Sam Oliver
Though the new iPad runs at 4G LTE speeds on some carriers in North America, the device is not compatible with Australia's 4G network on the 1800MHz frequency. Because of that, the ACCC seeks "injunctions, pecuniary penalties, corrective advertising and refunds to consumers affected," according to news.com.au.
The ACCC issued an official statement on Tuesday stating that it will make an application in federal court in Melbourne at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday "for alleged contraventions of the Australian Consumer Law."
"The ACCC alleges that Apple's recent promotion of the 'new iPad with WiFi + 4G' is misleading because it represents to Australian consumers that the product 'iPad with WiFi + 4G' can, with a SIM card, connect to a 4G mobile data network in Australia, when this is not the case," the statement reads.
The commission seeks to ensure that consumers "are made aware of the correct technical capabilities" of Apple's new iPad. Australia was one of 10 countries to receive the iPad on its launch day of March 16, joining the U.S., Canada. U.K., France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Sales of the iPad in its first three days of availability in those 10 countries reached a record 3 million units over its launch weekend. That's a tenfold increase over the 300,000 units the first-generation iPad sold on its first day.
William Gallagher
Mike Wuerthele
Malcolm Owen
Andrew O'Hara
197 Comments
This is a BS lawsuit, because look at the sticker ifixit found on their Australian iPad 3 (half way down the page)
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad-...eardown/8277/1
It clearly states that it will only run at 3G speeds.
like, really... the Australian Gov allows bee commericals that sort of promise a blonde girl upon drink the beer, but after thinking about what has happened in the ad you know it will never hppen. In Canada, those beer ads are Banned, due to "lifestyle ads". we also banned misleading ads... but this apple 4G ad promises UP TO 4gLTE speeds. (somewhere in the world) ... yes maybe not australia, but the Guggenheim museum is in New York, usa.
they maybe have a case , if you cannot get 4gLTE speeds in New York by the Guggenheim museum... \
This is a BS lawsuit, because look at the sticker ifixit found on their Australian iPad 3 (half way down the page)
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad-...eardown/8277/1
It clearly states that it will only run at 3G speeds.
This is only once you open the box. The problem is with the advertising that try to sell a feature that is unusable in the geography. In Australia it is effectively a 3G device. This is part if the problem when a specification I a Lipitor loose on what can be a GSM 4G device.
I have to say, I think this is great. The fact that Apple calls it the "Wi-Fi + 4G" model is misleading, as the iPad is not capable of using 4G here in Japan. It may not matter to those of you in the States, but everywhere else in the world, it matters.
The same should happen all over the world. Where I live in the UK the iPad is of course sold as 4G, but there are no 4G networks here, and when there are, they won't work with the iPad 4G.
It's a scam, and clearly designed to mislead consumers. Of course you can look at the small print and see it's a scam, but how many will do that? It's akin to advertising a car as being capable of doing 200mph*.
* - when towed by a rocket powered dragster.
Yes you could buy a rocket powered dragster, or in the iPad's case, travel to America to use it, but in reality that's never going to happen.