contador web Skip to content

Dell accuses Apple of “cheating” consumers with a commercial about its “green” notebooks

When Apple introduced the new MacBooks and MacBooks Pro unibody, it launched a commercial in which it shows all the ecological advantages that its line of notebooks has. For those who have already forgotten it, go:

(youtube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFA0c6rZdEU (/ youtube)

Dell, which also adopted an environmentally friendly approach to building its computers, filed a formal complaint with The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (NAD), the self-regulating body of the North American advertising market, claiming that sentence “The world’s greenest family of notebooks” ("The greenest notebook family in the world") could lead consumers to error (or misinterpretation).

According to Dell's inquiries, the most common use for the term “family” by the industry would be to represent a particular group or a group of models, and not an entire line of notebook computers as Apple uses. With this, consumers would be led to understand that the use of the term ecological would apply to all MacBooks produced, including current models and those that are already out of line, that would not have been built with sustainability in mind using the white MacBook for example. The PC maker still complains against Apple for using the gold award in the EPEAT rankings, claiming that other manufacturers also have this same rating.

After listening to both parties involved, NAD concluded that consumers "are able to understand that the idea conveyed by the expression 'notebook family' would be for a product line and not for all products manufactured by a company".

The NAD only recommends that Apple modify the claim of "the world's greenest notebook family" to "make it clear that the basis of comparison used between all MacBooks and all notebooks manufactured by a particular competitor". He also suggests that Ma avoid using “the most ecological in the world”, given the potential of hiprbole (overstatement).

According to Steve Dowling, a spokesman for the Cupertino firm, the company is satisfied with the commission's decision. “NAD's decision is a clear victory for Apple. The case challenged our claim ‘The world’s greenest family of notebooks and NAD confirmed that MacBooks are really the most environmentally friendly notebook family when compared to other product lines manufactured by other companies. ”

The MacBooks Pro page that talks about the environment already shows the adaptation made by Apple according to the NAD recommendations. Instead of "Family" (family), the company now adopts the term Lineup (line). But the use of the EPEAT gold award remains firm and strong.

(Via: TUAW.)