Apple's Marketing Of iPad 4G Access Probed By UK Regulators

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's advertising regulator is deciding whether to launch an inquiry into Apple Inc's marketing of its latest iPad following what some customers said were misleading claims about access to 4G, which is not available in the country.

Fourth-generation or 4G technology enables users to access faster Internet broadband services.

"We have received 24 complaints about claims on Apple's website about 4G on the iPad. We are assessing whether there are grounds for investigation," a spokesman for the Advertising Standards Authority said on Saturday.

The company could not be reached for comment.

Apple has come up against a similar problem in Australia, whose consumer watchdog took legal action last month to ensure the company makes consumers aware that its latest version of the hand-held computer cannot connect to 4G in Australia, prompting Apple to offer refunds to all affected buyers in the country.

(Reporting by Olesya Dmitracova; Editing by John Stonestreet)

Comments

[ReasonableGuy]

09:42 PM on 04/09/2012

Whiners. Careless shoppers. What do you expect Apple to do, build a "4G" wireless network for you?

Come on. Get real. The device can only operate with the wireless infrastructure available.

Geez.

[Peder Svane]

05:10 AM on 04/10/2012

There is a 4G network, but the iPad is not compatible with it. It is ONLY compatible with the American and Canadian networks. Hence it is false advertising and it is not only in the UK that the authorities are looking into this false advertising.

[DRaymond]

03:09 PM on 04/09/2012

Apple did not just announce that the iPad was 4G but it was 4G LTE. Apple should just say that anybody who is disappointed with the data speed on the new IPad can return it for a refund. Few actually will because the main calling card on the new model was the new screen. Then since 4G is pretty much a pointless term now Apple (and the others) should produce charts of what will be the best available signal in particular countries and carriers and expected top data speeds. It iwll be the only way to avoid an endless quantity of these complaints of being misleading.

[GreenCollareconomist]

02:31 PM on 04/09/2012

Android FTW!! ;-)~

[jsgaetano]

01:25 PM on 04/09/2012

Apple misleading? Surely you jest! The company claiming it's computers were "immune from Windows viruses" would NEVER mislead anybody!

[theveggiedude]

05:28 PM on 04/09/2012

Of course they are immune from Windows viruses! Fortunately, not one virus has been found in the wild for Mac OS X in the 11 years its been around. All they can do is silly malware, hoping to trick users.

[jsgaetano]

06:14 PM on 04/09/2012

It's amazing how Apple cultists are always the least informed computer users that exist
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/04/mac-os-x-report-virus-infects-600000-computers/

[jsgaetano]

06:15 PM on 04/09/2012

BTW, OSX is Unix. If you're going to claim Unix has never been effected by viruses, you're not even living in the same version of reality as everyone else.

[nobodyzhome]

09:01 PM on 04/08/2012

The term 4G has been so diluted I could get away with calling my sneakers 4G sneakers.

[Highball]

09:21 PM on 04/08/2012

Exactly. At this point, 4G is almost meaningless.

[Brogrammer]

12:15 AM on 04/09/2012

That doesn't change the facts at hand. The blanket of 4G technologies has already been decided. If I tell you that you can get water from a device, that doesn't offer water in your country, should I really care if the countries that do have water depositing devices only have highly acidic water, or water with iron / sodium deposits? No. Inaccuracy is still inaccuracy, you're just being intellectually dishonest.

[born 2b different]

10:13 AM on 04/09/2012

Wrong, the ITU changed the legal definition of 4G so these claims of marketing deception will fail.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/121710-itu-softens-on-the-definition.html

[ResearchtheFacts]

07:48 PM on 04/08/2012

What's that sound? Apple falling...

[Gravenstein]

12:58 AM on 04/09/2012

Naw, just more hot air...

[jsgaetano]

01:25 PM on 04/09/2012

A bubble is about to pop?

[Justtheobvious]

06:01 PM on 04/08/2012

Apple admitted guilt when they refunded australians.

