Apple Complies with iPad '4G' Marketing Ruling in Australia, Faces New Complaint in Norway

[MacRumors]

Apple has updated its marketing for the new iPad in Australia after regulators in that country criticized the company over "misleading" marketing claims related to the iPad's 4G capabilities. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced on Tuesday that it would pursue injunctions, fines and other remedies.

Apple responded by offering full refunds to Australian customers who felt misled about Apple's 4G advertising.




Apple has seen similar complaints over the iPad's 4G marketing in other countries including Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Currently, the iPad only works on 4G LTE networks in the United States and Canada. The Norwegian complaint is more significant than those in the other countries. Like Australia, Norway has actually instructed Apple to change the wording of its marketing materials.

The Norwegian Forbrukerombudet, or Consumer Ombudsman, has expressed particular concern over the heavy focus on the new iPad's 4G LTE support and the description of the product as "designed with next-generation wireless technology".

Because the iPad's LTE support is incompatible with Norwegian wireless networks, the fact that the iPad supports LTE makes no difference to potential buyers in Norway and is thus "misleading". The Ombudsman has given Apple until April 10, 2012 to make the necessary changes.

Article Link: Apple Complies with iPad '4G' Marketing Ruling in Australia, Faces New Complaint in Norway

[Glideslope]

Tell Norway to"Go Fish".

[jav6454]

4G, a bag of hurt

[kiljoy616]

Jobs we miss you more and more as stuff like this goes down.

Now we know why Jobs gave people the finger with 4G its all over the place.

So after all that hoopla from the Fandroid and others about 4G it would seem there is no standard and everyone is doing their own thing. Am missing something? I though 4G was LTE or at least that was the standard?

What a mess.

To bad they did not decide on open standard.

http://images.intomobile.com/wp-cont...d-shootout.jpg

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wimax1.htm

[KPOM]

Much ado about almost nothing. Apple will make the changes to its websites and marketing materials, and move on. For the vast majority of customers outside the US and Canada, lack of LTE is not that big a deal since their 3G HSPA+ networks are very good. It's still a boost from the iPad 2, as well.

Complaints like this occur all the time, and marketing materials are fixed. If it weren't Apple chances are it wouldn't be getting much press.

[cube]

"4G" does not exist.

[androiphone]

should have just stuck a '3G' sticker over the '4G' logo and be done with it.

literally no-one in the world would have cared if it was called the 'WiFi+3G' outside north america.

[KPOM]

Originally Posted by kiljoy616

So after all that hoopla from the Fandroid and others about 4G it would seem there is no standard and everyone is doing their own thing. Am missing something? I though 4G was LTE or at least that was the standard?

What a mess.

According to the original definition by the ITU, not even LTE is 4G (but the proposed LTE-Advanced standard would be). They watered it down, largely at the behest of Deutsche Telekom in the US to include everything all the way down to HSPA+. That allows T-Mobile to claim they have a "4G" network in the US. What's rich is that T-Mobile is now running ads claiming "don't be fooled, the iPhone 4S is not 4G," even as T-Mobile itself does not have a true 4G network.

In the EU and much of the rest of the world, LTE is the minimum for 4G, even though HSPA+ 21 and DC-HSDPA networks in Europe have real-world throughput very similar to American LTE networks.

[cube]

Originally Posted by KPOM

According to the original definition by the ITU, not even LTE is 4G (but the proposed LTE-Advanced standard would be). They watered it down, largely at the behest of Deutsche Telekom in the US to include everything all the way down to HSPA+. That allows T-Mobile to claim they have a "4G" network in the US. What's rich is that T-Mobile is now running ads claiming "don't be fooled, the iPhone 4S is not 4G," even as T-Mobile itself does not have a true 4G network.

In the EU and much of the rest of the world, LTE is the minimum for 4G, even though HSPA+ 21 and DC-HSDPA networks in Europe have real-world throughput very similar to American LTE networks.

There is no ITU definition for 4G.

[AustinIllini]

Shouldn't it be "it is not compatible with current Australian LTE or Wimax networks"?

[KPOM]

Originally Posted by kiljoy616

Jobs we miss you more and more as stuff like this goes down.

I believe when the iPhone 3G came out, there were similar complaints in the UK from the advertising regulator since they claimed that it was "twice as fast" as EDGE at loading web pages.

[Ballis]

well a lot of handsets from other makers does support the european LTE frequencies so it makes me wonder why Apple chose not to. I get that it would require a different, european version of the iPad, but if they wanted, and it seems like they wanted, to benefit from the marketing value of "4G", thats what they should have released. In EU, the new iPad is a 3G device.

[cube]

Isn't "current" misleading? Is there a reasonable chance that the supported frequencies be licensed in Australia for this purpose?

