Apple is facing accusations that its adverts for the new iPad’s 4G capabilities in the UK are misleading. This follows similar accusations in Australia, where the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) took Apple to the Court for violating the conditions of the Australian Consumer Law.
The BBC reports that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has received ‘dozens’ of complaints about the new iPad’s 4G capabilities, which are currently redundant in the UK, and isn’t satisfied that Apple has complied with an agreement to amend claims about the tablet’s 4G feature.
The ASA had already spoken to Apple about its misleading advertising, but is now further investigating the matter following continuing customer complaints about “potentially problematic claims” about the new iPad’s 4G.
Apple said that it would make “no further reference to the 4G capabilities” of the new iPad on its UK website, and told the ASA that it had removed references to 4G from the webpage that the complaints were made about. Apple also told ASA that it had edited a video that contained references to 4G, says the BBC.
However, the UK Apple site still calls the mobile data network compatible iPad the Wi-Fi + 4G model, and only explains that 4G LTE is not available in the UK in a footnote at the bottom of the webpage.
In Australia, Apple offered refunds to anyone who thought they had been misled by the iPad’s 4G capabilities, but the company then argued that it had never marketed the device as being compatible with Australia’s networks.
It looks like 4G won’t be arriving in the UK for some time, despite Everything Everywhere launching a campaign to promote the importance of bringing 4G to the UK as soon as possible.
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Comments received
Mackly said on Tue, 01 May 2012
Never mind pointing the finger at Apple. What about the UK government and OfCom's total inability to keep the UK's 4G infrastructure on track without delay after delay?
This has been coming for a long time.
Other countries have complete 4G networks already built and in daily use while the UK can't even get its act together to auction off the spectrum.
mattyham22 said on Tue, 01 May 2012
This kind of thing really infuriates me. It is blatantly people misunderstanding the technology and blaming the manufacturer when the fault is their own. How many people go out and buy a Ferrari or other Super car and then complain the manufacturer that there are not ay roads in the UK that allows them to make use of the top speed? Just because something can physically do something does not mean you are able to utilise that. Read up on technology before you buy it people!!!
Grrrrr!
DerekCurrie said on Wed, 02 May 2012
As a watcher of both the actual 4G standard and bad marketing, I have to point out that in actuality: There is no 4G service currently available anywhere on the planet! The current '4G' offered by anyone does NOT qualify as real 4G. Instead it is merely what I call a 'marketing moron' ploy to screw over customers while giving them what only qualifies as 3G. Once LTE Advanced hits the market, THEN we will have actual/factual 4G.
Apple complained about the 4G marketing BS over a year ago in public but ended up conceding. Apple obviously blew it with marketing the fake '4G' capabilities of the iPad [3] outside the USA. On the other hand, the 4G terminology being bandied about is in and of itself BS. Any tech geek knowing mobile tech has to cynically laugh at this entirely ridiculous situation.
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