Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Australian Regulators Targeting Apple Over '4G' Marketing Claims on New iPad
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Wow, really? At first I was giving these Aussies the benefit of the doubt, but come on if its plainly written on the box like that, then they bought it and still whine, they are truly fools
This is a non-issue...
That sticker only proves that Apple (or whoever put it on there) admits that the iPad doesn't work with 4G in Australia, yet they keep marketing it is that. It's one thing to not give the full picture in the marketing headlines but it's a completely different matter to give outright contradictory statements in the headlines and fine print.
Furthermore, that sticker is insufficient since it may only be seen after you purchase it.
It's over, Apple is giving refund to the two Australians who were misled hehe.
Much ado about nothing, as usual
It's over, Apple is giving refund to the two Australians who were misled hehe.
Much ado about nothing, as usual
They have also agreed to clarify their marketing. Conclusion: The claim that it was misleading had merit
But Verizon does have a 4G network? or do all carriers just speak bull ****? Also it is Telstra's fault because America is the leading edge in mobile technology and Telstra decided to be different (yes I live in Australia and these things really piss me off) BUT I am going to buy a "4G" ipad 64GB because I don't really care
Australian is not a race any more than Canadian or American. They are nationalities. This is the first time I've encountered an aussie like you. Most australians that I know are pretty chill. Congrats on appearing as uptight as some other nationalities I could mention.Wow, that's aboot the first time I've ever seen that kind of racism come from a Canadian. Congrats to you, eh?
The thing about the iPhone 4S is that there is nothing in it's name that purports to be a 4G (or 3G for that matter) phone. Similarly, there's nothing wrong with advertising copy in relation to the 4S that refers to Sprint's speeds without claiming that it's capable of 3G or 4G speeds.
This is not about theoretical maximums or technical definitions, it's about the reasonable expectations of ordinary consumers within a particular market. Anyway, I'm going to leave it there, I'm sure the ultimate resolution will be satisfactory, but I'd expect Apple will have to go a little further than they have so far.
There are many ethnicities living in Canada, the US and Australia. Many Americans make Canadian jokes all the time and we have no problem with it. Most Americans also seem to be pretty cool with Canadians making jokes about Americans. Australia is not a homogenous society but if you think it is then you might want to look in the mirror if you are looking for "racism".
Perhaps you need to sit down and have a lager or two so that you can relax a bit.
As for speeds, I have both an iPhone 4S and an LTE iPad and I found that the speeds I encounter in my home city between the HSPA+ network on my 4S and the LTE on my iPad tend to intersect quite a bit so I would consider them to be in the same generation whereas regular HSPA and CDMA EVDO would be a generation behind.
Speed is not the only spec for wireless connection. LTE has much lower latency than HSPA+. And it should not matter anyways because in Australia 4G term is reserved only for LTE. Apple already admitted the guilt so why are you trying to defend them? They lied, got caught, apologized and paid for these lies, end of story. Whether you think that HSPA+ should be considered 4G or not is utterly irrelevant.
Read the fine print....
On the link that you gave, notice the line
The plug-in Prius is not yet for sale in the US - so what "I was saying" is fact.
On the link that you gave, notice the line
Prototype shown with options. Production model may vary.
The plug-in Prius is not yet for sale in the US - so what "I was saying" is fact.
Umm... yes they are for sale in the U.S. already.
$32k
http://www.carsontoyota.com/vehicle/specs/toyota/prius plug-in/2012
Umm... yes they are for sale in the U.S. already.
$32k
http://www.carsontoyota.com/vehicle/specs/toyota/prius plug-in/2012
I didn't find any dealers with stock - so it seems that they are for pre-order at the moment.
In any event, the post I replied to talked about plugging in a Prius - when approximately 0% of the Prius cars on the road can be plugged in.
Had the poster said "Prius Plug-in" (the actual name of the model that is just starting to trickle out to sales), there would have been no reason to comment.
Anyway - off topic, I'm done.
Seriously, though. If you're hellbent on being an OT nitpicker, you'll have to do better than that. If you check my original post, you'll notice that I talked about the way the Prius is being MARKETED in the US at the moment. I'd say a huge ****off website qualifies as marketing. The analogy stands and is quite reasonable, especially considering the fact that the new iPad is also, to quote you, a "model that is just starting to trickle out to sales" in most of the places where these concerns are being voiced by consumers and government agencies.
If you'd said "Prius Plug-in", I'd give you an apology (or more likely, have agreed with you and said nothing).
With the "The new Ipad 4G", however, the "4G" tag is part of the product name - and this discussion is not about the product named "The new Ipad", but about the product named "The new Ipad 4G". The fact that "The new Ipad 4G" is utterly incapable of using 4G in many places where it is marketed as "The new Ipad 4G" is the heart of this "4Ggate" issue.
How's that?
Although I'm not sure even large neon signs would get through to our friends downunder, not while the bureaucrats can extract their pound of flesh...
Although I'm not sure even large neon signs would get through to our friends downunder, not while the bureaucrats can extract their pound of flesh...
Just round them off.
I guess 21 mb/s HSPA and 42 mb/s HSPA could be compatible with the 4G nomenclature but I don't think anyone should market 3G technology as 4G.
Especially for this specific WiMAX operator, unless you provide faster speeds. I wouldn't call something that goes up to 4 mb/s as "4G" as I can get speeds up to 6 mb/s on HSPA+.
Not really, Apple just allowed the Australian government to browbeat them into taking "4G" out of the name, when it has a 4G data connection for their primary market.
If they make that change worldwide, it could put them at a competitive disadvantage against copycat Android tablets in their largest market.
Apple agree to pay $2.5m fee
http://www.theage.com.au/business/bad-apple-cops-255m-fine-costs-for-ipad-ads-20120621-20pbp.html
Maybe next time they won't report their devices as being 4G. I assume the next iPhone will not work on Australian 4G networks, thus Apple should not market the new iPhone, in Australia, as a 4G phone.
http://www.theage.com.au/business/bad-apple-cops-255m-fine-costs-for-ipad-ads-20120621-20pbp.html
Maybe next time they won't report their devices as being 4G. I assume the next iPhone will not work on Australian 4G networks, thus Apple should not market the new iPhone, in Australia, as a 4G phone.
And yet, Australians b!tch and moan that imported goods are more expensive down under than elsewhere in the world. Good luck with that, mates.
If 3.5g worked well in every carrier, all of us would be satisfied for years without 4G and with transfer rates up to 6Mbps (I got it a couple of days with my carrier).
Apple should protect its customers' interests instead of carriers'.
Apple should protect its customers' interests instead of carriers'.
Last edited:
Really captured the correlation to causation there, didn't you?
Just repeating what I hear my Aussie friends complain about on other forums.
Also, nice necropost...