Daily Show skewers AT&T over Verizon iPhone news

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Jon Stewart made Verizon's iPhone announcement a top story on his Comedy Central Daily Show last night, first describing the news as the reason for the "spring in my step," before launching a castigating portrayal of AT&T's service in New York City.



"For the past three or four years, those of us in the iPhone community have sacrificed one thing for the ability to carry around every photograph we?ve ever taken? or song we?ve ever listened to, or home video, or compass," Stewart said.



"We have sacrificed the ability to make phone calls," he said, dramatically adding, as the audience laughted, "For years! Struggling with the world's most popular, almost phone."



"Well, our long national nightmare may soon be over," Steward said, jumping to a clip of Verizon's president Lowell McAdam announcing the new availability of Apple's iPhone on its network.



"Freedom!" Stewart bellowed, before explaining the steps he's had to take in order to communicate with the iPhone, which included carrying a second phone (pulling out a pink plastic toy which he said his four year old daughter wanted back, and which could only call unicorns and faeries) and hiring foot messengers to physically carry the phone to the recipient after he typed it in. "Each text costs me $400," Steward quipped.



Correspondent John Oliver then lampooned the iPhone's service in an onsite report via a video call, where he loses service mid-call, which he later blamed on having "looked at a tunnel."



Oliver compiled a series of clips with existing users, who complained that AT&T's service required them to walk to specific places in their home to make a call, that "calls drop all the time," and that "the service is horrible," with about half of the comments including bleeped out profanity (or blurred middle finger gestures) directed toward AT&T.



"It's like being a technology hostage," one woman said, while the next man added, "it's like being a slave." Oliver described the Verizon announcement as "a moment of liberation," staging skits involving users pulling down AT&T logos and stomping on them.



"1/11/11," Oliver concluded, "a day that will always be known as VZ day," over the image of a returning sailor kissing his girl in Times Square, as he glanced at his mobile phone.



The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 133
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    I've never watched that show before. Is it a comedy?
  • Reply 2 of 133
    Why yes it is. It's a sad day when the Comedy Channel has the most informative and enjoyable news show around.
  • Reply 3 of 133
    It really is no joke. Service really IS that bad.
  • Reply 4 of 133
    shadashshadash Posts: 470member
    It's amazing we put up with this crap for the last 3-1/2 years. AT&T is a train wreck.
  • Reply 5 of 133
    sandorsandor Posts: 655member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by johnwhite1000 View Post


    It really is no joke. Service really IS that bad.





    ...just wait till 6 million iPhone users crowd onto Verizon's CDMA 3G network...
  • Reply 6 of 133
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    a year from now he will be asking the all important questions "why can I check email and talk on my VZ Iphone at the same time" damn that grass was not greener
  • Reply 7 of 133
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I've never watched that show before. Is it a comedy?



    It is on Comedy Central. It?s a great show. One of my favourites.
  • Reply 8 of 133
    kotatsukotatsu Posts: 1,010member
    Sorry to burst your bubble AT&T haters, but to be frank, you don't know how good you've got it. Try using an iPhone 4 in the UK, where I live. True we have a wide choice of carriers, and it's been that way for a long time, but it's really only the illusion of choice. Prices are largely the same, coverage is largely the same, and with the exception of a network called 'Three', speeds are utterly miserable. I mean, really, really, really miserable.



    When I see AT&T iPhone speed tests coming back with 4-5mbits I chuckle. On my iPhone 4 (with a network called 'O2') I'm lucky if I get 1mbit. Most of the time it's 0.25mbit. As soon as I leave the city the service drops to edge, then GPRS, then no service. It's a joke.



    The only possible relief on offer is the aforementioned 'Three' network, who in my experience will give around 3mbit (still lower than AT&T of course), but with very spotty coverage. Plus their network, as the name implies, is 3G only, so when leaving a city the iPhone goes from 3G to no service instantly.



    Oh and all UK mobile networks now have horrible data caps too. How does 250mb to 500mb a month sound?
  • Reply 9 of 133
    I absolutely love how people compare it to slavery and the woman is upset she has to walk 5 steps to get service in her apartment. What about the days when we all had a phone hooked to the wall that we had to get up and walk over to to answer???
  • Reply 10 of 133
    sandorsandor Posts: 655member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Maestro64 View Post


    a year from now he will be asking the all important questions "why can I check email and talk on my VZ Iphone at the same time" damn that grass was not greener





    or, god forbid, you try to use google maps for directions while you are talking on the phone... i cannot even count the number of times i have been talking to someone on the phone while searching for/making reservations at the establishment we are meeting at...
  • Reply 11 of 133
    whozownwhozown Posts: 128member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by johnwhite1000 View Post


    It really is no joke. Service really IS that bad.



