A television advert for
Apple's iPhone misled consumers about internet access, the
Advertising Standards Authority has ruled.
Two complaints to the watchdog complained that the advert
claimed that "all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone".
The ASA said that because the
Apple iPhone did not support Flash or Java - two programs that
form part of many webpages to make them more interactive and
feature-rich - the advert's claim was misleading.
When using the iPhone's Safari web browser to view internet
pages, users see a different and less feature-rich version of the
internet, said the ASA.
Apple had argued its internet access claim referred to
availability of webpages, rather than their specific
appearance.
But the ASA said the advert "gave a misleading impression of the
internet capabilities of the iPhone".
The advert must, therefore, not be aired again in its current
form, it said.