An Australian court has heard that Apple has agreed to pay $1.9 million to settle a case that alleges that Apple misled consumers over the new iPad’s ability to connect to fourth-generation cellular networks in Australia.
From The Wall Street Journal:
federal court in Melbourne heard Friday that Apple had agreed to pay A$2.25 million to settle a case brought against it by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The company also has agreed to pay the commission’s costs of A$300,000, commission lawyer Colin Golvan told the court. The judge hasn’t approved the agreement to order the penalty against Apple and the court hearing continues.
The case has been ongoing since the new iPad’s release. In the beginning, Apple denied the allegations and agreed to add clarifications in its promotional material within the country. While the new iPad supports most 4G networks, the new iPad does not support Telstra’s new 4G network band, rendering the technology useless for customers on the Telstra network.
There are two things we can take from this case. First, 4G is a marketing term that varies from country to country, and the actual tech specs vary tremendously between carriers and countries. Second, US carriers play loose and fast with reality when it comes to marketing their own technologies to the public.
