O iPad WiFi + 4G, iPad WiFi + 4G, wherefore art thou iPad WiFi + 4G?
As you might recall, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is up in arms about the name of the iPad, specifically that pesky 4G moniker. Apple’s 3rd-generation iPad does indeed have a 4G LTE chip built into the cellular-capable variants, yet it is not compatible with any 4G networks in Australia. This has led the ACCC to charge Apple with misleading Australian customers by making them think they’re buying a tablet that can hook up to an Aussie 4G network.
Yesterday, it was announced that mediation efforts between Apple and the ACCC have failed, and that a lawsuit filed on behalf of the ACCC will follow. Apple has already agreed to put up a notice wherever the new iPad is sold warning customers that it doesn’t connect to any Australian 4G networks, and to call everyone who has already purchased to offer partial refunds, but the ACCC wants more.
Mediation efforts were geared towards forcing Apple to slightly change the name of the new iPad to reflect the lack of 4G connectivity. Since those mediation efforts have failed, it will be up to the courts to decide whether or not Apple needs to change the name of its wildly popular tablet in the country.
Justice Mordecai Bromberg of the Federal Court in Melbourne will determine the next phase in the lawsuit, which will likely go to court later this year. We will, of course, bring you news from Melbourne when we learn more about the Apple v. ACCC lawsuit.