Apple Told to Change UK iPhone Advert

Apple has been told to stop using a TV advert after the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a series of complaints that it misrepresented the quality of 3G network download speeds. Seventeen viewers had complained about the advert, prompting the ASA investigation.

Apple (UK) said the claims made in the ad were relative rather than absolute in nature, and pointed out that the opening line of the voice-over stated "So what's great about 3G?". They believed that the claim clearly positioned the content of the ad as a comparison of the new 3G iPhone with its 2G predecessor.

They maintained that, as such, the implication that the 3G iPhone allowed downloads and internet access that was 'really fast' by comparison to the previous generation was not misleading.

Apple also maintained that the average viewer was a mobile phone user and would have understood that a device's performance varied due to several factors - although this seems to have passed by a number of US customers, who are trying to sue the firm over its 3G claims.

The ASA noted Apple maintained that the ad was intended as a comparison between the older 2G technology and the newer 3G connectivity upon which the advertised iPhone was based. Although the regulator acknowledged that the majority of viewers would be familiar with mobile telephones, they said that they considered that many might not be fully aware of the technical differences between the different types of technology.

It was also noted the advert did not give an explicit indication of a comparison with the older 2G iPhone.

The ASA ruled that the advery must not appear again in its current form.

Posted to the site on 26th November 2008