Iphone ad leaves bitter taste
AFTER COMPLAINTS from just a handful of people, Apple has been told it must pull its current Iphone advert as it is apparently misleading.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received only 17 complaints before it had to take action.
The ad, for the Iphone 3G featured the offending statements, "So what's so great about 3G? It's what helps you get the news, really fast. Find your way, really fast. And download pretty much anything, really fast. The new Iphone 3G. The internet, you guessed it, really fast."
This advertisement also featured close-up images of Iphone web surfing and file downloads all of which appeared to take a fraction of a second.
When showing the web access the only on-screen text stated, "Network performance will vary by location" – or if your phone’s not in this ad it won’t work this quickly.
Following a couple of weeks with this ad in place the usual irritants crept out of their dusty corners to complain, this time saying that they believed the ad exaggerated the speed of the Iphone, and was therefore misleading.
What’s silly about all this is that surely everyone knows that the speed is exaggerated on ads – we’re not going to sit there and watch a 20 minute ad which shows the real speed of a file download, surely?
Apple claim in response to these complaints that the ad clearly states in the opening phrase, "So what's great about 3G?," which implies that the ad's content is there to demonstrate the difference between the 3G and its 2G predecessor.
Apple claim further that 3G technology is notably faster than any other, and therefore its comments on “really fast” were again in comparison to other existing technology.
Clearcast also said it did not consider that the claim "really fast" was one of superiority but a comparison with the rest of the market.
Clearcast said further that it received supporting evidence for the claim and were satisfied that the 3G iPhone could achieve speeds that, when compared to the rest of the market, were reasonably fast.
The ASA ruled that while it acknowledged that the majority of viewers would be familiar with mobile telephones, it had to consider that many might not be fully aware of the technical differences between the different types of technology.
The ad authority also noted that the ad did not give an explicit indication of a comparison with the older 2G iPhone.
The ASA concluded that because the claim “really fast” alongside the close-up images may lead viewers to believe that the device would perform at this rate frequently, the ad was likely to mislead.
The ASA has ruled then that the ad must not appear again in its current form. µ
L'Inq
ASA
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It's nice though, all these people who think the internet and machines are really like those in apple ad. After all, it works like that in movies too, and tv shows, and in computergames. Just not in reality. Wish I was that optimistic sometimes.
"What’s silly about all this is that surely everyone knows that the speed is exaggerated on ads – we’re not going to sit there and watch a 20 minute ad which shows the real speed of a file download, surely?"

Are you saying its OK to lie in adverts, because everybody expects adverts to be full of lies? Because thats what you seem to be saying.

Maybe Apple should start selling cigarettes. As in: "Apple cigarettes now with 23% more phosgene! Apple cigarettes - theyre good for you!" Hey, its only an advert. Youre supposed to know its a lie, right?

PS: U R F4NB01 L4M3RZ
Apple is notorious for having misleading ads. They've been so bad that I've been left wondering if they don't use the same people that American political campaigns use (or vice versa.) It's good to see that Apple is being taken to task on their faulty ads. What I don't get is that they have good products, so why do they have to lie about them?
Too right, it left a bitter taste. O2's network performance is appauling so much so the regulator is on their case (3G or not, makes no difference) and the IPhone can't deal with this - the browser just gives up the ghost on most occasions. I've "upgraded" to 3G and noticed no difference ...... so - we are not amused!!
Apple's ads ALWAYS over exaggerate their products. Look at the I'm a Mac, I'm a PC commercials. They greatly over exaggerate the flaws of the PC and the ease of use/compatibility of the Mac. The iPhone is just as blatant. Their commercials show them blazing through file downloads, web pages, GPS, music downloads, phone calls, and everything else. If I wasn't a tech head, I would absolutely believe that the phone was capable of such feats. But I've used it, and I've read the reviews. It is NOWHERE NEAR as fast, drops calls frequently, and apps lock up on a regular basis. In fact, it is slower to render pages than my 3 year old HTC TYTN. And how can they claim faster than the competition when it uses the same 3G network and they have downclocked the processor to save battery and heat? I don't know how all of their ads haven't been pulled for false advertisement.
Actually I wanted to complain about that ad, us techs know it isn't that fast, but the other 95% of the population probably do think it's that fast, especially when you consider the way Apple hype gets lapped up... They should at least show fades between any actions that take a while.. They also state that "some steps have been removed", so basically the whole ad is a lie !
"we’re not going to sit there and watch a 20 minute ad which shows the real speed of a file download, surely?"
No, but that's not my problem. I didn't write the ad. That's their problem, and they clearly didn't solve it.

Now you can have the whole internet, as long as it doesn't have flash, very fast, as long as you're in a land of make believe.

As suggested before, there's a line between exaggeration and lying.
Just like when GM was advertising the pontiac a coupla months ago and the thieves showed it jumping through traffic and even over buildings. Right dishonest advertising, that. Oh well GM is nearly broke so what goes around, comes around.
Why do my Macs alus look better'n they do taste?
Why is CSI not aS I C? Huh? You sequence the Fibonacci.
A few months ago I saw a car advert in which little robots jumped out of the wheels and dragged it along.

Complaining about download speeds seems a bit petty in comparison.