Apple Rebrands 4G iPad Following UK Criticism

Apple appears to have bowed to criticism regarding the branding of the ‘Wi-Fi +4G’ version of the latest iPad and renamed it ‘Wi-Fi + Cellular’ in the UK, Australia and other countries.

Australia and the UK have been among the most vocal critics of the Cupertino-based company to bill the device as capable of supporting Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, even in countries where there are no plans for networks compatible with the device.

Clarification

According to 9to5mac, the new name currently appears on Apple’s Online Store and is expected to be used in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, the UK, USA, the UAE and Vietnam among others.

All first and second generation 3G-compatible iPads will continue to be known as ‘iPad +3G’, including the 16GB version of the iPad 2 which is still marketed by Apple.

The new iPad only supports 4G networks that use the 700MHz and 2.1GHz spectrums, such as those used by operators in the US and Canada, while a commercial LTE network does not even exist in the UK yet – though there are trials such as UK Broadband’s Southwark network in London.

Even if the UK moved quickly on 4G, the frequencies up for auction in the upcoming spectrum auction are incompatible with the iPad,  as is the proposed Everything Everywhere 4G network that would use its existing spectrum.

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) confirmed to TechWeekEurope in March that it had received a number of complaints from consumers about the claims, and earlier this month it said that it was unhappy that Apple was still using the term ‘4G’ on its UK website.

Australian 4G networks also use a different standard, prompting The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to announce that it was going to take Apple to court over claims of ‘false advertising. Apple said that it would refund Australian customers who felt misled, but refused to accept responsibility any errors, stating that it never once said that the newest iPad supported Australian 4G.

However, on its website, Apple now states categorically, “This product supports very fast cellular networks. It is not compatible with current Australian 4G LTE networks and WiMAX networks.”

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