[ArcaneDevice]

Originally Posted by KPOM

For the vast majority of customers outside the US and Canada, lack of LTE is not that big a deal since their 3G HSPA+ networks are very good.

So it wouldn't be a big deal if say, Apple US started advertising the iPad with "Watch all your favorite BBC shows for free using iPlayer!"

It only applies to the UK but I mean, Netflix is almost as good for that here isn't it? Even if you have to pay.

[KPOM]

Originally Posted by ArcaneDevice

So it wouldn't be a big deal if say, Apple US started advertising the iPad with "Watch all your favorite BBC shows for free using iPlayer!"

It only applies to the UK but I mean, Netflix is almost as good for that here isn't it? Even if you have to pay.

Please re-read my comment. Once the advertising is fixed, it shouldn't be a big deal. The new iPad supports a faster network in Europe than what the old one did (the iPad 2 didn't support HSPA+ 21 or DC-HSDPA), and it still has all the other updates. Advertising it as the "WiFi + 3G" shouldn't be a big deal.

[GSPice]

Did any US customers in EDGE-only areas sue when the iPhone/iPad was advertised with 3G capability?

I mean, I'm kinda saying this tongue-in-cheek, and I know this may be an unfair over-simplification, but how dumbed-down does marketing have to be? Every smart, powerful one-liner for a product has to be followed with a paragraph of disclaimers?

Not just talking Apple here.

[striker33]

Good.

Apple have definitely gone about the 4G thing the wrong way. Completely misadvertising it outside NA.

If its 4G, then its supposed to be 4G capable. It does not accept what will be the frequency for 4G in the UK, therefore it is not capable of 4G here.

But nevertheless, I'm sure the Advertising Standards Agency will be all over it by now. Expect a rename in the coming months.

[Truffy]

Perhaps Apple will learn not to market globally based on satisfying the requirements a geographically (or otherwise) limited user base.

----------

Originally Posted by GSPice

Did any US customers in EDGE-only areas sue when the iPhone/iPad was advertised with 3G capability?

I mean, I'm kinda saying this tongue-in-cheek, and I know this may be an unfair over-simplification, but how dumbed-down does marketing have to be? Every smart, powerful one-liner for a product has to be followed with a paragraph of disclaimers?

Not just talking Apple here.

Presumably even US customers are intelligent enough to realise when 3G doesn't apply to EDGE? But in this case Apple stated compliance with 4G. Their limitation to US/Canada should really have precluded their use of this marketing ****znitz outside of the territory.

[nikhsub1]

4g is a joke and does not exist anywhere if you go by its true spec.

[KPOM]

Originally Posted by Truffy

Presumably even US customers are intelligent enough to realise when 3G doesn't apply to EDGE? But in this case Apple stated compliance with 4G. There limitation to US/Canada should really have precluded their use of this marketing ****znitz outside of the territory.

Enough with the American bashing.

The delineation between 2G and 3G was pretty clear, as the carriers, national regulators, and the ITU were in agreement. However, with 3G to 4G it is less clear, since there is a lack of agreement.

These articles are helpful. CNet PCMag

Note that while EU, Norwegian, and Australian regulators may draw the line at LTE, even those networks didn't meet the original definition.

I think the EU definition makes sense, since LTE is a different, more spectral-efficient technology than WCDMA, which underlies UMTS and HSPA+. However, since there is no clear worldwide definition, all the current definitions are arbitrary.

[KoolKid]

Go Sweden!

[realeric]

Neither LTE nor HSPA+ are not true "4G". They may be marketed as 4G but not 4G. Only LTE Advance is 4G.

[Core4]

According to Seeking Alpha. "the new iPad is not compatible with 4G networks in Australia, Europe, and the Middle East". They quote a Wall Street Journal article without a link. Anyone know if this is accurate?

[kiljoy616]

Originally Posted by AustinIllini

Shouldn't it be "it is not compatible with current Australian LTE or Wimax networks"?

I thought unlike LTE WiMax is a standard they all work world wide?

----------

Originally Posted by striker33

Good.

Apple have definitely gone about the 4G thing the wrong way. Completely misadvertising it outside NA.

If its 4G, then its supposed to be 4G capable. It does not accept what will be the frequency for 4G in the UK, therefore it is not capable of 4G here.

But nevertheless, I'm sure the Advertising Standards Agency will be all over it by now. Expect a rename in the coming months.

Other poster have stated 4G is all over the map and no one really has 4G. This is what happens when we loose control and have no standard. Pathetic in todays world.

[Delegator]

I don't understand why Apple sells the 4g version of the iPad outside North America. It makes no sense -- if people outside the area with compatible wireless networks really want the 4g because they travel here, then they can just pick one up in the US or Canada anyway (usually much cheaper than in their home country, too!).