Apple in trouble over iPhone Ad

29 August 2008

Advertising Standards Authority reject iPhone internet claim

Apple has run into trouble with the Advertising Standards Authority over an iPhone TV Ad. Apple declared, during the Ad that, 'You never know which part of the internet you'll need... which is why all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone.'

Complaints were immediately sent to the Advertising Standards Authority saying that Apple had mislead the public. The Guardian website said: 'The iPhone did not support Flash or Java, which are both integral to many web ages.'

In its defence, Apple said that it wanted to show how the iPhone can fully access the internet, as opposed to other, competing handsets, which restrict users to a WAP version of websites and that the open source Safari browser, built-into the iPhone, was able to achieve that. It also stated that no part of the Ad was Flash or Java-based.

However, the Advertising Standards Authority said that Apple's Ad implied that 'users would be able to access all websites and see them in their entirety'. Without Flash and Java built in, this would not be possible. Hence, the ad was withdrawn.

Click to read the Guardian story