Apple's new 'two is better than one' iPhone ad promotes Verizon, AT&T

Just days after Verizon launched its first iPhone ad, a new TV spot from Apple for the iPhone 4 highlights both Verizon and AT&T with the pitch "two is better than one."

Set to the iconic Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss, the ad displays two iPhone 4s side by side simultaneously tapping, scrolling and pinching their way through various iPhone apps and features, including Facebook, FaceTime, iBooks, Safari and the App Store. The two handsets are then moved away to show the AT&T and Verizon logos before the line "Two is better than one" is displayed.

The advertisement comes on the heels of a Verizon iPhone 4 teaser countdown ad, which never shows the iPhone 4, opting instead to build anticipation by displaying clocks ticking and people waiting eagerly.

Verizon is expected to put major "marketing muscle" behind the iPhone 4, at the expense of competing Google Android smartphones, according to one analyst. Shaw Wu of Kaufman Bros. said earlier this month that checks with industry sources suggest the largest wireless network in the U.S. will make a big push to promote the long-awaited arrival of the iPhone.

Ads promoting the new partnership between Apple and Verizon are an about-face from previous commercials that sought to tout Verizon's Android smartphones as superior to the iPhone on AT&T. In 2009, Motorola and Verizon teamed up to promote the Motorola Droid handset with an ad campaign that suggested the iPhone was feminine and highlighted perceived weaknesses in the iPhone with the tagline "iDon't."

Verizon and Apple will launch the new CDMA iPhone 4 on Feb. 10 for a starting price of $199.

For a comparison of Verizon's current Android smartphone offerings with the new iPhone 4, see the AppleInsider feature:

iPhone 4 and iOS vs. Android on Verizon