Apple has boosted the power of its G5 machines

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said that the G5 was not the fastest computer "in all circumstances for all applications".

Two other complaints about the G5 ad were rejected.

The ruling comes as Apple rolled out a new range of G5 computers.

Expert advice

The ASA said the complaints against the G5 magazine ad came from members of the public in Middlesex and Monmouthshire.

There were three objections to the ad;

• that the machine was "the world's fastest personal computer"
• that it was "the first with a 64-bit processor"
• and that "the systems built around the G5 can shatter the 4-gigabyte memory ceiling that limits every other PC on earth".

The first claim was based on independent tests comparing the Apple computer with two of its competitors - the Dell Dimension 8300 and the Dell Precision 650.

The ASA said it took expert advice and concluded that the claim could not be justified.

"It understood from the advice that the advertisers' tests showed the Power Mac G5 was faster than the other two processors on some applications under certain conditions, but not that it was the fastest processor in all circumstances for all applications," said the ruling.

"It also understood that the G5 machine tested was still under development and the tests seemed to be configured in a way that might have given the Power Mac G5 an unfair advantage."

Positive news

But there was some good news for Apple, with the ASA rejecting the other two complaints about the G5 ad.

It said that Apple was justified in saying that the G5 had the world's first 64-bit processor for personal computers.

"The Authority understood from expert advice that, although 64-bit processors had been available before the G5 was launched, those computers were normally described as "workstations", designed for business use, not personal computers," said the ruling.

The ASA also accepted Apple's argument that the G5 was the only personal computer that could handle more than 4GB of main memory.

Earlier this week, Apple boosted the power of its G5 range.

The new machines all come with dual 64-bit PowerPC processors as standard, with speeds ranging from 1.8GHz to 2.5GHz.