Apple have been told not to run a TV ad again in the UK for the iPhone 3G after 17 people complained that it exaggerated the speed of 3G.

The ad used the phrase "really fast" repeatedly, coupled with shots of pages being loaded in fractions of a second.

Apple maintained that the average viewer was a mobile phone user, would have understood that performance varied and would also understand that some editing was required to cram a snapshot of the whole user experience into a 30 second TV ad. They also said the on-screen text "network performance will vary by location" underlined the potential for performance variations.

Indeed as an average viewer with an iPhone I can state that network performance does indeed vary by location. I'm often just trying to get a signal.

I'm pretty sure I saw this ad myself and thought it looked a bit fake - then again it is an advert. Durrr. Mind you, once you actually play with the thing for real you realise what all the fuss is about. I'd still buy one, if only for the Ocarina.

Advertising standards agency