We already told you about the UK banning Apple’s “just the internet” ad, and why they were wrong. Well, the BBC is reporting yet another Apple iPhone 3G television ad has just been yanked off the UK airwaves by the British government’s advertising standards watchdog group. Why? For exaggerating the iPhone 3G’s speed.
The advert boasted the new 3G model was “really fast” and showed it loading internet pages in under a second. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld complaints by 17 people who said the TV advert had misled them as to its speed.
Seriously? I would love to meet the 17 people who complained that the speed of the iPhone 3G did not match the above commercial. [Ed- ladies and gentlemen, Paul Thurrott!] I understand that the phone is nowhere near being that fast but do they not realize that is a 30 second advertisement displaying the top features of the iPhone 3G. Maybe I am crazy but I like to think I have the common sense to know the difference between a 30 advertisement and reality.
Well if you are like me, you’d want to get some insight from at least one of the 17 people who complained, then let me introduce you to a man named Roger Browning. It seems he did not have anything better to do with his time but to get “revenge” for having his own iPhone 3G stolen. Yes, you heard me correctly, “revenge”. Be sure to check out the link to read his story.
Sound off in the comments, we are curious to see what our readers have to say about this!
Casey already told us about how an iPhone ad was banned in the UK for “misleading consumers” about providing “just the internet”, and based on how many ZOMG! No Flash Vidz! comments we get, I’m going to go out on a limb and say most people probably share the belief that MobileSafari - ( Flash + Java) != the internet.
Fine.
But allow me to retort. As a long time web (and Flash) developer, however, I’m calling shenanigans on that, and on the UK Advertising Standards Authority. Flash and Java are factually and empirically NOT part of the open, standards based Internet (i.e. HTML, CSS, Javascript/AJAX). Flash and Java, along with things like SilverLight, Real, ActiveX, and a host of other proprietary add-ons are plugins, extensions, and otherwise additions to the Internet — with all the benefits and drawbacks that go along with that.
The Advertising Standards Authority, which we at TiPb are going to (foolishly) assume is the executive power of advertisements across the pond, has deemed an iPhone Advertisement as misleading in the UK. The sticking point? When Apple said:
“…all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone.”
And well, we know that isn’t exactly true. We still don’t have Flash or Java support on our iPhone and Flash and Java are a pretty big part of the internet. Apple claims that the advertisement implied the availability of webpages, rather than their specific appearance. Which honestly sounds like a cop out to us. But still, pulling the advertisement seems a bit excessive.
We think to please the guvnuhs on the other side, Apple will probably throw in one of them fine prints across the bottom of the page that specifies on what technology you ‘really’ do get. Does anyone know if Apple makes the same claim on the US commercials? Methinks yes.
It’s been two weeks since the July 11th, 22 nation launch. Do you know where your iPhone 3G is? Sadly, for many, the answer is still “backordered” if not “out-of-stock”. But don’t worry, your always customer conscious and perennially consumer focused mobile cell provider wants to make sure you know that they know that you’re feeling some pain. And they want to assure you they’re doing everything they can to get your money you your shiny new iPhone 3G.
First, they are absolutely, positively not hoarding them or stockpiling them in any secret iVaults. It’s still first-come, first-served, and in AT&T is prioritizing direct fulfillment (with a 2 week wait time), and advising their stores are currently sold out. (Hey, they’re moving it twice as fast as last year, remember? Just imagine if they had stock!)
Sounded like a great idea, dinnit? Put up a website where your customers could upgrade to the brand-spanking-new iPhone 3G kit, right? Digg effect, meet iPwnage (no, not the hack, the tidal-wave of traffic Apple’s little gadget brings with it). It’ll Steve your website right quick — especially when you offer to hand deliver them on launch day!
Says O2:
“We had invested heavily to add a huge amount of additional capacity, 250 times its normal rate, and back-up systems. We tested this carefully in advance. The massive simultaneous crush exceeded even our worst case assumptions. Demand was at 13,000 orders per second. Frankly, we have to admit we just weren’t prepared for this unprecedented level of demand. No Web site is.”
