Asia Bizz: On March 26, 2012, iPad maker Apple offered Australian customers a refund if they felt misled by the advertising surrounding the 4G capabilities of the new iPad. The company has been recently taken to the Federal Court by Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) where the company has been blamed for false advertising over its iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G promotion, as the popular device actually does not work on the 4G frequency in Australia.
The lawyers from Apple Inc. said that the firm is prepared to publish a clarification regarding iPad 4G’s Australian capabilities. The company also stated that it is ready to refund any customers who felt that they have been misled by advertisements stating the tablet’s 4G capabilities. A counsel for Apple, Paul Anastassiou, said that the company was confident that very few customers would actually apply for a refund.
Apple’s counsel also said that the company was not prepared to put corrective stickers on the iPad boxes as sought by the ACCC; the company would send an email to customers to clarify that the device was not compatible with Australia’s local carrier Telstra’s 4 G network. Anastassiou also said that when the matter comes to a full trial, the company would contest the claim by ACCC that it misled the consumers as the latest generation iPad did not work with the Telstra frequencies.
Apple’s counsel also argued in court that the other networks operated by Telstra were properly described by the international standards as 4G, but Telstra itself does not do so to describe them. Moreover, Apple did not reveal at any time that the new iPad was compatible with Telstra’s 4G network and that no such representation or submission was conveyed by the company.
