By This Antennagate war is starting to get just as juicy as I anticipated. I knew Apple would receive backlash from some of the companies they attacked during their iPhone 4 press conference that addressed the reception issues due to faulty antenna design, but I didn’t think it’d blow up into an all out dung-slinger between the various companies’ marketing departments.
Samsung already took a couple of sharp stabs of their own at Apple, but Motorola wants in on the fun after Apple decided to single them out for no good reason. Their rebuttal? Our phone doesn’t require a jacket. That big bold text just isn’t enough, though. Read through the annotations and the concluding text at the bottom.
“Dual antenna design; one at the top of the phone and one at the bottom.” That just screams “Our engineers were sensible enough to compensate for attenuation problems.” The bottom bit really drives the stake through the heart, though:
At Motorola, we believe a customer shouldn’t have to dress up their phone for it to work properly. That’s why the DROID X comes with a dual antenna design. The kind that allows you to hold the phone any way you like to make crystal clear calls without a bulky phone jacket. For us it’s just one of those things that comes as a given when you’ve been making mobile phones for over 30 years.
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. This has become quite the regular soap opera to wake up to in the morning. Apple – if you’re reading this – please stop. You’re not helping yourself. You’re not helping the public. I and many other people most likely would’ve forgotten about your antenna problems if you didn’t go off on a sling fest. You’re like the kid in elementary school that everyone’s pointing and laughing at and you decided to make a lego weapon that ended up not working when you tried to bring it in the next day. It’s old, tired, and is having even more of a negative effect on your image than you probably care to realize.
I digress, though, because the main thing to take out of this story is a good laugh and some pride at how some of the Android supporters (on the hardware side of the equation) are coming together to try and shut Steve Jobs up. Kind of reminds me of this awesome t-shirt.
This is brilliant, another ad making Apple’s mistakes more obvious, but also Motorola pointing out that they have been making mobiles for 30 years. Apple have been for what, 4/5 years? And yet somehow Apple think they fully qualified to tell everyone else how phones work?
Well done Motorola, kudos.
bulky phone jacket lol
LOL – did you see the video where the guy does the death grip on the x? Guy had lemur monkey hands or something because I cant get one hadn to wrap around top and bottom of x. You would have to hold the phone like an otter trying to break open a clam or something.. Silly apple.. Put the fruit away and get a real phone!!
But Steve Jobs said every smart phone has problems during his July 16th press release. He stated it at least half a dozen times. lol
And to date they still haven’t taken full blame for a flawed design of their antenna.
It’s not brilliant. Would have been funny if they said “no rubbers required” and developed on that.
Apple’s smear campaign is doing two things:
1) Keeping the story in the headlines and
2) Making people hate their company even more.
gg Apple marketing. You’ve really outdone yourself here.
should’ve said “NO CONDOM PLEASE”
They need to get Phil Collins to help advertise the Droid X. It says No Jacket Required, how could you not get Phil Collins? Also good for Motorola showing Apple where they can stick their bumpers.
Apple has really dug a hole for themself by trying to point the finger at basically every cell phone company on the planet.
Looks like they are getting exactly what they asked for..
@Jay i know! i have freakishly huge hands myself and i can pretty much wrap my entire hand around the phone, however i would never hold the phone that way and i get an increase of bars when i do! steve jobs needs to quit with the whole pompous d-bag routine and do something to help the people who really do like the phone but dont want to deal with a crappy company.. seriously, steve has complained more than the people who first brought this stuff to light…..
Like Quentyn said, this probably wouldn’t have been such a big deal and easily forgotten by now if Apple wouldn’t have started spotlighting others and trying to bring them down as well. Kudos to Samsung and Motorola for striking back. Apple has no one to blame but themselves.
Hey you know Jobs did have to cut his Hawaii vacation short so give the guy some sympathy..
I think ya’ll missed a bigger story here. Somebody is lying. Moto says they have an antenna at the bottom AND the top. Apple in their mud slinging singled out the bottom of the phone and grabbed it there to drop the signal. So how did this effect BOTH antennas. So either Moto is lying about having two antennas or both of them working OR…. Apple is fabricating these signal drops. Personally I think Moto is basically calling Apple on their BS quietly. I’m not sure how many people are gonna stop and think about that though.
* Motorola Android Phone: $199.
* Verizon service: $100/month.
* Apple’s attack on Droid X backfiring in it’s face: PRICELESS.
Bulky phone jacket….with the X, that is the pot calling the kettle black because we all know the X isn’t bulky without a jacket right?
Love my X though and bought it because it’s 4.3″ of goodness.
While I like the competition, Motorola should watch where they tread. I’ve had two Droid Xs, and both have had signficant wifi and 3g connection problems. At first I thought it was me, but I carried my old Droid around for two days to compare, and noticed a drastic difference in connection quality for wifi/bluetooth/3g.
Bummer.
@Phil – Droid X has 1 antenna at the top and 1 at the bottom.
This type of campaign may make us laugh, but face it. Apple’s customer base is rabid and this will have no effect on them. However, it may cause new customers to look at other phones when considering a purchase. As for the 30years. I can say, in my experience anyway, Motorola products have always been excellent.
Apple is treating this like that bad joke that was told that makes everyone kinda stop and stare. You know the one where the fool who said it just won’t stop trying until he is thrown out on his loudmouth but in the street. Then followed into an alley by all the people he offended and properly beaten. Kudos for having the level of ignorance it takes to do just that! I guess what I am really saying here is the Iphone 4 is a joke.
“You’re like the kid in elementary school that everyone’s pointing and laughing at and you decided to make a lego weapon that ended up not working when you tried to bring it in the next day.”
Best. Line. Ever.
“You’re like the kid in elementary school that everyone’s pointing and laughing at and you decided to make a lego weapon that ended up not working when you tried to bring it in the next day.”
Thanks for bringing those repressed memories back to the surface.
“Apple iPhone 4 Bumper – Black
iPhone 4 Bumpers are currently unavailable for sale.
If you purchase an iPhone 4 before September 30, 2010, you are eligible to receive an iPhone 4 Bumper or a select third-party case from Apple at no charge. More details are available at the iPhone 4 Case Program website.
Made of durable rubber and molded plastic, the two-tone iPhone 4 Bumper fits snugly around the edges of your iPhone 4 and gives it a splash of color. It’s a fun and unique way to personalize your iPhone 4.”
ROFL? Where do you see a mention that this bumper “fixes our awful design flaw..”..NO WHERE? Apple turned the bumpers into a fashion thing lol..and I bet you all the retarded sheep are just lapping it up.
I thought bumpers were for toddlers….oh thats right…Apple IS a toddler in comparison to motorola. What a bunch of idiots. Droid… No “Bumper” required…
what is apple doing, trying to sell a defective product and hoping people will buy it? The Emperor has no clothes and needs to put on a jacket!
Just out of interest, and a little off topic, are Motorola likely to do a GSM version of this and the Droid 2? Although I don’t know why I’m asking, my contract isn’t due for 18 months!
They might make a new Milestone but that was for int’l and not at&t or t-mobile
Thanks! I should have said I’m in the UK, also has no-one at Verizon noticed a chance for an updated iDon’t advert? “I don’t make calls when you hold me!”
An interesting war!