Yeah. Just be happy you don’t host a Stevenote stream. Traffic aside, though, 13,000 orders per second is staggering, and O2 admits Apple can’t meet that demand during a 22 country simultaneous launch. In fact, supplies look tight for the next few week, and nary an iPhone White in sight!
Our sympathies for our United Kingdom friends. If any of you mange to nab an iPhone 3G, please let us know!
Proving once again why telcos lead the universe in lack of customer satisfaction, within the span of a single day the UK’s exclusive iPhone 3G carrier, O2, announced and then un-announced Pay-As-You-Go plans!
The original info revealed that you could get an iPhone 3G 8GB for £300 and 16GB for £360 on the PayG plans, with browsing (data?) and WiFi tossed in free for the first 6 months, and £10 a month thereafter. Offer valid to new and upgrade-worthy customers until the end of the year.
Now, however, the page is gone, the server is bereft, and only a very Apple-esque talk-to-you-later notice remains.
Accidental upload snafu, rapidly rolled back? Attempt to gaslight over-enthusiastic iPhone non-contractors? You decide!
UPDATE: Apple Insider is reporting that O2 may be honoring their usual 1-year-later unlock policy for the iPhone 3G on Pay-As-You-Go. This means, 12 months in, you could cough up £15 to get your iPhone opened up to any network.
Long the [out-of-wedlock] stepchildren of the iTunes experience, Canada and the UK got some small measure of love a while back with the addition of TV shows, albeit primarily local and cable fare, like CBC and BBC respectively. But where were our movies? What about our (pricey) Apple Take 2 rentals?
Today Apple finally bestowed cinema on her Majesties loyal subjects, home and commonwealth alike:
Your favourite Hollywood movies are now available to download from the iTunes Store and watch instantly. Rent new releases for just $4.99 and other library titles for just $3.99, or buy movies and own them forever. Sit back and enjoy the show on your computer, take it on the road with your iPod—or view movies in stunning high definition with Apple TV.
In Canada, purchased movies seem to range from $9.99 to an expensive $19.99 for new releases (hey, studios, seen the power of le loonie lately?) while in the UK, rentals will fetch a premium £2.49 to £3.49, and purchases, £6.99 and £10.99.
Like the US, HD Movies are reserved exclusively for direct-to-Apple TV rental (thanks Big Media!), but it seems we might just get to enjoy them for 48 hrs. instead of the miserly 24 in the US.
One drawback? Canada already has steep data rates and stingy data caps (low end accounts offer a paltry 1-2GB a month, with high overage charges). Unlimited accounts can also be slower (low end toping out at 1.5 Mbps). Add to that the potential for cable and telecos to throttle what might seem to them to be competing offerings (to Rogers and Bell on-demand or PPV services, for example), and it will make for some interesting politics.
While the telcos may argue that the post office doesn’t deliver Netflix for free, it’s not like end users see the shipping charges either. It may end up that Apple has to deal with the Big Pipe devils same way they do with Hollywood and the carriers…
UPDATE: I had to reset the settings (not restore to factory, just reset) on the Apple TV in order to get it to offer up some movies, which meant reconnecting it to sync and stream from iTunes.
Following on a veritable flood of previous “OMG 3G!!11″ news and rumors, it nowlooksconfirmed that O2 in the UK has knocked 100 quid off the price of an 8G current generation (2.5G) iPhone 8GB.
The discount is being referred to as a special promotion that will run through June 1, but following the T-Mobile discount promotion, and the apparent urgency for 3G in data-spoiled Europe, the rumor mill is running full bore again.
The iPhone Blog merged with the Phone different site in May of 2008. Both sites were founded on a premise that comes one from one of Apple's old slogans: Think different. The iPhone Blog: for people who dare to phone different.
