iPhone ads withdrawn for false info

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld complaints about an Apple advert that claims the iPhone offers the "full" internet.

Apple has been forced to withdraw the advert.

Two consumers contended that because the iPhone did not support Flash or Java, websites that relied on this software could not be viewed in full, and therefore the advert was misleading.

By not explaining the handset's limitations, the ASA said the broad claim of full access to the internet was false.

The ASA said: "We noted Apple's argument that the ad was about site availability rather than technical detail, but considered that the claims 'you'll never know which part of the internet you'll need' and 'all parts of the internet are on the iPhone' implied users would be able to access all websites and see them in their entirety.

"We concluded that the ad gave a misleading impression of the internet capabilities of the iPhone."

The ASA ruled that the advert must not be broadcast again in its current form.

Apple declined to comment.