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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is today pursuing Apple for alleging it is misleading its customers in Australia by promoting the iPad as being 4G-ready when the tablet doesn’t, in fact, support Australia’s 4G networks. We want to know whether you knew the iPad wasn’t 4G before reading this article.
Don’t be embarrassed if you didn’t; Apple hasn’t made it easy to discover the truth. Even now on the Apple Australia website the iPad is clearly marked 4G. This from the iPad product page:
Designed with next-generation wireless technology, the new iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G connects to fast data networks around the world.
The Australian telcos are not much better at clearing up the confusion. Vodafone’s product page reads “The new iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G pricing” in large, bold font, followed by a paragraph describing its network upgrade as “4G ready and built for smartphones and tablets”. Telstra is cagier, referring to neither 3G nor 4G, while Optus clearly states in its advertisements that it’s 3G only.
We asked a Vodafone spokesperson about whether its product page will be affected by the ACCC action. They told us that the use of the term iPad 4G was adhering to naming conventions set out by Apple, but assured us that the product page will soon be modified to clear up any confusion.
This certainly is murky territory, and we want to know how this has had an impact on you. Were you mislead by Apple’s advertising and bought an iPad believing it was 4G ready? Did you have to explain this to someone you know? Has Apple been misleading us? Let us know in the comments below.
