T-Mobile US ad parodies Apple, shows iPhone 4 saddled by AT&T

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
A new advertisement from T-Mobile parodies Apple's iconic "Get a Mac" ads, suggesting that the AT&T network and the lack of 3G support for FaceTime have weighed down the iPhone 4.



The commercial, which debuted this week, features a woman wearing T-Mobile's trademark magenta color, introducing herself as a myTouch 4G handset. The TV spot spoofs Apple's award-winning "Get a Mac" ads, which Adweek declared the best campaign of the last decade.



The myTouch 4G is flanked by a man playing the iPhone 4, who is carrying the "AT&T network." The commercial says that the iPhone is slowed down by AT&T, as the actor portraying the personification of Apple's handset says the carrier's network is the "price" he paid for 3G speed.



The commercial goes on to criticize the fact that FaceTime on the iPhone 4 is only available on Wi-Fi, touting that the new myTouch 4G allows video chat "practically anywhere" over T-Mobile's network.



When Apple announced the iPhone 4 and FaceTime video chat earlier this year, company co-founder Steve Jobs acknowledged that they need to "work a bit" with cellular providers to enable video chat over 3G.



T-Mobile is pitching its wireless network as the largest "4G" network. While technically built on "3G" technology, the carrier's HSPA+ network operates at "today's 4G speeds," the company has said, though it is not available everywhere.







T-Mobile, of course, is not the first to directly attack AT&T's network and its exclusive hold on Apple's iPhone. Last year, Verizon and AT&T engaged in separate back-and-forth attack campaigns which even led to legal action, before a truce was reached between the two largest wireless carriers.



T-Mobile is the smallest of the four major wireless carriers in the U.S., but its network is built on the same wireless standard as AT&T's. Because of that, T-Mobile has long been rumored to be a potential home for the iPhone, should Apple's exclusive agreement with AT&T end.



But the current iPhone 4 would not work with T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network in the U.S. without modifications, as the carrier uses the unique 1700MHz spectrum. The iPhone is compatible with UMTS/HSDPA 3G connections at the frequencies 850MHz, 1900MHz and 2100MHz.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 66
    It's a pretty effective commercial. I like it.
  • Reply 2 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Smiles77 View Post


    It's a pretty effective commercial. I like it.



    Agreed. I would use FaceTime so much more if it didn't require WiFi... oh, and I wasn't under the 200MB plan... can't imagine how much a FaceTime call would cost.
  • Reply 3 of 66
    buckbuck Posts: 293member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Smiles77 View Post


    It's a pretty effective commercial. I like it.



    Or is it? Parodies will hardly bring commercial success and since 4G is probably the only advantage they have, well...
  • Reply 4 of 66
    rtm135rtm135 Posts: 310member
    And they come out swinging! I just checked and their 4G map isn't as embarrassing as I thought.



    *Puts on Capt Obvious hat*



    PS: She's hot.



    *Takes off hat*
  • Reply 5 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Smiles77 View Post


    It's a pretty effective commercial. I like it.



    It's kind of fun. Apple being poked fun at in ads is an indication of how far they have come - 10 years ago who would have thought it worth bothering parodying them.



    On a side note, I would be quite willing to buy a phone from that girl!
  • Reply 6 of 66
    wonderwonder Posts: 229member
    Funny T-Mobile in the UK are saddled with the 'slow' 3G network as well, they forgot to mention that.



    As T-Mobile actually sell the iPhone 4 in the UK (on a slow 3g network), they will probably need to be a bit more sensitive to their phone supplier!
  • Reply 7 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by trainwrecka View Post


    Agreed. I would use FaceTime so much more if it didn't require WiFi... oh, and I wasn't under the 200MB plan... can't imagine how much a FaceTime call would cost.



    So, to clarify... you would use FaceTime "so much more" if you didn't have to compensate the carrier for the amount of data you were using. Got it.
  • Reply 8 of 66
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Their HSPA+ isn't a recognized ‘4G’ tech and their coverage is less than AT&T's HSDPA/HSUPA which still rivals T-Mobile for speed (at least according to independent tests I’ve seen), but they also aren’t lying as these are just marketing buzzwords. Verizon and AT&T could call LTE 5G now if they wanted. It doesn’t change anything. At worst it gets T-Mobile free press if the other carriers want to throw a stink about it. I say it’s a good ad that will work for T-Mobile regardless of how people react to it.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by trainwrecka View Post


    Agreed. I would use FaceTime so much more if it didn't require WiFi... oh, and I wasn't under the 200MB plan... can't imagine how much a FaceTime call would cost.



