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Apple Gives In, Drops iPad '4G' Tag To Avoid Lawsuits
Back in March, Apple was sued in Australia and criticized in Europe over its marketing of the iPad as supporting 4G speeds when it only did so in the U.S. and Canada. Now, reader TheGift73 writes with news that Apple has given in and changed the 'Wi-Fi + 4G' label to 'Wi-Fi + Cellular.' From the article:
"In the U.K., a number of complaints by customers pushed the ASA into acting against Apple for its misleading advertisements. The regulator had received 'dozens of complaints' from customers, and had pushed for Apple to remove any mentions of '4G' from its websites. It should come as little surprise considering Britain has yet to see its mobile networks divide up its 4G spectrum without bickering furiously about it. Some networks had even opted to avoid litigation directed at them by including stickers to inform potential buyers that the new iPad will not work on existing 4G networks, or even 4G networks that don't even exist yet. This should come as bittersweet news for consumers. Apple has already sold millions of iPads across the U.K., Europe and Australia, while the vast majority are unaware that they will not be able to connect to high-speed mobile broadband networks."
Americans are slowly waking up to the fact that their mobile networks, internet access, and communications facilities are all crap compared to the rest of the world. Just wait until they find out that a farmer in rural China can get better cell phone service and a cheaper plan than they can in one of the large US cities...
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
It's one thing to advertise a feature a person might be able to use and to advertise a feature that a person will never be able to use. I live in an area where I only have 3G service but I often travel to areas less than 10 miles away where 4G service is available. It's reasonable to think that I would be interested in having the potential to use 4G service.
However, when selling a device where such a feature can't be used anywhere on the entire continent and will never be of use on that continent, advertising said feature could be considered intentional fraud.
That is especially true if it relies upon external services that may not be available in a particular region.
4G is available in Australia. Apple writes 4G on the box, but it doesn't work, and never will.
The rules over here are very simple. If your product doesn't do something, you can't pretend that it does. All Apple had to do was change the packaging, but they chose not to and were prosecuted as a result.
"I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
This makes no sense. As a consumer, I just want the device to work period, not have to spend hours researching on it.
We all do, sir. That is why I have a gold/silver alloy HDMI wire to sell you. It is scientifically proven that this allow conducts electricity better than a typical cheap, copper wire. You can check the scientific research here. Purchase available for a low price from Monster. We've done the research for you!!
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Now if only they'd get rid of the fake "4G" tag the iPhone 4S has on AT&T. It's barely faster than the "3G" on the iPhone 4, and isn't real "4G" by any means.
Except that it's 4-5x times faster than the "3G" on the Verizon network, so while it's not as fast as LTE it does seem like there's some room for calling it something other than what Verizon called their dog-slow pre-LTE "3G" network. This wasn't Apple's call, anyway... AT&T's HSPA+ network has the "official" 4G designation so it's as "4G" as anything. You'll have to look specifically for "LTE" if you want that speed.
E pluribus unum
Better LTE than never.
[Ducking and running]
Have gnu, will travel.
Why should a consumer need to go to a manufacturer's website to determine what that manufacturer actually means when they print what are otherwise common terms on their packaging and advertising? It's entirely reasonable for a consumer to be able to expect that a feature with a common definition in their locale actually means what they think it does in their locale.
Anyway, Australian consumer protection and advertising standards law is pretty clear in this case. If a company chooses to use advertising that sets a particular expectation of a product's capabilities, it's deemed to be false advertising if the product does not meet that expectation. The definition of those expectations is based on what the language mean in in Australia - where the advertising is being done - and nowhere in Australia does Apple's "4G" mean what they say it does. It's a pretty black and white case as far as I can see.
Apple doesn't advertise a feature that can't be used.
You're an idiot. Can the 4G that Apple advertises be used here on Oz? No. The onus is on Apple to be clear about what is supported in a particular country and saying "iPad 4G DC-HSDPA" in no way makes it clear to consumers. If you want to sell in a particular country, play by their rules. Our laws require advertisers to be clear about what they are advertising. If you don't like it, don't sell your product here. It is only because what Apple were doing is illegal in Oz that the ACCC was able to take action.
The issue isn't even a problem with the hardware at all - it is a marketing problem. Apple marketed the product as supporting 4G, but there isn't a single 4G network (as advertised in Australia) that it works on here. That is false advertising, and quite rightly they were taken to court. Apple are not bigger than the country.
Yep. Like Apple, HTC, Samsung, LG are also selling "4G" phones. That are not 4G. You might known them as selling "4G" Android phones. In fact, it was the considered the "Android is superior! It has 4G!" arguments.
In fact, it's so bad that phones are calling themselves "4G LTE" to separate themselves from HSPA-DC/HSPA+ that call themselves 4G phones.
And yes, I looked up 4G Android phones. Most only advertised HSPA+ support.
There are no clean hands - I think T-Mobile has a pile of 4G phones, but no LTE network at all (coming with the spectrum swap). Sprint and Verizon are probably the most honest - because their old technology ended at 3G, so they need WiMax/LTE to do 4G (they don't have HSPA+ to offer "4G").
And yes, there's the official ITU definition of 4G, and the marketing definition. Alas, the marketing definition took over in 2010-2011. Android users loved calling Apple out for not having "4G"...