    Where do you live? Everyone says the AT&T network coverage sucks. I live in FL and here AT&T is king, their network coverage dominates FL . I've never once dropped a call on my iPhone or had any issue. I know it's not that great in california or new York.
  • Reply 12 of 133
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sandor View Post


    or, god forbid, you try to use google maps for directions while you are talking on the phone... i cannot even count the number of times i have been talking to someone on the phone while searching for/making reservations at the establishment we are meeting at...



    I love how people say they don't use it or it's an obscure feature no one needs.



    Think about it this way for a moment.



    The iPhone is your computing device when away from your computer, right?



    So how many times have you been on a phone call while browsing the Internet on your real computer? Lots of times, I would imagine. So what is the difference? If you could do it on your iPhone, you would. I'm just guessing, but that is the way I use my iPhone and my computer quite often. I like multitasking.
  • Reply 13 of 133
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I love how people say they don't use it or it's an obscure feature no one needs.



    Think about it this way for a moment.



    The iPhone is your computing device when away from your computer, right?



    So how many times have you been on a phone call while browsing the Internet on your real computer? Lots of times, I would imagine. So what is the difference? If you could do it on your iPhone, you would. I'm just guessing, but that is the way I use my iPhone and my computer quite often. I like multitasking.



    How many people said that about smartphones in general? How many of them are now smartphone users? Like all good technology, what is irrelevant in one epoch can be a necessity in the next.
  • Reply 14 of 133
    cescocesco Posts: 52member
    "But Sir, the polio..."
  • Reply 15 of 133
    This melodrama is HILARIOUS! Seriously, we are seriously screwed as a nation and as a species when people are comparing all the "hardships" they've endured by voluntarily buying a phone, even comparing it to slavery. Slavery. Everyone in this video pretty much a high functioning retard.



    My experience is opposite of what most people constantly complain about (I maintain you are a complete idiot if you keep a phone that has as poor of service as people complain about - you have 30 days for a reason). Even in NY, I had very good service (I was expecting the worst after reading about this stuff for a month).



    I for one, cannot wait to watch as the honeymoon phase slowly wears off...some people will literally never be satisfied with ANYTHING.
  • Reply 16 of 133
    I do find it interesting that people continue to complain about the AT&T network. It is the best network I have ever had and I live in a small town.
  • Reply 17 of 133
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gunslinger View Post


    I do find it interesting that people continue to complain about the AT&T network. It is the best network I have ever had and I live in a small town.



    I honestly would not be surprised if most of them don't even have AT&T.
  • Reply 18 of 133
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post




    "For the past three or four years, those of us in the iPhone community have sacrificed one thing for the ability to carry around every photograph we?ve ever taken? or song we?ve ever listened to, or home video, or compass," Stewart said.



    "We have sacrificed the ability to make phone calls," he said, dramatically adding, as the audience laughted, "For years! Struggling with the world's most popular, almost phone."








    IMO, one of Apple's biggest problems is forming partnerships. The one with ATT has made them a laughingstock. And recently, they were running ads dissing Verizon for the inability to access data during calls. So much for multitasking...
  • Reply 19 of 133
    Maybe Jon Stewart needs to get a life? I used to find him funny, but his routine has gotten old. If his iPhone troubles are such a top story, maybe he needs a reality check for his "news"? Flooding in Australia, US-China relations, Wikileaks, the tragedy in Arizona, our economy, the federal deficit, all of the problems in Africa, the list goes on and on - and the iPhone is that big of deal? I am surprised he hasn't blamed his iPhone problems on Rush Limbaugh. AT&T may suck in NYC, but if it is bad as people say it is, why do they still have iPhones? I would have turned mine in a long time ago. Maybe they are just posers who think they look cool with an iPhone? Most of our country seems to be slaves to media hype, and sadly Jon Stewart seems to be no better.
  • Reply 20 of 133
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I love how people say they don't use it or it's an obscure feature no one needs.








    It is such an obscure feature that Apple based a major ad campaign around it. Go figure
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