    Figure on about 3MB per minute. Note, Jobs said FaceTime over the carrier networks will come after 2010. I’d guess that iOS 5.0 will offer it.



    This isn’t a 3GPP technology designed work within their walls, FaceTime is designed to be open and free so we can finally get video chat working across any and all internet-capable devices, but this kind of plan does take some planning and rejiggering from carriers (as stated by Jobs). If a year goes by and it’s still no active then I’d start to worry.
  • Reply 9 of 66
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
    I thought it was a pretty funny commercial I haven't used FaceTime once on my iPhone 4 -- mainly because my friends are either on Verizon or they don't have iPhone 4s. My wife has a 3GS, so no go there either.
  • Reply 10 of 66
    I haven't seen the commercial, but it sounds delicious. But of course, T-Mobile USA can still make money from FaceTime: sell pocket wifi hotspots that use HSPA+.
  • Reply 11 of 66
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    I haven't seen the commercial, but it sounds delicious. But of course, T-Mobile USA can still make money from FaceTime: sell pocket wifi hotspots that use HSPA+.



    Try clicking the Flash box on front page of this post (I assume you are running ClicktoFlash and missed it).
  • Reply 12 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post


    I thought it was a pretty funny commercial I haven't used FaceTime once on my iPhone 4 -- mainly because my friends are either on Verizon or they don't have iPhone 4s. My wife has a 3GS, so no go there either.



    Exactly my situation too. Regarding the commercial: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Side note: can commercials be patented? How close can you copy without infringing? I don't think freedom to parody counts in commercial enterprises as it does, say, on a comedy CD.
  • Reply 13 of 66
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mazda 3s View Post


    I thought it was a pretty funny commercial I haven't used FaceTime once on my iPhone 4 -- mainly because my friends are either on Verizon or they don't have iPhone 4s. My wife has a 3GS, so no go there either.



    I like it and IMHO it doesn't slam Apple at all, only AT&T.
  • Reply 14 of 66
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    I like it and IMHO it doesn't slam Apple at all, only AT&T.



    Now that you mention it, I can?t recall it beating up the iPhone, expect indirectly for the carrier it?s on.
  • Reply 15 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    The commercial goes on to criticize the fact that FaceTime on the iPhone 4 is only available on Wi-Fi, touting that the new myTouch 4G allows video chat "practically anywhere" over T-Mobile's network.



    If I'm not mistaken, the Android apps that T-Mobile is promoting for doing video chat are Qik and Yahoo Messenger.



    Both of these are available for the iPhone and work over the 3G network.



    While FaceTime is limited to WiFi the pool of available contacts is also 10X as big.

    I'm also sure that the actual user experience is also better using FaceTime over WiFi than any other app over 4G.
  • Reply 16 of 66
    Wow, how creative.



    Let's simply copy the look and feel of someone else's ad instead of coming up with an original, creative thought.



    Even better if Catherine Zeta-Jones appears and sticks the phone...
  • Reply 17 of 66
    mrrmrr Posts: 69member
    Thank heavens for competition!!!



    Now maybe Apple/AT&T will get off their butts and make FaceTime work over 3G!



    P.S. Isn't she yummy too?
  • Reply 18 of 66
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by macinthe408 View Post


    Wow, how creative.



    Let's simply copy the look and feel of someone else's ad instead of coming up with an original, creative thought.



    Even better if Catherine Zeta-Jones appears and sticks the phone...



    Umm, the imitation part is what makes it funny. In a way, it's both mocking Apple (with the theme of the commercial) while bashing AT&T (making fun of the network).
  • Reply 19 of 66
    swiftswift Posts: 436member
    The 4G standard, LTE, is not compatible with the patchwork that T-Mobile has put together with WiMax + 3G. They'll have to eventually catch up. Will they leave their present "4G" customers behind when they DO make the transition?
  • Reply 20 of 66
    Truth hurts, eh? There is no reason in the world that face time shouldn't work on 3G and interface with iChat right from day one. Apple released this thing half baked.



    Like the MacBook Air.



    Like iPhoto 11.



    Like Lion??
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