'iOS 7 makes your iPhone waterproof' ad a scam dunk
A fake ad circulating on the Web appears to have fooled some into believing that Apple's new operating system waterproofs their phones.
Put ice in a paper bag and the bag won't leak.
Pour water into a colander and it will hold it for hours.
An ice cream cone is the perfect receptacle for beer.
In the same category as these fine tips is "download iOS 7 and your iPhone will be waterproof."
There are people in the world who may have bought this breakthrough hook, line, and sunken iPhone.
As Sky News reports, the cause was an ad that wafted about the Web.
The hoax ad looks like an Apple ad. However, the promises it makes are more extreme than any Apple ad you've ever seen.
For it teased: "Upgrade to iOS 7 and become waterproof."
The mere syntax there might have caused some to stop and wonder. However, the ad goes on to claim: "In an emergency, a smart switch will shut off the phone's power supply and corresponding components to prevent any damage to your iPhone's delicate circuitry."
Some people tweeted as if they believed every word.
For example a tweeter called Joe shrieked: "Ok whoever said IOS7 is waterproof GO F*** YOURSELF."
Another tweeter with the handle wihe raged: "wtf #iOS7 isnt waterproof!!! now my phones at the bottom of the river #f***."
I suspect these people might not have been as fooled as they imply.
However, someone called Matthew Ecton offered a tweet: "Woah, iOS7 makes your phone waterproof."
Sometime later, he offered another tweet, which may have been related: "Wow, I'm a dumbass."
These things can swiftly become painful legends.
One can only hope that no one actually decided to experiment, in good faith, to see just what a wonderful feature iOS 7 offered.
This ad, you see, includes one further temptation: "Waterproofing covered by Apple's warranty policy."