familiar commercials—focusing on the shortcomings of a device that’s been dubbed the ‘Jesus Phone’…

iDon’t have have a real keyboard, iDon’t run simultaneous apps, iDon’t take 5-megapixel pictures, iDon’t customize, iDon’t run widgets, iDon’t allow open development, iDon’t take pictures in the dark, iDont’t have interchangeable batteries… 

Everything iDon’t… Droid Does.

With over 20 million iPhones sold worldwide, its no doubt Verizon is bitter over AT&T’s exclusivity in the United States. Earlier this month, Verizon also directly attacked AT&T’s network in a parody of Apple’s “There’s an app for that” commercials:

While it’s sure to hurt Verizon’s chances of ever getting the iPhone on their network, Apple shouldn’t complain—they are no stranger to mocking the competition.

UPDATE: Things just got a little more nasty. AT&T sues Verizon over the “There’s a map for that” TV spot (above), claiming the maps shown in the ad misrepresent actual service coverage (Nov 4, 2009).

In essence, we believe the ads mislead consumers into believing that AT&T doesn't offer ANY wireless service in the vast majority of the country. In fact, AT&T's wireless network blankets the US, reaching approximately 296M people. Additionally, our 3G service is available in over 9,600 cities and towns. Verizon's misleading advertising tactics appear to be a response to AT&T's strong leadership in smartphones…

-AT&T statement, via Engadget

Having lost their legal battle, AT&T and Apple launch their own ads to fight Verizon, via Engadget (Nov 23, 2009):