Apple ad banned over iPhone 3G speed claims

The ASA ruled that viewers may not fully understand the technical differences of mobile technology

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has told Apple to pull a recent TV ad for its iPhone 3G after receiving complaints that it was exaggerating the speed of the device's data connection.

The advert showed a close-up of the new iPhone being used to surf a news web page, view Google maps and download a file, while a voice over stated: "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."

In the advert, all the actions had waiting times of only a fraction of a second, although small print stated: "Network performance will vary by location ".

Following complaints from 17 people, the ASA investigated the advert. Apple attempted to defend the content by arguing that the claims were relative rather than absolute in nature, and that the reference to 3G at the beginning clearly indicated that it was comparing the iPhone 3G with its 2G predecessor.

Apple also contended that the average viewer would understand that actual performance would rely on several factors because this is common to all mobile devices.

However, the ASA rejected Apple's defence, highlighting that the advert did not explicitly indicate a comparison with the original iPhone. Furthermore, the advertising watchdog stated that many viewers might not be fully aware of the technical differences between the different types of technology.

The ASA concluded that the advert was misleading because viewers were likely to believe that the device actually operated at or near to the speeds shown. Apple has been instructed not to show the advert again in its current form.