“An Apple iPhone advert has been banned by the advertising standards watchdog for exaggerating the phone’s speed,” BBC News reports.
“The advert boasted the new 3G model was ‘really fast’ and showed it loading internet pages in under a second,” The Beeb reports.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld complaints by 17 people who said the TV advert had misled them as to its speed,” The Beeb reports.
MacDailyNews Take: Here are two of them:
The Beeb continues, “Apple UK said it was comparing the 3G model with its 2G predecessor and its claims were ‘relative not absolute.'”
MacDailyNews Take: All 17 complainants, 15 of whom work for rival ‘smartphone’ makers, said they didn’t really care about Apple’s problems as each of them also had relatives who drank Absolut.
The Beeb continues, “The advert repeatedly stated that the phone was ‘really fast’ and showed news pages and the Google maps service taking just fractions of a second to appear. Text on the screen said: ‘Network performance will vary by location.'”
MacDailyNews Take: All 17 complainants testified that they thought Apple was talking about changing channels on the telly.
The Beeb continues, “”After upholding the viewers’ complaints, the ASA said the advert must not appear again in the same form.”
MacDailyNews Note: The banned ad (if you’re British, turn away):
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Masteroflondon” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: In certain Wi-Fi hotspots private and public (we’re not telling) our iPhones exceed the speeds shown in the advertisement.
(For ASA Council Members and sundry complainants: Wi-Fi is only as fast as the line to which the base station is hooked, therefore not all Wi-Fi access points are created equal. In other words, “Network performance will vary by location.” Aw, forget it.)
“really fast” is so subjective. Yeah, that ad wasn’t showing the typical loading speed, but McDonalds doesn’t show the typical Big Mac on their ads either.
The Beeb are boobs.
So then, no microsoft Ad can be aired in UK?or CrapBerry ads?
Looks like England belong to microsoft, remember the BBC “Windows Only” players?
Another ad ban! The Brits seem to have a worse case of Apple tall poppy syndrome than anyone.
Yet another example of Apple failing to deliver as promised with the iPhone….
MDN are fools
“Relatives who drink Absolute”?
FREAKING Brilliant! God I can’t wait for Thanksgiving.
@ Ron
>The Beeb are boobs.
The Beeb don’t show adverts, they’re just reporting the story, same as MDN are
PS – I’m sure they’re re done the adverts with a disclaimer that the time taken in the ad had been shortened compare to what it would actually take.
Maurice Micklewhite, “PS – I’m sure they’re re done the adverts.”
I just love English grammar.
No I think this is a good thing. Don’t put Apple on a pedestal for worship. They got to where they are because of hard work and real innovation. They earned it.
They need to keep earning it to stay there.
My iPhone has on occasion performed at speeds comparable to those shown in the ad, so Apple’s claims are not untrue. What’s disturbing is that in a country with over 60 million people, just 17 of them can, for whatever reason, determine what they all can and cannot be shown.
Wow, so offensive MDN.
Take a perfectly good article and use it for an opportunity to make fun of the Brits? What’s the point here?
Everyone knows the ad is actually misleading and that the pages don’t load that fast. Everyone over 40 or so knows that these kinds of ads used to be illegal even in North America.
The whole upshot of this story is just that in the UK, they still have laws to protect the consumer from misleading ads. So for that you take the time to humiliate and make fun of Brits in general?
I am seriously disappointed in this bigoted mess MDN presents here. And people wonder why they hate Americans in England.
Advertising Standards Authority seems to be on a very high horse. If you look at their list of ‘adjudications’ for the past week, there are over 20, and as many for previous weeks, each. Even BBC themselves are the the target of one of those (where the complaint was ‘upheld’).
Advertising standards in the UK are extremely complex and strict. It is of no surprise when foreigners are shocked when they watch American commercials with obvious distortions, embellishments and outright fantasy, all done in order to sell the product. The problem isn’t that the American audiences are smarter and could tell when the truth is stretched (apparently, they can’t any better than non-Americans, as many end up believing the ad statements literally); it is just that no mechanism exists to protect these consumers from making stupid mistakes. The only time an advertiser will put a disclaimer (“Professional driver on a closed road”, or “do not attempt at home”) is when the ad represents something that can clearly be dangerous (and/or lethal) for consumer to do. If the product’s performance is greatly exaggerated, no harm, no foul — consumer’s a fool there.
