The advertising big brother in the UK has now officially banned the 3G iPhone television commercials, under the premise that the speeds demonstrated on the TV spot constitute propaganda.

While I 100% agree that the TV ads to exaggerate the tasks demonstrated, I do understand Apple's reasoning, even if it does come across as a little shady. For one thing, it would be difficult to persuade the consumer to part with a significant portion of cash if the 3G demo was shown in real time, not exaggerated in Apple time.

But my main concern with this entire story is that the adverting watch dog is now trying to protect the consumer from a problem that doesn't really exist. What I mean is, I would like to give the consumer the benefit of the doubt by assuming they have the intelligence to do some real research themselves before committing to buying an iPhone. One search on Google will reveal just how disappointed many users are with the 3G capability of the iPhone, so they can at least make an informed decision when parting with their money.

To me it reads more like the ban was put in place just to hurt Apple, for what ever reason there may be behind it. There are plenty of adverts on television in the UK as well as the rest of the world that shows products working better than they actually do, and Apple in that regard are no different. I mean isn't that part of what marketing is all about? Making us believe a product is better that what it actually is?