Australian Regulators Throwing a Wobbly Over 4G iPad Branding

If the new iPad cannot connect to the 4G LTE networks in Australia, then Apple shouldn’t have marketed it as a 4G device in that country.

So says the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which today accused Apple of misleading consumers about the iPad’s true capabilities, in violation of Australian law.

“The ACCC alleges that Apple’s recent promotion of the new ‘iPad with WiFi + 4G’ is misleading,” the agency said in a statement today. “It represents to Australian consumers that the product ‘iPad with WiFi + 4G’ can, with a SIM card, connect to a 4G mobile data network in Australia, when this is not the case.”

And it’s not.

You see, the new iPad only supports 4G LTE networks in the 700MHz or 2100MHz spectrum band. And since Australia’s 4G LTE network uses the 1800MHz band, the 4G iPad is effectively 3G-only Down Under. Which is obviously quite frustrating for Australians who purchased the device assuming it would connect to their local 4G network.

And so the ACCC is taking Apple to the mat, seeking all manner of penalities for what it alleges is misleading and deceptive conduct: Injunctions, financial penalties, corrective advertising and refunds to consumers affected.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.