UK iPhone add banned for being “misleading”


The Advertising Standards Authority received complaints from 2 local viewers in the UK who felt that the claims in on of Apple’s iPhone commercials was misleading because it claimed that “all the parts of the Internet” were on the iPhone.

Since the phone does not support Flash or Java, two critical components in viewing many websites, that claim hardly seems accurate.

Apple argued that the phrase was referring to Internet site availability and not every aspect of functionality available on every website.

The ASA made not of Apple’s argument, but ultimately decided that the claims “You’ll never know which part of the Internet you’ll need” and “all the parts of the Internet are on the iPhone” implied that users would be able to access all websites and see those sites in their entirety.

The ASA will not allow the advertisement to air again in its current form.

I have to say, I absolutely agree with the ASA on this one. I felt the same way about the ads that aired over here claiming to have the “full” Internet – because its just not true. I love my iPhone, don’t get me wrong, but lets not lie to people about what they can expect. I cant’ tell you how many people came up to me after buying the first iPhone and wanted to know why Flash didn’t work.

They expected it, because it is a major component of the “real” Internet.

Apple will surely make changes to the ad, or just skip it completely, and move on to the next ads. Maybe they can just replace this one with one of the recent App store ads…that one’s much better anyway.


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

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