Verizon Readies Troops For War on Apple

One thing in politics is you want to focus on your message and you want to avoid mentioning your opponent, right?  That's before the mudslinging got to where it is today.

Well, Verizon will be doing the latter when they launch their counteroffensive on the iPhone 3G with the Blackberry Storm.  Crackberry has some notes and a video on Verizon indoctrinating their troops when it comes to Storm versus the iPhone.

Never mind that the Storm is a phone with limited computing capabilities while the iPhone and iPod Touch is a true mobile platform built from the ground up.  So, the comparison isn't apple to Apple but some-kind-of-a-berry to Apple.

Ask yourself this.  Of the two, which are we like to see mobile devices being born out of the underlying technology?  One thing is for sure, we're likely to see an Apple mobile device with additional mutli-touch functionalities before we seen something like that from anyone else, let alone RIM.

And truly, what does Verizon say about their other mobile devices that were not given this kind of campaign when it comes to competing with the iPhone?  What did Sprint say about their other lineups when Instinct is the only phone they think is worthy of comparison to the iPhone?

I'm sure the Blackberry Storm is a spectacular device and Verizon could be using it to avoid potential erosion of its customer base.  But if it does not measure up in reviews and sales, the Blackberry brand could be damaged greatly.

After Storm debuts, the likely scenario is that Verizon and ATT will continue to take additional subscribers from Sprint and possibly T-Mobile if its flagship Android phone does not pan out.  And in the end, things will be more difficult for Verizon if potential customers don't like Storm but is now aware of the iPhone because of their constant comparisons.  After all, how can Verizon say to their customers "if you don't like the best we've got, we've got these lesser smartphones you might like.  How about the Blackberry Curve for you"?

One more thing.  Price.  Whatever the price comparisons are, it's not the same unless Strom has 8GB or 16GB built in.  1GB with a micro SD card slot that supports up to 16GB is not the same as an iPhone 3G with 16GB.  I can't believe how many people forget about storage when doing price comparisons.