[beatyoass]

02:44 PM on 04/08/2012

and iphones suck

[beatyoass]

02:44 PM on 04/08/2012

why is stupid at&t closed on easter. I want the htc titan 2 (today is the official release day) and they're closed. wal mart didn't have it and the best buy website is down. worst easter ever.

[Chaos Or Zen]

05:29 PM on 04/08/2012

Use. Your. Phone. To. Call. AT&T. :)

[John Crane]

07:07 PM on 04/08/2012

If your life is defined only by access to high tech gadgets, then you need to get a new life.

[nobodyzhome]

09:04 PM on 04/08/2012

If he (or she) understood the meaning of Easter he (or she) _would_ get a new life.

[Brogrammer]

12:16 AM on 04/09/2012

I guess Steve Jobs never had much of a life then?

[Micah Floe]

01:21 PM on 04/08/2012

No one has 4G the FCC gave companies the right to use the term even tho technically its all just a faster 3G. Used to work for Apple. This is fact

[democratsaint]

01:26 PM on 04/08/2012

no one has 4g?wow that is funny sprint has had 4g for years?att market itself as the largest 4g network...so my guess is your have no clue what your talking about.

[Killermolls44]

02:18 PM on 04/08/2012

True that, I've had access to 4G on Sprint for years.. even before smartphones were really out.

[theveggiedude]

03:50 PM on 04/08/2012

Sprint's '4G' is about 20 times slower than real 4G. No one has 4G.

[Chaos Or Zen]

05:31 PM on 04/08/2012

Silly me, I was about to post "who doesn't already know that?" and then I read the comments below. Sheesh. It's good though. Makes for some funny reading. Thanks for your attempt to educate.

[briantopping]

12:57 PM on 04/08/2012

One of the talking points drones was arguing last week that LTE was a scam by the phone companies to use up allotted data faster. These customers, by that measure, should be relieved that the new iPad will fall back to 3G data speeds and not fall into that scam.

[wired]

12:57 PM on 04/08/2012

If I'm sold a car that's advertised as to be capable of reaching 100 mph, but the country where I reside allows at highest 60 mph, then what?

[democratsaint]

01:28 PM on 04/08/2012

that is not even close,they do not HAVE 4g,so they are using a selling point for something that does not exist and charging extra because it is 4g.

[born 2b different]

10:18 AM on 04/09/2012

The legal definition of 4G was softened by the ITU. Apple can legally claim 4G.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/121710-itu-softens-on-the-definition.html

[Killermolls44]

02:19 PM on 04/08/2012

Your analogy fails. It would be like the car company promising that you can reach 100 mph, but the car is unable to.

[JonBFertippton]

12:54 PM on 04/08/2012

Wow - very impressive. England still has regulators.

[Ppenguinator]

04:46 PM on 04/08/2012

Wait - was that sarcasm?

[JonBFertippton]

04:53 PM on 04/08/2012

Not against England, not at all.

[Durt Bagg]

12:47 PM on 04/08/2012

so it's Apple's fault they haven't caught up with the rest of the world and 4G?

[democratsaint]

01:29 PM on 04/08/2012

its apple fault for marketing and pricing as 4g

[Barbarian At The Gate]

04:02 PM on 04/08/2012

Europe offers 4G on different frequencies (800 and 2.6 Mhz). A true 4G device that will work internationally would be a quad band device with the 4 frequencies: 700 and 2.1 MHZ (N. America) and 800 and 2.6 MHZ (Europe).

[no exit]

12:43 PM on 04/08/2012

Why not just use wi-fi? Maybe the country will get 4G later.

[Barbarian At The Gate]

04:04 PM on 04/08/2012

The UK may already have 4G but Europe uses different frequencies.

For Apple to market the iPad as a worldwide 4G device it should be manufactured as a quad band device: 700, 800, 2.1, 2.6 MHZ.

[no exit]

06:16 PM on 04/08/2012

Thanks for that info - I know nothing (obviously) about frequencies, but Apple sure should know about it.