Reader temporaryerror brings up an interesting point. Should AT&T and Apple be advertising the iPhone 3G as “twice as fast” in areas where there is no 3G coverage? He sent in the above advertisement from the local Wichita, KS newspaper. He says that the closest 3G network is 120 miles away in Topeka, and that the advertisement doesn’t disclose this information. Is this ok?

I came across the attached ad in todays sunday paper here in Wichita, KS. The advertisement states that the iphone 3g is “twice as fast” and “on the nations fastest 3g network” It also gives the locations of the 3 ATT corp stores in town. The thing is, ATT has NO 3g coverage anywhere near Wichita, KS. The closest city with 3g is Topeka, KS, about 120 miles away. With the exception of the Kansas City and Topeka, there is no 3g available on the ATT network in KS, just EDGE. The ad has no disclaimer regarding this.

It may not seem like a big deal to some of us that are aware that the 3g coverage of ATT is limited and know to check the coverage first, but there is no guarantee that the good folks at the ATT store will let potential customers in on this, and (again) nowhere on the advertisement does it say that ATT’s 3g coverage is quite limited and not available anywhere near the newspaper’s reader’s area.

It’s interesting that they can customize the ad to list the local AT&T store locations, but not to advise consumers that the new phone will not run faster than the previous version until Wichita gets the 3G network. Very interesting, indeed.

Before you consider upgrading to the new iPhone, be sure to check the 3G coverage in your area. You can do that here.

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