I’m sure Advertising Standards Authority of UK often goes a bit too far with their crusades, but it is probably better to have one than not to have it. In the end, it forces advertisers to be more creative and to present their product and message without outright lying.
… and yet Microsoft were able to claim without irony how wonderful their security was on XP and how seriously they took such matters without any trouble at all with the same authority. Seems honesty is in the eye of the beholder and the ASA are about as objective as Steve Balmer when spouting forth on the merits of Windows. It really is time that these nameless characters had their bank accounts investigated.
Come on! no way the iphone is that fast!! I have one here its on my wifi network and in the time it took the ad to play a normal page had not even loaded completely in Safari. So damn right ASA.
Other points already made re: BBC is that THEY DON”T SHOW ADS!!!! this is a news story so before you, who are ignorant of such facts, please learn something before you mouth off. Thank god that ads are watched in the UK in the states any quack can sell snake oil and get away with it, And you think that is what? Freedom of speech?
spyinthesky,
I agree. I’ve always wondered if it is illegal for the CEO of a corporation to make knowingly false statements in interviews. If so, Ballmer is going up the river for a long, long time.
And for all of these years I’ve thought that download speed was more of an ISP issue and not so much the hardware, of course the English are always right and they will all ways bitch when hung, even if you use a new rope. Looking down their noses at the rest of the world seems to be a national past time. Call some one a liar, as several obviously English posters have done, will get you shot in many parts of the world. There is no problem with the English ego they have enough for everyone.
@MacFhearghaile
English? British, you dipstick
Moron’s
I live in England, i’m ashamed to say i’m ashamed of the BBC. The most miniscule piece of bad news for Apple gets a full page and sits there for weeks, then when Apple come out with something positive, like launching not one not two but three new notebooks and a new display there’s not a mention – you just try going onto the BBC website and searching for ‘Macbook’ there’s nothing about the new MBs.
Someone should complain. Hold on. Everyone should complain. Do your bit against the BBC (Biased Broadcasting Corporation) – visit this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints
And complain about their biased treatment of our beloved fruit company.
Did you know BBC’s website runs on WebObjects? (last I heard it did anyway) not to mention Final Cut Pro in their post-production suites.
And another thing. Whilst we’re all in the mood to complain…
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/how_to_complain/complaints_form/
Complain about Microsoft’s ‘I’m a PC’ ads. I feel they are misleading. Clearly all of the people in that series of ads are not PCs, they are human beings (just). But nevertheless. Complain to the ASA and get the MS ads banned on this basis.
God deluded: You are far too angry, you must live in the hell-hole they call Britain (or the UK, or England, or GB, or whatever the fuck its called this week)
Paul: You are a good boy, go to the top of the class and throw stones at God deluded, who is a dunce.
Anyone who thinks adverts are real is (a) british or (b) dense.
Stop watching so much TV, foolish brits. Get outside and play in the park.
(sorry, you cant do that because its full of knife murderers and paedophiles)
Britain = worst place on the planet, except for Guantanamo Bay.
God deluded: I am sure you arent really a dunce – go and live in a country where people arent so twisted.
The USA or Canada, surprisingly, are very pleasant places to live.
I can recommend San Francisco, Vancouver BC, Seattle, New York, Toronto, Montreal to name a few.
With truth in advertising standards in the UK, the way they are, how are they able to show any ads at all?
I mean, if they have an ad where the person puts on some snazzy aftershave is supposed to get them a hot babe, well, that’s kaput. I mean, what other ads are there?
The ASA site complaints page is a recommended visit!
A few hits and a few complaints about Microsoft and security might wake them up……
@ KenC: EXACTLY!
Ads are FANTASY – hello little england, hello from planet reality, are you there……
Like when you meet a girl, you dont tell her that you drink too much or you have never been faithful – you tell her the story of how you saved Lassie from the bad guys, or how you shot Lassie for laughs. (depends on the type of girl)
In England, the buses have huge yellow seat belts so the cops can see if you wearing one when they drive by.
In England, they have OVER 6 million cameras watching you.
Its a bit like East Germany, but the food isnt as good.