UK watchdog disconnects iPhone ad for over-hyping features
The UK advertising watchdog on Wednesday banned a TV ad of the iconic touchscreen handset iPhone for over-hyping its internet capabilities and misleading the consumers.
By PTI |
LONDON : The iconic touchscreen handset iPhone, it seems, is not as smart as it claims, with the UK advertising watchdog on Wednesday banning a TV ad for over-hyping its internet capabilities and misleading the consumers.
The 3G version of iPhone, made by American technology giant Apple of iPod music players and Mac computers fame, made a mid-night debut in India last week after much fanfare.
In a ruling here today, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) asked Apple not to broadcast its commercial that claimed that people can access all parts of internet from the smart phone.
The ruling follows two complaints recieved by ASA against the TV ad that showed the phone in someone's hand and a finger switching it on to reveal the menu page.
The ad further shows the finger touch the weather icon to show the forecast for Cape Town and then navigate through a Heathrow Airport area map, a Safari icon, hotels and stock market webpage.
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At the same time, the phone is shown ringing and then being answered, with a voice-over saying "You never know which part of the internet you'll need... Which is why all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone". However, the complainants said the claim about all parts of internet being accessible was misleading because "iPhone did not support Flash or Java, both integral to many web pages."
In its response, Apple said that the ad was aimed at highlighting the "benefit of the iPhone in being able to offer availability to all internet websites, in contrast to other handsets which offered access to WAP versions or sites selected by service providers."
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