Motorola’s new smartphone — dubbed Droid in the U.S. and Milestone in Europe — may be the strongest competitor yet to Apple’s iPhone. Slated to arrive in America on Nov. 6, Droid runs on Verizon’s 3G network and Google’s Android operating system, and promises a rich universe of apps free from Apple’s oft-criticized approval process.
Motorola announced the new phone with a striking advertising campaign knocking the iPhone as the “iDon’t.” The ads issue zingers such as, “iDon’t have a real keyboard,” “iDon’t allow open development,” and “iDon’t run simultaneous apps.”
Droid may have these things — iPhone’s lack of a physical keyboard has been an irritant since its initial release — but it’s not clear that these features will really matter to customers. For instance, David Worthington wrote on Technologizer.com, “Those points resonate with me, because I’m a member of the tech punditocracy . . . Apple’s draconian policies don’t really affect my overall experience. I haven’t met too many disaffected iPhone users, probably because the user experience — while imperfect — is pretty great.”
Is Verizon Network Enough?
One thing that potentially would make a difference is the network. AT&T has come under withering criticism from iPhone users for its weak 3G network. “Verizon’s network has much better coverage than AT&T when it comes to next-generation voice and data, so this does give them an edge over AT&T,” said Tim Bajarin, principal analyst with Creative Strategies. “And there is a lot of pent-up demand for a top-notch smartphone that is similar to if not equal to Apple’s iPhone.”
But if the Droid is the best iPhone competitor yet, it still falls short of Apple’s “gold standard,” Bajarin said. That means the primary market for Droid will be existing Verizon customers. “I believe that Droid is a good option for Verizon customers, but it…